potentialities

In my capacity as family systems administrator, I decided that now was the time for our family to sign up for a VPN so we can internet in peace without being harassed by the brain trust who sent Google a nastygram demanding that they stop linking to the flagrant pirates of HBO content at HBO.com.

A very welcome side effect is that I am now able to use the BBC iPlayer with a UK IP address, which provides access to material that I was missing out on through other channels, namely, University Challenge. All these memories of my quiz bowl glory days are flooding back. I have made those faces while questions were being read to me! I have leaned left and right, trying to get answers to bonus questions from my three teammates around me! I have thrown out answers that I had no confidence in, only to be pleasantly surprised that they are correct! I have delivered those rueful 'I don't know's when I didn't even have a bad guess!

It's too bad we no longer have televised College Bowl in the U.S. where it originated, because I would like to watch it. On the other hand, our college bowl shenanigans would have gone down way differently if there were cameras and we had to give our real names.

Just one of thousands of gorgeous scans of vintage dust jackets available from Facsimile Dust Jackets L.L.C. Pretty much all the Wodehouse dust jackets are pretty amazing, too, and goodness knows what else I haven't even thought to search for.

I'm excited for tonight's lunar eclipse, symbolically representing a complete and utter extinguishing of hope that any form of light is ever going to come back before the triumphant return of Sun and Moon Invincible.

Celebratory plans involve setting things on fire, staying up late, and drinking festively, all of which are, perhaps coincidentally, also how I celebrate yuletide deadline day.