Somebody warn me if I start oinking.

A lot of people are worried that there won't be enough doses of the swine flu vaccine. I personally am not going to get a vaccination because I trust the vaccine less than I do my own health habits. After all, I haven't had the flu in something like 4 or 5 years. I figure it should be enough to be responsible in washing my hands, not touching my face or food before washing, and getting enough sleep and nutrition.

Still, it will be worth it to be vigilant. I came across this link on the internet today that should prove helpful: Do I Have Swine Flu.org

Wait...

Uh oh.

Woot!

Today I was thinking about how much I appreciate my dad. There was, however, one thing I had against him: he grew up. (After all, growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.)

Then I got this email response from him:

Woot!
Thanks.

I take it back. My dad didn't grow up--he's probably as young at heart and my brother and I still are, except he's better at pretending to be grown up. Of course, now I realize I had better hide my NERF guns from him...

What's with the music?

Today during a quiz in Databases, I encountered the question "Is an employee required to have a first name?" This got that old Oscar Mayer jingle stuck in my head. I could barely keep myself from singing, "My employee has a first name; it's O-S-C-A-R..."

Yesterday during my Info Warfare test I got stuck on the last question, and the only thing I could think about was the Darkwing Duck theme song. Typical college student? I like to think so.

Why?

It's the lead-up week to November, and you know what that means...? PANIC! Only 7 6 days left until I start writing! I have been rather busy this fall, so I haven't devoted as much time to this blog as I would have liked, but in a strange twist I will be voluntarily making my life even more busy by participating in this insane writing challenge. If you see me here, odds are it will be to whine and complain about how busy I am.

I was reading the NaNoWriMo forums today and came across a thread asking why we do it (which, incidentally, is where I pilfered that awesome image at the head of this post). It's not as if there is fame and wealth to be had. Half the time it leaves us frazzled, sleep-deprived, and desperate. So why the torture? I think the best answer is another question: why climb a mountain? Why ski the black diamond slopes? Why jump in a frozen lake in the middle of January? (Um... Actually, scratch that last one. I don't even know why those guys do that!)

In short, it's there, and it must be conquered.

[Edit]
Oh, and here's another discussion that addresses the same issue. It brings up the point that some things are just worth doing in and of themselves, regardless of material reward.

[Links to NaNoWriMo forum posts expire within a year of the posting date on the forum due to yearly forum reset]

The Breakfast Story

A happy young boy and a grumpy old man were eating breakfast together. The boy enthusiastically grabbed the salt shaker to salt his eggs as the old man watched with a frown. He scooped a bite of egg into his mouth then made a face as he realized that his eggs were now far too salty to eat. The boy sadly scraped the rest of his breakfast into the garbage as the old man lectured him on the virtues of frugality and the consequences of wastefulness. Then the old man sprinkled a tiny amount of cinnamon onto his toast. He ate the bland meal with a scowl, barely tasting anything, just as he had for years.