Back home now. Well, currently back at the orifice. It felt empty here after Christmas with Posh Ben gone, but now feels very empty here without Hilary around (she's gone home for a while after her mum died eight or nine days ago).

It also feels strange to be back in an office, although I do have all my things back now (except the diary which I forgot this morning). That's always nice.

In other (me-centred) news, I finished my wee sister's Christmas present to me lastnight: Are You Dave Gorman?. It's genuinely a very funny book, and it kept me sane during my stay up a mountain (and on the trip through Roswell and Alamogordo, more on which at a date in the near future, I'm expecting).

What else...? Oh yeah, Mr Bridger called round yesterday evening, post-rugby-viewing-in-the-Tup. Good to catch up with himself. And Neilo's busy on M&L this week.

I've just discovered that my new Norah Jones CD isn't one. It's another of these fvcking fake-CD articles that won't play under Linux because it thinks all PCs should be Windows, where it can install its anti-copying software.

Breaking news! It appears that if you start GRIP first, and if you rewind back to the start of the first track from the start of the second, then you can listen... Madness, but at least it means I'm not disappointed. I've been looking forward to listening since lastnight when my stereo revealed that it truly cannot play CDs anymore without skipping all over the place. I'll be getting a new stereo, then.

Right after I re-learn how to type.

Still, it stood me in good stead: I've had that stereo for ten years! And it's had a few knocks and moves over the ages. Lunchtime, then!

[Mirrored from the observing log at obslog.blogspot.com.]
I thought a quick epilogueto the ObsLog was in order... and I've just found out that I have an extra hour to kill at DFW, too.

I've had an interesting few days arond Roswell and Alamogordo, and Roswell was a real surprise (pleaseforgive the bad typing, but this terminal's keyboard is horrible... worse than an iMac's :o)

I got quite a good night;s slep lastnight at the travelodge near El Paso airport, but I'm still shattered from two weeks of long days and early starts. I'm looking forward to my own bed, and if the heating's noisy I'mjust gong to turn it off.

The observin trip has been a good one, and I even managed to hhire a car in Roswell for 24 hours. Then the museum, which was a revelation. Anyway, It's somewhere arond 15:30 local time, then I can get on th plane and hopefully there'll be somegood fillums to watch.

Believe it or no, I'm slightly apprehensive about getting home. The trip has been a way of avoiding the real world for a while, butnow I'll be cast backin to the flamingpit. Or not... It might all be fine...

In other news (he said, as though there's been news to begin with), I rang Dad at 6am MST to wish him a happy 60th birthday. Typically, he'd forgotten until Mum reminded him that it was his 60th birthday.

I don't think he's particularly keen on the idea of being 5 years away from theoretical retirement age, but I'd say he's looking forward to Mum being able to retire soon, so they can buy their mobile home, etc.

Apart from that, I have a cold. It hurts my head and I don't like this. I don't normally complain about colds, to buck the male stereotype, but this one is hitting me 9200 feet up, and I have a talk to give tomorrow. I fear sounding like Raymond Sinclair...

I know I've not been keeping this blog up-to-date since I started on this trip, but I've just been to the top of the Dunn Solar Telescope, and the view is just breath-taking... It's almost like flying (although with a safety harness attached!), because you've got nothing above you, only the clouds... absolutely beautiful...

I'm not going to try and cover everything since I left home for New Mexico on Thursday morning.

But I will say this. Of all the possible conditions which can prevent us from observing up here, snow has got to be the most beautiful. This is a level of snow I've not seen in a very long time. Reminds me of when Dad took me to school on his back, what must be twenty-two years ago. But there's not the blinding pain of facing into a blizzard. It just looks amazing.

I suppose a brief update is in order, mind... Lastnight was a good night at Steve Keil's place. Not bad, that -- having a social do within a few days of arriving. Had there been a poker game, it would have been good and drunken, with some of the most contorted, convoluted High/Low games I have ever come across. Needless to say, Texas hold'em was my own choice. At least I knew what the hell was going on with that one...

Anyway, it's the Superbowl today, and Mike just informed me that it's at 16:00 Mountain Time, so -- seeing as there's a lot of snow on the way -- I think it'd be rude not to go along and experience the traditional party... Although, it depends on what's happening here...