The son of my mother's friend had recently received a Ph.D. in sociology or something similar. "He's a doctor," the friend said, "but not the kind that can help you."

For two days in a row I didn't spill a cup of coffee in the computer lab. I've been setting up a system in the lab and have needed some assistance with a couple of things. On the way back from the espresso machine the last two days, I have met up with one of the support engineers and we've gone into the lab to take a look at my problems. There was no place to leave the coffee outside the lab, so I brought it in with me, a clear violation of all that is sensible. What will I do in the future? Well, we've set up the systems with remote access software so that I can spill coffee in my office as often as I need to.

I've found that Walter Mossberg's Wall Street Journal columns on Wednesdays and Thursdays are a good source of clear information about personal computers and related technology.

Because I've been keeping more sensible work hours, which includes coming home before 7PM, I haven't listened to David Brudnoy as much in the past couple of years. He was erudite, an old-school professor, with a thoughtful libertarian view of things large and small.

Let's see. On TV tonight we have Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion (PBS), Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (WB), WWE SmackDown! (UPN), Extreme Makeover (ABC), and Survivor (CBS). It makes me glad that we have cable so that we have alternatives such as Hunting 201, 101 Most Sensational Crimes of Fashion!, and the Essence of Emeril, where we can learn how to make cheese herbed popovers. Is it any wonder that this - http://www.tvbegone.com/ - is one of the hottest items for Christmas?

The lead story in our local paper told us about poisoning rats in an old factory in Gardner. The stories about war, famine, and disease in other parts of the world were below the fold and on the inside pages.

Oh, and this gem from yesterday's paper: " The bloodstains and nauseating smell discovered inside a Crescent Street apartment Monday could have been caused by the tenant, a 37-year-old Russian illegal immigrant, who had partaken in serious drinking days before the discovery and also suffered from minor bleeding wounds, authorities said yesterday.... The odor and scene at [the tenants]’s apartment led investigators Monday to believe a decomposing body might have been inside. " He's not dead. He just smells that way.

Yesterday the town where I work was having problems with its water system. An email went out to all employees in the two buildings, urging us to limit our use of the rest rooms until the problem was resolved. Mercifully the crisis was resolved quickly.

The Grammy nominees were announced yesterday - http://www.grammy.com/awards/grammy/47list.TXT. Do you think that, in 30 or 40 years, our grandchildren will get all misty-eyed when the oldies station plays Hoobastank?

At the suggestion of a grandson, I've been listening to Linkin Park. Not bad, although I'm still pretty much a three-chord rock-and-roll guy. The mash-up (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:cln8b5b4xsqa~T1) with Jay-Z is also pretty good.

On 8 December 1980, I was working at a small newspaper when the news of John Lennon's murder came over the wire. It was late in the evening, so there was just one other reporter in the editorial room. He and I sat in silence for a time and then went home.

The seventh of December was covered with snow ...

It's just a coating of snow with some freezing rain to seal it.

We have a friend who is bipolar and who has been, somewhat proudly, off her meds for quite a while. The symptoms are now gently humorous - the visit that lasts a bit too long, the odd gift (two cups of leftover Chinese food), the intense and non-stop talking. Her name showed up in the police log for playing loud music in the middle of the night. We've seen her out in her yard in her bathrobe, tending to the plants, in the chilly early morning darkness. She's been to court because of a parking ticket that she refuses to pay.

She's not a great danger to herself or others, not now, anyway. The threads in her life are starting to fray, though. Her husband moved out (was kicked out, depending on who's telling the story) and won't come back until she accepts help. The parking ticket could result in a revoked driver's license. We wonder how she can pay the bills.

Every illness requires, at some level, the willing participation of the patient in the healing process. Whether we have a broken leg, ALS, or a cold, we have to do the right things that will strengthen us and, to whatever extent possible, make us whole. Many mental illnesses, however, rob the patient of that ability to participate fully in the treatment. Of course, there's no assurance that the meds will be effective or tolerable, either.

Here we tread gingerly, taking care not to judge or presume the right course of treatment. (Even the professionals have to try different combinations of meds to get it right.) Acting with humility is one of the things that we, as adults, have to do.

I'm not very good at estimating crowds, so there could have been anywhere between 50 and 100 people at the party after CasSandra's christening. Lots of good food and company. The weather was mild, so the kids could play outside most of the time. Lynn and Mike are such gracious hosts. We're having a much smaller gathering of family at Christmas (20-25) and you will be hearing about it for a month before and a month afterwards.

The New York Times reported that IBM is in talks to sell its PC division. I don't have direct experience with the desktop systems, but I have been a great fan of their laptops for a long time. The keyboard, among other things, is outstanding. I hope that the sales doesn't disrupt the development and production of these fine machines.

The Boston Globe has a article in today's paper saying that this IBM news is part of a large consolidation in the IT industry: http://tinyurl.com/55ke2.

Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Here's the science: http://www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/1997/07/07.html