I've taken up yoga again, in the form of classes at a local studio. I just wasn't doing it on my own at home; the external discipline of scheduled classes seems to be important for me. I'm taking it easy, at level 1, with an instructor I've had before and like because she's laid-back and playful (and, admittedly, because I enjoy listening to her accent). I'd probably be doing a lot better with my Japanese study if I'd found some external discipline to apply to it.

The current obstacle to completing my ham radio setup is the antenna connection. My hand-held yagi satellite antenna has a BNC connector, while my radio's antenna input is a PL-259 jack. An adapter is on order, along with a mobile magnetic antenna for my car. Which brings me to my next realization: 'mobile' ham radios don't seem to be designed to be alternated between base station use and in-vehicle use. I say that because the manual has the user connecting the radio's power leads to her car's battery terminals. It's not clear to me where the wires would pass through the car's engine firewall. Ideally I'd like the flexibility to switch between using my radio at home and in my car, but I'm not sure how I'd set that up, considering the manual advises soldering any cable used to extend the power lead. :/

I'm planning to force tulips some tulips this winter. (Doesn't that sound aggressive, and maybe a little illicit? ;) By 'force' I mean 'cause to grow or mature by artificially accelerating normal processes.') I saw some beautiful, unusual varieties at Breck's, so I bought a few bulbs, and we'll see how they turn out. I don't think I can recommend the vendor, though; within a few days of placing my order, I got a phishing scam e-mail sent to the unique e-mail address I'd given Breck's. Indeed, their privacy policy leaves something—a lot of things, really—to be desired. Next time I'll shop elsewhere.

Our spacecraft weathered Hurricane Wilma inside its shipping container down at Kennedy Space Center, where it stayed safe and sound. There was some damage, however, to the Vertical Integration Facility, the building in which the Atlas V launch vehicle is sitting. The building's 'megadoor' was damaged, causing debris and rain to blow inside. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any unrecoverable damage, and launch is still planned for 11 January 2006.

Maybe I'll audit a grad-school class next semester. Data Visualization and Rapid Development of Engineering Applications Using Python look appealing.