So I heard on the news that the reptilian Newt Gingrich once again has attacked "drugs" - his Joe McCarthy-style statistic du jour: teen drug use is up 70% over the last 5 years. Naturally he blames this entirely on the President, and his less-frequent-than-his-Republican-predecessors grandstanding & posturing on this issue. Of course the dynamic Newtster has the ready solution: more of the same tired War-on-Drug-users solutions. Increased pressure to make the work-place drug free (what possible impact can that have on children?) and an increase in anti-drug propaganda (oh pardon me, Drug 'Education'). Will the people never rise up to strip this pompous Bozo and drag him naked through the streets? Only in my dream.

Despite this lingering sore throat pain, I'm in remarkably good spirits. Early morning PhotoShop session at work didn't net the desired results, so I went back in & got it right. A repeat of the freakish program delete on my Monorail <1> this morning, a more geekish type might be crawling the walls & pulling out hairs at this behavior, but I find it rather amusing. Of course it's affected only the most trivial programs, I lost Solitaire but did I really need it? Playing that game on a PC seems beyond ridiculous to me [memory flash on the first time I saw it, on-screen in a trailer Comm Station HQ at Fort Hood in 1991, the bored soldier languidly moving his mouse - your tax dollars at work!] Anyway, wondering if this sore throat is the flu, and I'm in such good shape physically & mentally this is as bad as it'll get. Time will tell.

Another Dim Sum breakfast at Ranch 99, boy that stuff is good. I'm very timid, always get the same thing: order of Sesame Balls (3), order of these shrimp things (4), and another order of 4 somethings - I initially thought they were of shark fin but now I'm not so sure. Price: under $5. The sound system was improved from last week, but still annoying. Late lunch at Sushi House in Town & Country (open NoCal shopping center chain) in Palo Alto, was there to buy a knee chair <2> (in which I now sit) at some 'Back' store, but they no have. Sharper Image at Stanford Shopping Center didn't either, but a guy there said try Office Depot (and one of those is quite near my apartment) and sho' nuff, there it was. Made in Canada, too. I peeled off the Maple Leaf sticker & affixed it to a silly little "Warning!" plate on the Monorail's keyboard.