First day of a new month, and I've got nothing to say.

Yesterday's meeting was actually an enjoyable time. Even enjoyed the two-hour drive up on icy and snowpacked highways, crammed in between two game wardens (which I am not, by the way) who could easily kill a thousand-mile trip just talking about horses and motorcycles. It did kinda muffle conversation for a few miles, though, when I tried to explain the physics behind phosphorescence. About electrons emitting photons by jumping valence bands and such, and how those photons could be legally defined as "natural".

But then they got talking about guns, and I was able to go back to sipping my coffee and staring peacefully at the slick asphalt passing by under our wheels at 70+ mph.

The meeting room was packed, with 37 of us in there. Compulsively, I noticed there were only seven females. Which is still a lot more than you would have seen ten years ago. All but nine of us were in uniform.

The news about our new pay scales was kind of a mixed bag. Some good news, some bad. And none worth bothering with here. Although one warden did make the observation that under the new system, folks who work the bare minimum hours every month get to count holidays as paid work days, but those of us who work extra hours do not get paid for that same holiday time.

And oddly, our HR guy from Capitol City said that's true. And he voted for that change.

And still didn't understand why we were upset.

One other upsetting thing at the meeting. One of our folks has passed the 25-year landmark in his career. Yielding the typical congratulatory plaque, and the lapel pin with double rubies.

The presentation of which was an afterthought of the meeting, when most folks were out of their chairs, and half were out of the room.

Craaap. Congratulations, Bozo. You can see how your dedication is appreciated.

And that would have been the end of it, until I suggested me extracting my digital camera from the truck and getting a shot of the guy receiving his award. At least it looks like someone was thanking him for his service.

As we raced for home, I rolled down my window, sucking in blasts of frigid air, and snapped a shot of the last rays of the day.

"You're taking a picture of that?" the driver asked.

Yeah, I did.