Apology for the testing, and the rain on the plain.

I was trying to find and eradicate some old HTML from a couple years ago. If there is anyone that follows this blog, sorry for all the "Test" posts... I think I'm done for now!

In other news.... I can't believe how much/often it rains in the Autumn here in Central Texas.
 (Incidentally, if there are any readers whom I don't know personally: I now live in Texas, where I have begun a PhD program in English Literature.) I commute on a motorcycle (1993 Honda CB750 Nighthawk), and made it to work/school this morning during a break in an otherwise torrential night/morning. Coming from Portland, Oregon, rain was the last thing I anticipated dealing with. I covered my bike once I got here, and now it's raining again. Hopefully there'll be another break when I need to head home.

Along these same lines, I'm going to need to install some sort of serious drainage system around my house. (Another aside: we also bought our first house. It's amazing how cheap housing can be in some parts of the country.) Every time it rains, our back yard becomes a pond. More importantly, there are several places around the foundation where water collects. Right now the solution in my head involves installing a gutter system (a rare thing here), and then digging an extensive French drain system to route the water toward the street out front, which is lower than the rest of the property. I plan to rent a trencher and complete all the digging in one day.

Of course, being in graduate school, this project is going to have to wait till the Christmas break. Luckily it won't be too cold here then!