No bar trivia last night, but rather the start of the Colleges of the Fenway intramural softball league. We apparently equalled last year's win mark with the 12-9 victory we posted over a team from Emmanuel College. I credit all of us new hires who weren't on the team last season.

It was nice to do something physical for once, though with the number of people it wasn't too physical - I traded off innings in the field and at bats with another player. I even managed a hit in my first "official" at-bat in a couple of years, which was just icing on the cake.

Sorry for the radio silence, but up until the weekend a combo of work and not much to say conspired against posting (at least here). The work thing was kind of a surprise, though I should have seen it coming. Between the end of the school year and the start of our busiest graduation cycle (Wentworth's main graduation is in August), there's been no shortage of things to do. We may also have a significantly larger graduating class than last August, which just adds to the fun.

We spent the weekend in Maine, and didn't do too much of interest. Made our usual pilgrimage to Bangor for some shopping, and I hit the links with my father in law on Sunday. This may be the first time I've golfed before Memorial Day. If the results were any indication, I'm better off waiting. It was just a horrid, brutal outing. Good thing we only played 9 holes.

We also learned that there are now piglets for sale at my in-laws' house. Well, not really, but there's a sign saying so in the front yard. You see, some guy is developing condos on some neighboring land, and he's been yanking my father-in-law's chain over various issues. The latest thing he did was rat on the town for a trailer that's on my in-laws' property, and has been for years. But they apparently need a permit for it, which is interesting given that it's been on the property in a very obvious location and no one from the town has said boo about it. So my father-in-law had to pay a nominal fee to get a permit.

In return, though, he decided to put up this "piglets for sale" sign, theorizing that potential buyers may not want to live so close to swine. My father-in-law is expecting the sign to disappear one night. As you might expect, though, he's got plenty of paint and material for future signs.

Anyway, in our travels today we did get to see three things we'd never seen before:

1. An almost-fully skeletonized animal at the side of the road. Not sure what sort of animal it was; I'm thinking small deer.

2. A combo ice cream drive-in and flowers store. We didn't stop, but I'm sure their azalea ripple is tasty - when it's in season.

3. A dog wearing goggles riding in a motorcycle sidecar. No helmet, which I suppose isn't required. And unless there's a little leather doggie jacket involved, the helmet probably wouldn't do much good, either.

Went back to bar trivia last night, and at every score check, we were tied for first with the same team. This includes a post-final question score check. We were not tied after a tie-breaker, and sad to say we came out on the short end. Though as we soon learned (and as you shall, too), there was a good reason for this.

There was a substitute host for the night, and he was a little too efficient. Game ended right around 8, to late to catch the train that leaves at that time and well in advance of the 9:30 that was my next option. I got a lot of reading done, though.

Part of the reason for the surprising at the constant tie is that the questions were harder than normal - at least we missed more than the 1 or 2 we usually do. In any case, the questions (with added hints where I think they may help):

What single-named singer is married to Marissa Ribisi, the twin sister of actor Giovanni Ribisi? Beck (Greg) - she was actually called "actress Marissa Ribisi," though her career isn't quite measuring up to her brother's. In any case, we were stuck on Moby. Who isn't married. We were pretty sure he wasn't right, but couldn't come up with a better answer, never mind the correct one.

In The Naked Gun, Frank Drebin and Jane Spenser are seen laughing hysterically after seeing what decidedly non-comedic movie? Platoon (Scott) - we thought this or Apocalypse Now, but given the time period the newer movie made more sense.

A. C. Gilbert, the creator of the Erector Set, won an Olympic gold medal at the 1908 games in what event (hint: it's in track and field)? Pole vault (Scott) - we had no idea. We went with "swimming" hoping to get credit for being vague. The wife suggested tug of war, which we didn't go with, but wouldn't that have been great?

What Red Sox player holds the major league record for being the youngest player to reach the 100 home run mark? Tony Conigliaro (Greg) - Allyson came up with Tony C. immediately. I was dubious, based on the shortened nature of his career. Clearly, it wasn't that shortened. We threw around some of the obvious names, and went with Conigliaro based on Allyson's quick recall.

In Japanese, "tora" is the name for what animal? Tiger (Scott) - again, no real idea, but we tended towards predatory birds and went with eagle. We did talk about land animals for a bit, but went with birds based on the nature of the Pearl Harbor attack. Clearly, I've not seen Tora! Tora! Tora! recently enough.

Two elements are liquid at room temperature: mercury and what element whose name starts with the letter 'B'? bromine (Scott - who clearly would have had a big night last night) - we jumped at barium given the gag-worthy stuff you have to drink before whatever scan that is (CAT? PET?), as did most of the other teams, apparently.

What conflict was the first one fought on three continents, and was called the first world war by Winston Churchill? Seven Years' War (Paul) - We got this, and of course the team we'd been tied with all night got it. So we move on to a related tie-breaker: what year did the war start? For some reason 1763 pops into my head, but that seems too late, and we wind up going with 1758. The other team goes with 1756, which is exactly right. Turns out one of their members just finished reading the companion book to a PBS special about the war. Fortuitous timing.

(As for 1763, that of course was the year the war ended. Had we caught that and done the math...)

Sorry for the lack of posting - work is very busy, and home life has pretty much been TV and sleep, except for weekend errands which just weren't that interesting outside of planning our upcoming vacation. That was interesting, but not exactly worthy of extended discussion here. Besides, you know I'll bore you to death about it here once we're back.

But while I'm here, might as well continue to play catch-up:

Book Log 2006 #21: Prayers for the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno

The premise is pretty good, if requiring a fair amount of suspended belief: the US has split more or less along Civil War lines, with the Union now an Islamic state and the South a fundamentally Christian one. All of the action takes place in the north, as a former spy and assassin becomes involved in the search for the mother of all cover-ups. Along the way he is battled by a rival who is working at the behest of those who'd rather keep things covered.

As a work of historical fiction, it's missing some of the background and 'factual' material that would normally round out how the world got to be the way it is. There is an explanation of things, but more detail would have given added depth. It's also a little disappointing that we don't get to see how life is in the "Bible Belt," given the stories mentioned along the way by the main character.

For a book whose title, cover, and plot are provocative, the story tends more towards the standard thriller. Which is fine as far as it goes, but I think there was an opportunity missed in tying the book in to our current situation. OK at best.

Doug Flutie retired from the NFL earlier this week, and while it is my sworn mission to deride anything related to that school in Newton, I have to admit some grudging admiration in how he was able to build a 21 year career in pro football after being widely dismissed when he came out of college.

I attribute this to four things:

1. Flutie's tenure in the CFL. I love the CFL and its wide-ass (and long-ass) field. He gets points by association, even if he did get to spend another stint playing for BC (the Lions this time).

2. The drop kick. That was cool.

3. The whole fiasco in Buffalo where he was replaced because someone had a bee in their bonnet about Rob Johnson being the future of the franchise. Then Johnson proved what most of us knew - he was sadly indicative of the future of the Bills - and Flutie got to work on his tan in San Diego. I'm not sure why he gets bumped up in my estimation from this, but he does.

4. His non-football work, most notably with autism.

He's still on the hook for how the Hail Mary pass got that school into the national spotlight and its resultant position where the local media can't give them enough positive coverage, but outside of that, I think I'll miss him a little. Which is probably an appropriate amount.

So I'm in the market for a new cell phone.

I didn't care for my old one, but was too cheap to buy a new one given how infrequently I use it. That all became moot last night, when I dropped it from a height of about 4 feet on to a tiled floor. While the battery was easily put back in (the cover popped off on impact), I also had the face plate buckle. I can now peer into the phone though a little gap, which I could live with if all the buttons worked.

This was not the most sturdily-built phone to begin with. For starters, it appears that lint managed to find its way from various coat pockets to between the display and the plastic that covered it. The bits of plastic that make up its case also felt like they were moving when I'd slide my finger along the side of the phone. All in all, it is not a testament to the art of engineering at Nokia. In their defense, though, I'm sure it was made with an eye towards being replaced by a better-made, more expensive Nokia product.

Not quite bait and switch, but certainly a testament to the capitalist heart that beats beneath Finland's socialist exterior.

Now I just have to figure out if I'll buy new or give eBay another shot. That didn't work so well the first time, but my cheapness may win out again.

Still here, even though we're closing in on an even foot of rain (with some areas already above that). We're still in good shape, just a few manhole covers popping off due to the volume of runoff. Our trip to Rockport yesterday for hot dogs (Top Dog on Bearskin Neck, highly recommended in any weather) was a bit more perilous, as we had to navigate a "vernal pond" that had spilled over on to the roadway and a detour (with one or two more in the making) in our travels to and from.

You may be seeing some shots of downtown Peabody, which as of this morning had a good yard of standing water in it. That's a couple towns over from us.

Rivers are expected to peak tomorrow in many locations, and the forecast for the week looks to continue wet. Hopefully without the ferocity of the weekend past, though.

Getting back to my BU commencement reference from yesterday, they did persevere and have the outdoor ceremony, but managed to get it down to an hour. Les Moonves was the speaker, and he gave a pretty good truncated address whose main theme was to keep yourself open to the unplanned. Not a bad message to young people who've been more scheduled as five year olds than I am currently.

And speaking of water...

Book Log 2006 #20: The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt

Everyone will look to compare this book to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the book which put Savannah on the map thanks to a racy murder trial and some truly colorful characters. And there's something to that, as this book presents Venice using the Fenice fire and aftermath as its frame, with a liberal sprinkling of colorful locals throughout.

In direct comparison, this book isn't quite as successful as its predecesor. The trials and scandals in the wake of the Fenice fire are interesting but perhaps fit into our stereotypes of Italy as a country with a fair amount of corruption and mismanagement (doubled with the stereotypes of such practices in construction and related trades here in the US) too much, and thus seem a little familiar. The locals, while colorful, also play into some archetypes: the bankrupt nobles, American expats who live off of the local social and cultural scene, etc.

If you don't try to compare the books, though, the newer work stands a little better. The material is still interesting, and the book well-written. It paints an engaging picture of Venice as a city whose culture and beauty is at risk, and not just from the waters that both define and erode the city.

Recommended as long as you go in judging the book on its own merits.

Back when the Braves were still in Boston, there was a saying regarding their pitching staff that went, "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain." Apparently, God just got to all the rain prayers, and is answering them all at the same time.

We've had 6 inches of rain in the last hour, which is actually a little less than some neighboring towns. The good news is we don't have to shovel rain. The bad news is that you can't shovel rain - or more accurately, the flooding water that covers the roads and gets into basements.

Nothing too serious so far, though the rivers will of course lag a bit in getting to their highest points. That shouldn't effect us too badly, though it's going to be interesting through Tuesday.

Even with the rain, we managed to graduate about 100 students at Wentworth yesterday (our main ceremony is in August due to co-op). Our ceremony is outside, but thankfully under a tent. The getting to and from the tent provided some adventures, but all in all it went pretty smoothly.

I fear that it is not going so well for the alma mater, whose main ceremony is outside rain or shine. On what used to be Braves Field.

Not to put anyone off their lunch, but there's an odd juxtaposition at work between the Boston police commissioner resigning and the discovery of a baby's arm in the wastewater at the Deer Island water treatment plant.

Not that there's much of an actual connection; the material being treated came from outside of Boston. But in a year where the commissioner has faced rising violence and declining finances, there's something symbolic here, I think.

What it is I don't know, which may be a clue that it's symbolic of something only to me.

In case you were looking for a time suck for the afternoon, may I humbly suggest Pendulumeca. My high score so far is 1086 meters. I have no idea if that's any good.

Book Log 2006 # 19: The Third Translation by Matt Bondurant

The latest in the string of books trying to capture the thunder of The DaVinci Code by combining scholarship with thriller, this book features an American Egyptologist as he tries to provide the title third translation of some heiroglyphics before his contract to study them runs out. This becomes very difficult when a young woman gets him to bring her to the museum after hours, and she steals a papyrus that may be linked to his translation.

To be fair, this book has less in common with The DaVinci Code and is more in line with The Rule of Four or Lev Grossman's disappointing Codex, where the story is more about the main character and his relationships than it is in the mystery. To that end, I'd say that this book is better than Codex (which isn't saying much) but may fall a little short of The Rule of Four. I say this based on that book's more complete resolution of plot elements. I don't need things wrapped up in a nice package, but the loose resolution of The Third Element made it feel like I was left holding the bag a bit.

All of that being said, I'd recommend the book if you're into this sort of thing.

New link to mention - Paul Crowley, fellow Sleeper Hall RA and the US Navy's finest representative to the Royal Canadian Navy (or is it just the Canadain Navy? Their website never makes it clear, at least to this stupid American). You'll notice that Paul's not posted in a while, but apparently this letter meme is going to get him to post again. Which could make it the most successful blog meme ever.

Book Log 2006 #18: Annapolis by William Martin

Martin writes multi-generational historical fiction that usually pits one family against another as they sqabble over some sort of historical artifact that may have a secret attached to it. Most of his books take place in this neck of the woods (such as Back Bay and Cape Cod), but here Martin goes down the coast to tell the story of two Maryland families who are squabbling over a house. The secret is now related to the families rather than the house itself.

Inasmuch as this book uses the same formula as the ones before it, I was not as able to get into this one as the others. I assume setting plays a role, as I live in Massachusetts and can picture the locations in the other books. I've never been to Annapolis, and thus don't have that hook.

But I also found the mystery and the squabble over the house less interesting than the mystery and conflicts in the earlier books. Maybe it's familiarity with how Martin's books work, or maybe I just didn't think that the people involved were worth taking interest in. It fit the bill for the commute, but I was as much reading to finish the story as I was out of interest in it (though some of the subplots about naval life were pretty good).

If you've been reading Craig or Greg's blogs of late, you know the drill: comment on the following list of 10 things starting with the letter 'H' and I'll give you your very own letter, for which you have to come up with 10 words that have some sort of personal meaning to you, which you will then post on your blog/journal/precious memory book, and so on.

Ham - I like ham. I like pork and bacon better, but ham is still mighty tasty. It was a significant part of one college bowl trip where every meal featured a pig-based meat. I didn't do that on purpose, though I assume my future cardiologist will thank me for it nevertheless.

Home - I've never thought of myself as a homebody, but I kind of am. Not in an agoraphobic sort of way, but rather I like having a place that's more than just where I sleep. This will hopefully extend into actually having a house.

House - the TV show, not the domicile. Not sure if it's my current favorite program, but it's on the short list.

Harry Potter - teen wizard and publishing phenomenon. I was pretty skeptical when adults I knew started reading and liking the books - they were written for 10-year-olds! - but I eventually broke down and found the books pretty enjoyable. Now I wonder how the 10-year-olds are supposed to get through 900 pages.

Harry Agganis - college sports phenom and tragic hero, whose name adorns the spiffy new area at Boston University. Best "fact" about Harry - he hit a home run for the Red Sox the same day he received his diploma from BU. There's some speculation that this isn't completely true, though I've seen a photo that suggests it is. Regardless, there's an ESPN movie waiting to be made here.

Henrik Hudson High School - purveyor of secondary education in New York where I once participated in a debate tournament. Nothing stands out about this trip, so I assume I had my usual middle of the pack performance.

Harpoon IPA - my favoritest beer and the official beer of my pre-wedding bachelor outing. We drank a lot of it that afternoon. Do yourself a favor and get a pint the next time you're tempted to get some mass-produced swill (those of you who don't live in an area where Harpoon is available should feel free to sub in something appropriately local and hoppy).

Harriman - I am not an in-law of the branch with the private banks and wealth and such. It's still turned out pretty well.

Hank Scorpio - the man who invented wearing a sportcoat with jeans and the mastermind behind Project Arcturus. Voiced by Albert Brooks, he appears in "You Only Move Twice," which might be the greatest episode of The Simpsons. I've heard the argument, and there's something to it.

Health disparities - this was the first page whose subject begins with 'H' to come up based on clicking the "random page" function on Wikipedia. I was hoping for something more fun - if I had "B" you'd have gotten a page on some sort of fruit bat - but there you go.

I don't know what it says about the NHL that the bottom four seeds in the Western Conference won their opening round series of the playoffs. It could be a sign of parity. It could be a quirk of nature. Or it could underscore the relative meaninglessness of the regular season. It's probably bits of all of these, but whatever it is, it's one more oddity than the NHL needed.

That being said, I am now firmly latched on the Buffalo Sabres bandwagon, in no small part thanks to the point explosion from former Terriers Chris Drury and Mike Grier in the series-clinching game against the Flyers.

(It should be noted that all the higher seeds won their quarterfinals series in the Eastern Conference. Go figure.)

Hey, back after a few days in Texas for sightseeing and TRASHionals. I won't go into the gritty details now (there's a theoretical trip recap that'll combine this trip with the long weekend in Houston from a couple years back), but I will note some basics:

* Austin and San Antonio are worth a visit, if you're looking to go to Texas and want to avoid the big hair and oil crowd while still getting some of that Lone Star jingoism.

* That being said, the combination of Austin as state capital and the location of the state university makes for an odd mix of bohemian and conservative. We were often reminded to support local business so as to "Keep Austin Weird," but what passes for weird there isn't that strange, really.

* The Alamo is smaller than you'd expect. It's also interesting to note that most of what you'd consider the Alamo today wasn't part of it at the time of battle.

* Texans are really proud of the Lone Star. Just don't expect them to give you a cogent explanation of its origin.

* The region's influx of German immigrants back in the day left two great influences: a love of good beer and an affinity for daschunds.

* It is possible to get lost on the top level of a parking garage. It is also possible for Yahoo Maps to get you lost before leaving the airport.

* The Chevy Cobalt is deceptively small.

* The Brazilians make a nice moderately-sized jet aircraft, and I will happily take any JetBlue flight that uses them.

* I am not good at navigating where roads are divided into directional segments (such as North Main Street and South Main Street). I need paved cow paths that have one name only.

* Please, for the love of God, if you have a child who constantly cries for one parent while being held by the other - even though both parents are within the child's field of vision - don't fly. Do us all a favor and take driving vacations until the kid is older. Say, 15.