... Happy New Year to my ones of readers.I plan to drink heavily tonight (if you read that last post, I assure you I won't be alone, so no need to worry) and I hope you have a wonderful night, too.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Oh, and ....
... Happy New Year to my ones of readers.I plan to drink heavily tonight (if you read that last post, I assure you I won't be alone, so no need to worry) and I hope you have a wonderful night, too.
Early (for me) morning ramble
For whatever the reason I've been thinking a lot about friendship the past few days. Maybe it's the holidays. Or maybe it's just another one of the odd things my brain throws out there every now and then.
(Example: This morning, I woke from a dream in which I was trying to convince a group to meet at Laclede's Landing for dinner. Laclede's Landing? I had no idea, either. It turns out it's in St. Louis. I've been to St. Louis once, and stayed in a hotel at Laclede's Landing. I did not eat in the area. But it left an impression, apparently.)
Anyway, my sister likes to tease that my definition if friendship is a little narrower than most people's, in that it often means I've been friends with someone since we were 6. And many of my friendships do date to elementary or middle school. But I also have very close friends I've met in just the past few years, so it's not purely a function of time.
Something a German teacher once said has stuck with me a lot -- that most Americans say they have dozens of "friends," because they'll say someone they just met and have had a drink or two with is a friend. On the other hand, most Europeans (well, maybe just those wacky Germans) have a definition closer to mine and thus have a much tighter circle of friends.
So, what's my point here? (Other than illustrating the dangers of blogging before one is fully awake.) Well, at the risk of sounding like a recluse, I haven't made much of an attempt to make friends here in Connecticut. The TV Goddess has suggested that this may be because I know I don't plan on being here long, and that's probably correct, but if I do wind up here much longer I've pretty much damned myself.
I think it's just because I like my definition of friendship and, honestly, I have enough friends -- most of whom I don't get to see nearly enough as it is. So I'd rather spend the precious free time I have reconnecting with them.
And absent my growing fear of dying alone in my apartment* because I don't have enough people who will check up on my well-being, I think I'm good with that.
* This was not helped by this week's re-run of 30 Rock, the rapidly improving NBC sitcom, in which Tina Fey's character faces the same fear after nearly choking multiple times and having to Heimlich herself.
(Example: This morning, I woke from a dream in which I was trying to convince a group to meet at Laclede's Landing for dinner. Laclede's Landing? I had no idea, either. It turns out it's in St. Louis. I've been to St. Louis once, and stayed in a hotel at Laclede's Landing. I did not eat in the area. But it left an impression, apparently.)
Anyway, my sister likes to tease that my definition if friendship is a little narrower than most people's, in that it often means I've been friends with someone since we were 6. And many of my friendships do date to elementary or middle school. But I also have very close friends I've met in just the past few years, so it's not purely a function of time.
Something a German teacher once said has stuck with me a lot -- that most Americans say they have dozens of "friends," because they'll say someone they just met and have had a drink or two with is a friend. On the other hand, most Europeans (well, maybe just those wacky Germans) have a definition closer to mine and thus have a much tighter circle of friends.
So, what's my point here? (Other than illustrating the dangers of blogging before one is fully awake.) Well, at the risk of sounding like a recluse, I haven't made much of an attempt to make friends here in Connecticut. The TV Goddess has suggested that this may be because I know I don't plan on being here long, and that's probably correct, but if I do wind up here much longer I've pretty much damned myself.
I think it's just because I like my definition of friendship and, honestly, I have enough friends -- most of whom I don't get to see nearly enough as it is. So I'd rather spend the precious free time I have reconnecting with them.
And absent my growing fear of dying alone in my apartment* because I don't have enough people who will check up on my well-being, I think I'm good with that.
* This was not helped by this week's re-run of 30 Rock, the rapidly improving NBC sitcom, in which Tina Fey's character faces the same fear after nearly choking multiple times and having to Heimlich herself.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas
I noticed the HD yule log on TV today, but I have to go with the WPIX version that I remember fondly from my youth.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Tax time tip
A friend who has an accounting background once joked that New Year's Eve babies are the best and kids born on New Year's Day are pretty much a waste, from a tax standpoint. (That being because a child born on Dec. 31 can be claimed as a dependent for the entire year.)
And now it seems there's evidence, according to The New York Times, that the tax-savvy are planning their procreation to take advantage of this.
I'm not really surprised by this or that interested, I just wanted an excuse to point out this accompanying chart, which shows that my birthday is the 100th most common from 1973-99. (And yes, that means I have the worst half-birthday ever!)
And now it seems there's evidence, according to The New York Times, that the tax-savvy are planning their procreation to take advantage of this.
I'm not really surprised by this or that interested, I just wanted an excuse to point out this accompanying chart, which shows that my birthday is the 100th most common from 1973-99. (And yes, that means I have the worst half-birthday ever!)
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Back to the daily grind
So I got back last night from my trip, and I'm happy to report the shiny new laptop performed quite well. It doesn't have the greatest battery life and it's a bit too heavy to lug around everywhere, but other than that I have no complaints. (By the way, a big thumbs down to the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, where the WiFi hotspots are controlled by a pay service which I will not give free advertising to, and a big thumbs up to the Portland airport, where access is free. And a very hearty thanks to all of you who leave your home wireless networks unsecured.)
Of course, 10 days away at the beginning of December means I'm woefully behind on my cards and gift-shopping. To paraphrase a line from D.L. Hughley (I think), you can expect them anytime you want; when they'll actually get to you is a different story.
But many thanks to those of you I saw during the trip, when I ate well, drank well and had an all-around outstanding time. I promise to get to everybody else soon.
Of course, 10 days away at the beginning of December means I'm woefully behind on my cards and gift-shopping. To paraphrase a line from D.L. Hughley (I think), you can expect them anytime you want; when they'll actually get to you is a different story.
But many thanks to those of you I saw during the trip, when I ate well, drank well and had an all-around outstanding time. I promise to get to everybody else soon.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Why yes, it *is* always about me
For whatever reason, my circle of family and friends is going through a baby boom right now.
Anyhow, it seems 2007 is going to be a banner year for babies around these parts. And as best I can tell, that just means I have a few fewer couches to crash on as I try to execute my master plan of becoming a non-contributing member of society.
Uh, I managed to get this out of the default font here, so if anyone knows what that is, I'd love to know.
My brain at work
I discovered today that one year away from P0rtland is long enough for my brain to begin forcing out what it considers non-essential information, such as which bus line to take back to my sister's place.
My sister lives just up the road from my old place, and one of the things I liked about my place was that four bus lines stopped at the end of my block. So I dropped off my rental car this afternoon and took the train downtown, where I transferred to a bus to head back to my sister's place. And this is when my brain decided: "Hey, let's get on this bus, because it's a route we used to ride a lot."
This particular route follows the exact same path as the one I should have taken ... right up to my old stop. Unfortunately, it then veers off in another direction, which I slowly came to realize after 2 or 3 stops. Luckily, I was able to get off less than a mile from my sister's place. But today appears to be the beginning of monsoon season in Portland, so I had a bit of a damp trek up the hill.
So, not really a big deal, I guess. I just hope that more crucial information hasn't been pushed out of my head while I wasn't paying attention.
In other developments, I have to face the cold, hard truth that my vacation is ending tomorrow, and I'll be jetting back to the East Coast. On the bright side, we're heading into the time of year when you don't have to go long between holidays. Christmas and New Year's are coming up, and my company also observes the MLK and Presidents' Day holidays.
Under our new 4-day week, though, the bosses have become a bit of a stickler for hours, which became a bit complicated with us working 10-hour days but the company still doling out vacation in 8-hour blocks. For Christmas week, for example, we're working four 8-hour days to compensate. Instead of working three 10-hour days. I might understand the company not wanting to give us a "free" two hours off, but we have enough days throughout the year where we might work an extra 30 minutes here and an extra 20 minutes there -- and most of us aren't eligible for overtime -- so I think it's somewhat petty.
And I think I better stop right there, or I'll get rolling on a whole bunch of other work-related things that have grated at me a bit recently, but that the 4 of you who read this probably could not care less about.
My sister lives just up the road from my old place, and one of the things I liked about my place was that four bus lines stopped at the end of my block. So I dropped off my rental car this afternoon and took the train downtown, where I transferred to a bus to head back to my sister's place. And this is when my brain decided: "Hey, let's get on this bus, because it's a route we used to ride a lot."
This particular route follows the exact same path as the one I should have taken ... right up to my old stop. Unfortunately, it then veers off in another direction, which I slowly came to realize after 2 or 3 stops. Luckily, I was able to get off less than a mile from my sister's place. But today appears to be the beginning of monsoon season in Portland, so I had a bit of a damp trek up the hill.
So, not really a big deal, I guess. I just hope that more crucial information hasn't been pushed out of my head while I wasn't paying attention.
In other developments, I have to face the cold, hard truth that my vacation is ending tomorrow, and I'll be jetting back to the East Coast. On the bright side, we're heading into the time of year when you don't have to go long between holidays. Christmas and New Year's are coming up, and my company also observes the MLK and Presidents' Day holidays.
Under our new 4-day week, though, the bosses have become a bit of a stickler for hours, which became a bit complicated with us working 10-hour days but the company still doling out vacation in 8-hour blocks. For Christmas week, for example, we're working four 8-hour days to compensate. Instead of working three 10-hour days. I might understand the company not wanting to give us a "free" two hours off, but we have enough days throughout the year where we might work an extra 30 minutes here and an extra 20 minutes there -- and most of us aren't eligible for overtime -- so I think it's somewhat petty.
And I think I better stop right there, or I'll get rolling on a whole bunch of other work-related things that have grated at me a bit recently, but that the 4 of you who read this probably could not care less about.
Friday, December 08, 2006
I'm going to pay for this in more than one way
I've been pretty much eating and spending my way through the past week, and there's still a good four days until I have to be a productive member of society again.
There's going to be a few extra trips to the gym when I get home, but it's been well worth it. I've been hitting some favorite spots here in Portland as well as new spots, and that's in addition to all the face-stuffing I did in Dallas. Oh, and I've been drinking a lot, too -- but that's not hard to do since I'm down to about one a week, if that, in Connecticut. (Still winning the struggle against that whole drinking alone thing, though sometimes I wonder if it's a fight worth fighting.)
On that other front, I'd been keeping a handle on spending lately after a summer of travel resulted in some alarming bills. But that's pretty much shot this month, and I still have a ways to go, as I've bought a grand total of one present and some greeting cards for Christmas.
Oh, but can I briefly revel in my first Christmas bonus ever? I started my job too late in the fiscal year to get one last year, but I got the full deal this year. It's not a huge bonus -- it'll be about a week's pay after the IRS gets done slicing and dicing -- but it's a nice sum to get this time of year.
And if you're nice to me, maybe you'll reap some benefits, too.
There's going to be a few extra trips to the gym when I get home, but it's been well worth it. I've been hitting some favorite spots here in Portland as well as new spots, and that's in addition to all the face-stuffing I did in Dallas. Oh, and I've been drinking a lot, too -- but that's not hard to do since I'm down to about one a week, if that, in Connecticut. (Still winning the struggle against that whole drinking alone thing, though sometimes I wonder if it's a fight worth fighting.)
On that other front, I'd been keeping a handle on spending lately after a summer of travel resulted in some alarming bills. But that's pretty much shot this month, and I still have a ways to go, as I've bought a grand total of one present and some greeting cards for Christmas.
Oh, but can I briefly revel in my first Christmas bonus ever? I started my job too late in the fiscal year to get one last year, but I got the full deal this year. It's not a huge bonus -- it'll be about a week's pay after the IRS gets done slicing and dicing -- but it's a nice sum to get this time of year.
And if you're nice to me, maybe you'll reap some benefits, too.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Come inside from the warm
The Off The Curve Vacation Party Bus has relocated to the great Northwest, but let us take you back to Texas for a moment.In getting with the holiday spirit, we went to see ICE! (their punctuation) at a large hotel/resort/convention center/Office Depot/munitions factory (only one of those is not true) in the burbs.
ICE! is your basic display of impressive ice sculptures. Except instead of being outdoors in a cooler locale such as Quebec or Sweden, it's in an exhibition hall that I'm guessing more frequently holds events for groups such as the Greater Ann Arbor Accountants Association (GAAAA).
Anyway, it's $20 bucks a head, with some of the cost going to benefit research into ways to close the giant hole in the ozone layer that's sure to develop over the Metroplex in the month or so that ICE! runs, as a result of whatever they're using to cool the exhibition hall to 9 degrees. (I just couldn't wait until January, when I will be able to experience 9 degrees for free.)
A few other fun facts we learned:
* 2 million pounds of ice was used in the display
* 40 Chinese artisans spent 34 days carving 5,000 blocks of ice
* Strollers and scooters are not allowed in the ICE! exhibit
Most of the photos I took don't do ICE! justice, but here are a few. And I might have better ones later, so stay tuned. It really was an impressive display, and there's a super fun ice slide at the end of the display.
Plus, you get to wear goofy looking parkas.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Deep in the heart of the Arctic
I arrived in Texas on Sunday to what local TV was describing as an "Arctic blast." I'm no meterorologist, so I'm not sure if that's possible, but I'll defer to the weathermen on this.
Anyhow, it has since warmed up into the 60s, just in time for me to head off to the chilly Northwest tomorrow.
And it seems my friends have plenty of neighbors willing to share their wireless connections, so I am, indeed, doing this on my shiny new laptop. (You're welcome, DeAnn.)
In the spirit of the brisk weather, we headed to the Stars-Sharks game last night.* I do love my hockey, but I am more excited about tonight, when we are headed out for what my friend has advertised as a "big hunk of red meat." I don't think I've had a steak since around Labor Day, but when you're in Texas, you just gotta do it.
More on this later, if I manage to survive.
* For Grande and C, your former company is a sponsor of some highlight package they show on the scoreboard here. Long way from their humble roots, huh?
Anyhow, it has since warmed up into the 60s, just in time for me to head off to the chilly Northwest tomorrow.
And it seems my friends have plenty of neighbors willing to share their wireless connections, so I am, indeed, doing this on my shiny new laptop. (You're welcome, DeAnn.)
In the spirit of the brisk weather, we headed to the Stars-Sharks game last night.* I do love my hockey, but I am more excited about tonight, when we are headed out for what my friend has advertised as a "big hunk of red meat." I don't think I've had a steak since around Labor Day, but when you're in Texas, you just gotta do it.
More on this later, if I manage to survive.
* For Grande and C, your former company is a sponsor of some highlight package they show on the scoreboard here. Long way from their humble roots, huh?
Sunday, December 03, 2006
You will hear from me for the next few days (or not)
I'm traveling with a laptop for the first time ever in a few hours (wow, where have I been for this century?), so you may or may not get updates from me for the next 10 or so days.
I do have a wireless card, so if I can find a free hotspot or just steal a signal, I'll make some posts.
(And send some good vibes my way so I manage to return home with the company's shiny new laptop in one piece and in working order.)
I do have a wireless card, so if I can find a free hotspot or just steal a signal, I'll make some posts.
(And send some good vibes my way so I manage to return home with the company's shiny new laptop in one piece and in working order.)