Yesterday I learned a new

Yesterday I learned a new word from, of all things, a fortune cookie. “You are a filial, kind and trustworthy.” A filial? What the heck is that?
Main Entry: filial
Function: adjective
1. Of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter: filial respect.
2. Having or assuming the relationship of child or offspring to parent.
3. Genetics. Of or relating to a generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation.
Ok, I still don’t get it. The word is an adjective. It’s like saying “you are a happy” or “you are a purple.”
Anyway. Last night’s graphic design class was mostly work time, so I took my laptop with me and worked on my technical illustration. I decided to do a T-38 (the astronaut training jet) after starting and then abandoning illustrations of both my camera and the Wienermobile. The camera was boring, and the Wienermobile wasn’t quite detailed enough to be a good subject. So last Friday I took a couple photos of the T-38s they have on display outside Space Center Houston and have been working on that ever since.
I’ve got almost all of the pieces of the drawing in place except the cockpit. Once I’ve finished all the pieces, I’ll have to work on the shading. The shading is the hard part for me, so I’ve been putting it off. But of course the shading is what really makes an Illustrator drawing look real.
Cari copied the Firefly TV soundtrack for me and I’ve been listening to it for the past day. It’s pretty good, with my major complaint being that all the pieces are too short. That’s the downside of a TV soundtrack, I suppose — everything is in short bits to match the quick scene changes, and I just find myself wanting each of the pieces to last at least a couple minutes longer. Cari’s CD had 8 extra tracks that didn’t come with the version I downloaded, including the great snippet full of violins and oboes in the background of “Out of Gas” when Mal is walking through the ship alone, closing all the doors. It puts a lump in my throat. Stupid TV show. Stupid, awesome TV show.
I just noticed that Dooce changed her header for the holiday season. Extra special bonus points with me if you can tell me what “cuddly as a cactus, charming as an eel” refers to. (Yes, I know what it’s from. Do you?)
And Rachel just created one of the best descriptions of me that I’ve ever read: a “rocket scientist friend who has alligators as next door neighbors!” That alligator was cool/freaky. I keep on sneaking glances out my window expecting to see him again.
And finally, to cap off this meandering entry, Sean started a blog!