So this is the exciting Mars news that people have been hinting at:

Changing Mars Gullies Hint at Recent Flowing Water

The changing appearance of gullies on Mars within the last few years has prompted new hopes that liquid water may have flowed recently on the red planet.

"The water thing clearly is a surprise to us," Michael Malin, who led a study that found the gully changes, told SPACE.com. "The environment for Mars is not very conducive to water."

Malin and his colleagues used images from NASA's now silent Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) to revisit regions earlier this year where gullies, depression-like landforms on the red planet's surface, were found in 2000.

What they found were new, light-colored deposits that do not appear to have formed from martian landslides, but could be the work of frost, salt deposits or long-sought evidence that water flowed recently on Mars [images].

"Our level of certainty which we can address the question of whether the gully features that we're reporting on were formed by water is high, but not extremely high," said Malin, who has lightheartedly referred to the find as "the squirting gun."

"The evidence is mostly suggestive," he said.

I ended up paying about $850 to go home. I'd figured it'd be around $700+, especially with my preference for a direct flight (the whole process makes with the migraines--I was in a wheelchair coming home from Ja before I even checked in). There were times I thought I'd have to pay closer to $1K for just one stop. So freaking random. But I have a direct flight on Air Jamaica, so all is satisfied. Even though I get in Christmas morning.

Apropos of nothing (particularly not rocket science), I am currently listening to Shaun Cassidy's Hey, Deenie.

No, your too tight diamond shoes gave you pad thai!

True. But I am trying to eat out less and save money, and when I actually make an effort, the universe responds with, "No, no! We want you to be poor and overweight. Now go get some fries from Arby's, bitch."

ETA: Although I think pad thai is healthy. Is it healthy? I mean, healthier than Arby's, right?

If I gave 11am to a recruiter that contacted me as a good time to call me today and they didn't reply and haven't yet called...do I stalk by phone or by email? I've never spoken to this person--they hit on my profile on one of the job sites.

Hmm.

I'm sure pad thai is healthier than Arby's -- I mean it includes things from multiple food groups and isn't deep fat fried.

It had tofu and bean sprouts. I think that triumphs over fast food.

I think pad thai is fairly high in fat (the noodles are fried, I'm pretty sure), but still better for you than french fries, due to the food-groups thing.

ita, I'd call. Well, really, I'd think I should call, but then I wouldn't, because I hate calling people I don't know.

Did you know tofu doesn't have to be made from soybeans? Two krav students invited me over for what must have been an elaborate meal to prepare. One of the many courses featured black bean tofu which was far superior to any soy tofu I've ever tasted. Well, perhaps the problem with soy tofu is that I was never quite tasting it enough.

eta:

I'd think I should call, but then I wouldn't, because I hate calling people I don't know.

I emailed. She'd proposed today or tomorrow, so I sent an email saying "Since today didn't work out..." Hopefully that's proper and appropriate.

This is cool: "Serious Use for Silly String"

[link]

The troops are using silly string to spray across rooms to see if there are any trip wires strung across the room.