The same thing in the end

Ahhh... Today, I had another administration of our internet based English proficiency test. And about spat nails this morning and yelled at the low-level tech support drone when she couldn't tell me why I needed to un-install my newly upgraded anti-virus system for the test to work on some of the machines, but not on all of them. I hate talking to the low-level folks, because they have no idea what they're really telling you, and all they know is what the script says. Still, it's frustrating. After we got through that, the test went ok. So that's a relief.

I had 5th & 6th grade boys basketball today, and had 9 kids. We had a good time. It really makes me wish we had a court and a real basketball program, because there's some definite promise in some of these kids. Of course, if we had a real program, I probably wouldn't get to coach in it.

I'm doing a little better at dealing with people. Not as well as I would like, but better. Some things I really need to figure out, but I guess that is my life.

While I'm administering the english proficiency test, there's not a lot to do except sit there. So I usually read. In the past, I've gone to the library and gotten books. Today, I decided to read the copy of Alastair Reynolds' The Prefect that I picked up in Malaysia. It reminded me of why I really like Reynolds. He just writes... sharp worlds. I guess the way to say it is, maybe his characterizations aren't fully developed, maybe the dialog is a little wooden sometimes, but the setting is so fleshed out, and the stories are so... they just feel like they fit in the worlds that he's devised. The Prefect is a great example of this. It's not a book for everyone, but I really enjoy it. I got about 330 pages into the 500 page book (I've read it before) today, and I may polish it off tonight and tomorrow.

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Orson stood, silent and unmoving as the human tidal wave surged around him. He had avoided the deportation, only to be displaced a few months later when the Cortar had threatened the colony. Now, he rested, comfortable in the knowledge that this open market held no danger, no secrets from him. He was lightyears away from his second home, and yet, he felt like he knew this place like a familiar haunt, as though he had been here his whole life.