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1:32 AM - 10.11.04
Northern Comfort
On the news today the source of the illness at the homeless shelter was identified as part of the norwalk virus group. It has now been detected in one hospital as well. I would expect that we won't see the last of the outbreaks for quite some time. Usually a week's worth of sub-zero weather kills off most things but with scientists saying that el nino is already forming off the coast of South America it is likely we will have a very mild winter. Bummer.

Today the temperature made it up to about 12 C/50 F. After lunch it started to rain. I had an appointment at the college I want to attend to pick up the legal and security courses. The topic was the funding. Unless it comes through supported funding I won't be going. The total amount for the one year program is almost three years worth of tuition at our university. I'd likely finish a degree that way. The difference is that the supported program will only allow one to take one years worth of courses but they pay one's living expenses too. It's hard to fathom the rationale from a taxpayer point of view in some ways. Any upgrade in education for any citizen means increased economic benefit for the community as a whole. I can't recall the return on the investment on one person's education but it is significant and one by one it adds up. To me it would make more sense though for me to get the online security course at the University. Working at my own pace I could likely complete within a year and the tuition would be significantly less into the bargain. Unfortunately I can't handle going into debt again. I don't want my son's inheritance to be the invoices for my student loans.

Popped in to see my chiropractor next then out to the NW part of the city (where I did some of my growing up) to meet with a buddy from junior and senior high. Right across from the football stadium, next to a establishment called Troutfitters and just a few steps off the train is a restaurant called Big T's BBQ and Smokehouse. Neither of us had been there before but it was a great choice. Billed as Louisiana and Southern cuisine it was a real treat. I wasn't adventurous enough to want to sample catfish but the brisket and side dishes I chose were delicious. Great conversation, good music and an intriguing decor made the two hours we chatted away go quickly. The music was blues and bluegrass. On the walls were photographs that it was obvious the owners had lovingly collected on their own. Right beside us were photos of Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Neil Young, to name a few. To my left was a poster from one of Elvis' Las Vegas show - 1969. Tucked away in an alcove were what appeared to be older photos of the King as well as the BB King that is. It was fairly busy so it wasn't possible to just wander along and browse the whole restaurant. One of these days though I think I'll go back just to see who else graces those walls.

Back home more housework and my oldest dropped by for a visit with his babies. We let them visit the newest of the kittens and they were enthralled. Several of the babies came away with new names as a result. Charlie and Archie - definitely some of the old Scotch heritage creeping in through the bloodlines I guess. Checked my e-mail after they left and there were several job descriptions and responses from resumes I sent out about a week ago. That should keep me busy tomorrow. This article was in one of the e-zines as well Corporate_Costs It was about hwo much the community is paying in helth care costs because of working conditions. The loss of productivity plus the loss of capital to pay for the sick time is astronomical. Apparently the results surprised a lot of people but I'm not certain why that should be. Anyway time for bed dear diary. I relly would prefer to go back to school for a year but I need to keep my options open - my bank account isn't going to last much longer.

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