I think the reactor cops are getting really weirded out by my coming in to work at 2AM on Christmas.

Just this evening, as I came in to work at about 2:30AM, I was accosted by a reactor tech who had never met me before. I told him "I work here" and he said, "well I work here full time and I don't think I've ever seen you before." I've had my office here longer than he has. But I didn't mention that.

So tonight Alex came back from Rhode Island to spend a couple days here before leaving for France and his great sailboat-buying adventure. He promptly discovered that mice had found their way into his camping food supply. They ate right through his backpack to get to it. Caused about $400 in damage to various camping implements.

After cleaning the partially-eaten trail food and mouse turds off his gear, we heard a mouse in one of the boxes in The Pile™ and Alex went after it with a crowbar. He was not pleased. The mouse got away, but only via a heroic leap through the air and into the side of a desk.

Erin called today from the airport during a layover she was having between Maryland and Las Vegas. I don't know how she ends up with these monsterous layovers. This one was five hours, she had one in Albuquerque this summer that was ten. Anyway, I went over to the airport and hung out with her for a little while and saw her new hair, or lack thereof! She really chopped it. It looks cute but apparently her family went totally ape.

Now she's off to Las Vegas for a month of rock climbing. There aren't any rental cars there right now (why? I have no idea, that's just what she said) so they are going to try to buy some $300 beater and drive it into the ground while they're there. I wish I was having wild adventures like that rather than spending my holiday hanging insulation and bothering reactor techs.