A few weeks ago, my high school was ranked 850-somethingth in Newsweek's Top 1000 High Schools. This week we find out that two--possibly more--students at that high school were caught hacking into the school's computer system and changing their grades. And these were honor students, mind you. (Well, at least I assume they would have still been honor students without the grade changing.) Back in my day students weren't allowed to walk at graduation because they were caught drinking on their parents' boat (true story), but nothing like this.

My favorite part of the story:

Paola is a gifted student, Haupt said, and very knowledgeable about computers. So knowledgeable, he and others figured out the password to the grading system, which was simply the teacher’s identification number coupled with the class code, according to Haupt.

“It was just a guess,” he said. “They didn’t crack a code to pass national security.”

Ah yes, all the technology in the world does you no good if you can't come up with a good password. Next we'll learn that the password was written next to the keyboard.

Random (and less depressing) thoughts:

--The clock tower is not purple. I know it's historically been used only for football, but when was the last time the NU football team won the national champtionship?

--On our (five-mile) stroll through ev,il last night, Kim and I saw a girl on the lakefill crying and screaming into her phone to a person (presumably male) on the other end who "just doesn't get it." I had to fight off the urge to go up to her and say (in my best maternal voice), "Honey, I know it seems bad now, but in five years you'll be walking out here reminiscing about the good times and laughing at the bad times. Trust me on this one." :-)

--I still feel like an idiot for now knowing what palaver meant.

--I just finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha, which is really fabulous. I don’t want to know how a grown man can write from the point-of-view of a 14-year-old girl, but however he managed it, it worked well.

--I just started reading High Fidelity. Given that the movie is in my top 5 (ha!), I expected to like the book a good deal, but no more than the movie. I was wrong. The book is vastly superior to the movie. What a great discovery.

I guess it may happen to all of us sooner or later. The war in Iraq has finally touched me personally. A soldier from my hometown was killed by a car bomb near Mosul on Saturday. He wasn’t a close friend, but he and I went to the same church when we were growing up, and his dad and my mom had worked together many years ago. I suppose I couldn’t have become any more opposed to the war than I already was, but this certainly puts a more personal face on the needless death and suffering. I can’t say that I’m any more sad about Aaron’s death than I would be about the loss of any human life, as I doubt if I’d have ever seen him again even if he’d lived, but I am a bit out-of-sorts this morning. Story (free registration required)

I like to think I'm a reasonably intelligent person. Certainly an objective observer or two has thought so. But every once in a while I get knocked down a peg or three. Case in point: a Serbian prof in my department walked into my office a few minutes ago and said, "I need the advice of a native English speaker." This same person has asked my advice on Spanish in the past, which I was easily able to give. But the English advice? Nope. His question-- "How do you use the word palaver?" Not only had I never heard of the word, I couldn't even figure out how to spell it. I did make a decent guess when given the context, but I felt like an idiot for not even recognizing the word. Matthew bailed me out over email, and I was able to actually help the prof (giving credit where it was due, of course). So, your moment of Balderdash for the day: without cheating, give a definition of palaver. (This will be more fun if those of you who know the real answer abstain from answering. Of course, if everyone already knows the definition, feel free to have fun at my expense.)

This day has sucked the motivation right out of me. Never a good day when your boss is in a bad mood and decides to take it out on you. Alas.

At least pretty soon I get to listen to baseball on the radio. Don't ask who I'm rooting for because I haven't decided. :-) And very, very soon it will be the weekend. Tomorrow I plan to sleep all day long, regardless of the weather.

Vegas odds are currently 10-1 that I'll be engaged at some point in October. Matthew made a smart-ass comment a couple of weeks ago that he'd propose if the White Sox won the World Series (not when the White Sox win the World Series, an important for distinction for pessimistic fans). I *think* he meant it as a joke, but it has evolved into his go-to answer about our relationship. His mom asked if we'd thought about marriage and he said it was a bit early for that, but if the White Sox win it all this year, he'll propose. Yesterday, at the wedding of one of Matthew's high school friends, other friends he hadn't seen in years asked us when our wedding was going to be. Matthew answered, "when the White Sox win the World Series," which seems to be a step back to me. Anyway, we are not engaged, nor have I agreed that I will say yes if he proposes, but if the Sox win the pennant, things could get interesting. I wonder if they'd give us a price break on a Comiskey wedding if we let them use the story in a marketing campaign. :-)

Chryssi was in town for 5 seconds (approx.) last night, so I got to see her just long enough to really start missing her again. In her three-day trip to the US, she had to meet at least five new significant (or almost-significant) others of her friends. Four of those were last night. Chryssi's only been out of the country four moths. I think there's been something in the air lately because it seems like every single person I knew six months ago is now happily coupled, or nearly there. It can't be just an age thing because the formerly-single people span at least three years' difference in age. It can't be a weather thing because there is at least a little geographic diversity in the group. And it doesn't seem to be just a matter of seeing your friends meet people and wanting it too because the matchups seem to be really good ones, with long-term potential. I don't have an explanation. I'm just glad I'm in a relationship right now because no matter how happy I was being single, it would be really tough to be the only odd one out right now!

I just returned from Jimmy's PhD defense. I don't know the first thing about, um, "Investigating the Structural and Functional Basis of Catalysis in the Tetrahymena Group I Ribosome,” but the PowerPoint presentation was pretty, and it sounded to me like he knew what he was talking about. :-) So congrats to Jimmy!

I have ONE $3.50 ticket to the White Sox game this Thursday vs. Baltimore (Sammy's first trip back to Chicago). Game is at 7:05 at Comiskey. AL-Pitcher-of-the-Month-of-April Jon Garland is pitching. It's also dollar hotdog day at the park. Any takers? First person to email me gets it.

I am back in town and back in super running mode. :) Funny how a good race will do that to you. The Indy Mini Marathon is a ton of fun-- lots of spectators and an insane amount of course entertainment. At some points we could hear three bands at the same time. And while it wasn't quite as cool as running in Soldier Field, running on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was very fun. Gives me a whole new appreciation for NASCAR drivers. I don't know how they don't get bored out of their minds driving around that track 250 times!

My race time wasn't super-fast, but given my lack of training in recent months, it was a perfectably acceptable 2:15 (that's a mile pace of 10:19). Most importantly, I managed to run the whole thing, so my endurance hasn't suffered, even if my legs, lungs, and heart are a little weaker than they should be to be distance racing.

The funniest part of the Indy trip, though, was that the people we were staying with (parents of a friend) seemed to think that Scott and I were a couple. I suppose that Scott and I have been friends for so long and running together for so long that we do sometimes finish each other's sentences or reminisce, but the thought of us as a couple is just too funny!

Anyway, I'm once again planning every race I'm going to run in the next few months and getting excited about buying a new pair of ridiculously expensive running shoes. I'm even *almost* ready to commit to running the Chicago Marathon again. Hope none of you were planning to see me after 8pm anytime soon. :)

Off to Indy to run (walk) a half marathon. Then back for 3 minutes and off to Milwaukee for Mothers' Day. Someday I'll stay in the state long enough to see everyone. :-)

Sign I just saw posted all over campus:

"$10 for 45 Minutes"

:-)