THE IMMORTAL GAME

this article really surprises me - "not the most intellectual of games" - seems to me chess is one of the most intellectually challenging of games:

"Chess may or may not be the most intellectual of all games, says Michael Dirda, but it is certainly the most romantic... more» "

But anyway, it is a book review on the history of chess. Looks interesting.

Can men marry if they have ovaries?

By Faye Flam
Inquirer Staff Writer

Recent efforts to pass amendments that define marriage as a union between a "man" and a "woman" are going to run into more than just political opposition.

Scientists are contending there's no clear definition of the gender divide.

There are at least seven definitions, but not everyone qualifies as male or female across the board, says Galdino Pranzarone, a psychologist at Roanoke College who has argued against marriage amendments on the editorial pages of the Roanoke Times. [more]

Melbourne, FL

Well, it's looking more and more likely that we'll be moving to Florida (from Rochester, NY) at the end of this school year. The only thing that breaks my heart about it is knowing that it will break my son's heart. I'm confident that he will recover and thrive down there as much as he thrives up here. But at this emotional time, the thought of his recovery is not as much consolation as I'd like it to be. Fact is, his heart will be broken. And it will be my fault. How can a mom break her son's heart? Why should a mom cause her child to have to recover?

Regardless, I need to plan and learn as much about the area as possible. Here are some links I've found so far:

• The local newspaper
• The official City of Melbourne site
• The apartment complex we're likely to live in when my family joins me (I'll have to be away from them for a few months)
• Statistics on Melbourne
• (added 10/12/06): The Florida Virtual School system, where middle- and high- school students can take courses that count towards their high school degree, for free if they're Florida residents
• (added 10/15/06):
• Brevard County Libraries
• Florida Youth Soccer
• Brevard Football Club
• Youth Soccer in local newspaper
• Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida
• Viera.com - the highly recommended planned community
• Platbook community listing; helpful for when real estate listings say what community things are in. The Platbooks themselves are here.
• map of various statistics in Brevard County; flood planes, house sales, etc
• Boy Scouts - Council of Central Florida; Eagle District (northern areas of Brevard County); troops in Florida
• Surfing Camp - could be a replacement for downhill skiing
• (added 10/29/06):
• Local Professional Soccer: Cocoa Expos
• Florida is the Lightning Capital of the World, hotspots for lightning
• Melbourne National Weather Service
• (11/6/06):
• Comparison of census-type stats of Melbourne vs Rochester

links on moving in general:

• eHow
• About.com

10/15/06 - re breaking heart - son seems like he's been thinking about it a lot, and noticing that changes are happening with lots of his friends. When I told him how I didn't want to break his heart, but that I was afraid that I would have to, he responded saying it would be hard, but I got the idea that he wouldn't feel completely heartbroken, even though he loves his life here (Roch).

11/29/06 - Over Thanksgiving we announced that it is quite likely that we are going. At some point since 10/15, son actually said that he was kind of excited about the idea. Now he's gone back to being really concerned about it and it's threatening to distract him from his schoolwork. :-(