Wake with the alarms, and rise shortly after. Morning routine and in to work. Turning over menu ideas in my head on the way down to work this morning, also looking over the list of things I want to bring with me for the kitchen. Also, holding a sense of how the first three days will go. I'll have a bit better sense of this on Sunday after the work day at the camp.
Work this morning on financial details for the team. We're at that point in the year where we need to report on internal financials, costs and any additional income. This is interesting in its own way, as it's like a puzzle for me to figure out, but not as interesting at the moment as planning out meals.
------------------------------
More financial details completed and sent out to the boss. Head out from work early to go to dinner before the Police concert. We meet MarcB, his wife Tzu and MarkB at an East Hartford Korean restaurant near the concert venue. Good food, and some reminiscing about Guitar Craft courses, the emotions that clear the surface, crying jags and all manner of amazement at what happens on a course, with even more amazement at how this is guided and contained in the moment. Some sharing of changes due to the Lunlunta course last year. I see a bit deeper into MarcB's past year.
Out to the concert - overall very good. The music was great, and it's a gift to watch Stewart Copeland percuss. They were tight, but there seemed to be something missing from the show. It could have been the waves of absence from the trio behind me, but I also think that Sting's years of jazziness have softened the edges of what had been some very angry music. It's not a bad thing - the three have obviously matured out of the destructive energy they had when they broke up in '86, however the set lacked some of the vitality it could have had. The middle of the show dragged a bit, and "The Bed's To Big" seemed to kill the energy they had going. Some things I would have liked to have heard, but all in all, a good show.
Set list:
Message in a Bottle
Synchronicity II
Don’t Stand So Close to Me
Voices Inside My Head/When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around
Driven to Tears
Walking on the Moon
Truth Hits Everybody
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
The Bed’s Too Big Without You
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
Walking in Your Footsteps
Can’t Stand Losing You/Regatta De Blanc
Roxanne
Encore
King of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
Next to You
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The show ended a little after 11:00 and we were home before 11:30. Nice to have a big concert in your back yard...
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
30 July 2007 (Monday)
A busy weekend.
Saturday: After rising and sitting, Lisa and I tear into various house cleaning activities. We spend most of the morning cleaning the bedroom, top to bottom. Much dust, dog & cat hair removed, and various items put away (clothes, books, etc.).
Lisa naps while I play on-line, then I head out to New Haven for Lisa G's wedding. The plan was to have it on the schooner Quinnipiac, but as I had to drive through the wrath of God to get there (torrential downpours - bad enough that people were pulling off to the side of the road; it was like a whiteout, but with rain), we couldn't go out on the boat. In the end, we all made do in the parking lot of the wharf, and had fun anyway.
Sunday: some light work in the morning after breakfast (at the Main Street Café - I had Huevos Rancheros and they didn't sit well). Cleaned a few more things, as well as the cat litter. Out at about 4:30 to Belmont for a S.H.O.E tournament that DavidK and Jess were hosting at their Temple. It was fun, though I went out fairly early. Pushed a little too hard in the first round of Omaha, and I was behind the rest of the way. Jess ended up winning the whole thing.
Home at about 12:15, and to bed shortly after.
Today: up at 6:30 and run out the garbage. Morning routine, and in to work by 8:15. Quiet today, and my meetings are not until later in the afternoon, so I spend the morning with some menu planning and responding to e-mails. The trick for the course will be how to balance normal nutrition with some of the special needs (gluten allergies, cholesterol issues, veganism), and balance the resources so everyone isn't working every meal.
--------------------------------
Home ahead of Lisa, so I take care of the dog and set to today's JotD. This one was clear as a bell this morning: cleaning out the garbage can. Something had gotten out of a bag and into the bottom of the can, so now all manner of stink and larval insects live there. Out comes the power washer and out goes the mess. Associatively, the recycle bin gets cleaned as well.
Lisa arrives home (she was taking a colleague home from work - their car was in the shop). We think about dinner, but are absorbed by The Guardian, followed by Karas: The Prophesy and then popcorn with Appleseed. We opt out of Akira and go to bed.
Saturday: After rising and sitting, Lisa and I tear into various house cleaning activities. We spend most of the morning cleaning the bedroom, top to bottom. Much dust, dog & cat hair removed, and various items put away (clothes, books, etc.).
Lisa naps while I play on-line, then I head out to New Haven for Lisa G's wedding. The plan was to have it on the schooner Quinnipiac, but as I had to drive through the wrath of God to get there (torrential downpours - bad enough that people were pulling off to the side of the road; it was like a whiteout, but with rain), we couldn't go out on the boat. In the end, we all made do in the parking lot of the wharf, and had fun anyway.
Sunday: some light work in the morning after breakfast (at the Main Street Café - I had Huevos Rancheros and they didn't sit well). Cleaned a few more things, as well as the cat litter. Out at about 4:30 to Belmont for a S.H.O.E tournament that DavidK and Jess were hosting at their Temple. It was fun, though I went out fairly early. Pushed a little too hard in the first round of Omaha, and I was behind the rest of the way. Jess ended up winning the whole thing.
Home at about 12:15, and to bed shortly after.
Today: up at 6:30 and run out the garbage. Morning routine, and in to work by 8:15. Quiet today, and my meetings are not until later in the afternoon, so I spend the morning with some menu planning and responding to e-mails. The trick for the course will be how to balance normal nutrition with some of the special needs (gluten allergies, cholesterol issues, veganism), and balance the resources so everyone isn't working every meal.
--------------------------------
Home ahead of Lisa, so I take care of the dog and set to today's JotD. This one was clear as a bell this morning: cleaning out the garbage can. Something had gotten out of a bag and into the bottom of the can, so now all manner of stink and larval insects live there. Out comes the power washer and out goes the mess. Associatively, the recycle bin gets cleaned as well.
Lisa arrives home (she was taking a colleague home from work - their car was in the shop). We think about dinner, but are absorbed by The Guardian, followed by Karas: The Prophesy and then popcorn with Appleseed. We opt out of Akira and go to bed.
Friday, July 27, 2007
27 July 2007 (Friday!)
Slow rise, but eventually, my system kicks in to gear and I head into work.
A busy morning with meetings, and all manner of documenting project status. it feels as if progress is being made, but that's simply in the perception.
Lunch out with the remaining team on the site to wish a colleague well on his way to working for the state. A fun lunch, with a suggestion for a new pole dancing team: Chimi and Changa the Molé brothers. Out to Lowes for a gift certificate for the wedding tomorrow - I'll head to Ikea for the other half on the way home tonight.
Back to work and updating people and web sites with further project information. More scanning of web sites for menu ideas, and corresponding with the kitchen team on the details of the course. Now, just biding my time until I go home.
A busy morning with meetings, and all manner of documenting project status. it feels as if progress is being made, but that's simply in the perception.
Lunch out with the remaining team on the site to wish a colleague well on his way to working for the state. A fun lunch, with a suggestion for a new pole dancing team: Chimi and Changa the Molé brothers. Out to Lowes for a gift certificate for the wedding tomorrow - I'll head to Ikea for the other half on the way home tonight.
Back to work and updating people and web sites with further project information. More scanning of web sites for menu ideas, and corresponding with the kitchen team on the details of the course. Now, just biding my time until I go home.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
25 July 2007 (Wednesday)
A bit of a struggle to rise this morning, some irritation with the dog for kicking me and whining all morning. One the ride in, I heard an interesting term on NPR, regarding Iran's youth that don't necessarily buy into the rhetoric of the current regime: lipstick jihadists.
In to work by 8:30 with intention. Some of the fog cleared this morning and I had a clear sense of some items that need to be completed this week. Good progress on another tracking spreadsheet for project surveys. I hope to have many of these tools ready for the team before I leave.
A merry lunch watching the ping pong finals in the cafeteria, that somehow drifted down the path to the murders in Cheshire. I'm not sure how we got there, but that pretty much ended lunch.
-------------------------------
A few more items tackled in the afternoon, and a late meeting to address issues with a project nearing its completion. The resource I have from the eHosting team is really good, though he needs some guidance with communication. Other than that, things are going well.
Out after work to a local watering hole/pool hall for a going away drink for one of our team. He has gotten a job with the State of Connecticut, just ahead of his notification of termination (we would have been in the same notification group as I am).
Home and to bed.
In to work by 8:30 with intention. Some of the fog cleared this morning and I had a clear sense of some items that need to be completed this week. Good progress on another tracking spreadsheet for project surveys. I hope to have many of these tools ready for the team before I leave.
A merry lunch watching the ping pong finals in the cafeteria, that somehow drifted down the path to the murders in Cheshire. I'm not sure how we got there, but that pretty much ended lunch.
-------------------------------
A few more items tackled in the afternoon, and a late meeting to address issues with a project nearing its completion. The resource I have from the eHosting team is really good, though he needs some guidance with communication. Other than that, things are going well.
Out after work to a local watering hole/pool hall for a going away drink for one of our team. He has gotten a job with the State of Connecticut, just ahead of his notification of termination (we would have been in the same notification group as I am).
Home and to bed.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
24 July 2007 (Tuesday) General Malaise
In to work a bit later than normal - I stayed up a bit late after reading the Potter.
Today went by largely unobserved, which brings up two questions:
Why?, and
If this is so, then did it really happen?
--------------------------------
A struggle all day with focus. I managed to back-post some from the past week, and had some lengthy discussions with colleagues on my plans (or lack thereof) for after Bayer. I did manage to drag myself down to the beach for volleyball. I was about an hour early, so I pulled my guitar out and practiced until about 5:45. Some solid and relaxed work on Flying Home, Bicycling to Afghanistan, Calliope and Third Relation. One of my team-mate's 1 year-old granddaughter turned up at my feet, and she bopped a little to the basslines of Calliope and Third Relation.
Home to pick up new shower curtains and grab dinner. Over dinner, watched really bad movies (Cobra anyone?) for a while, a quick on-line game and to bed (pretty late).
Today went by largely unobserved, which brings up two questions:
Why?, and
If this is so, then did it really happen?
--------------------------------
A struggle all day with focus. I managed to back-post some from the past week, and had some lengthy discussions with colleagues on my plans (or lack thereof) for after Bayer. I did manage to drag myself down to the beach for volleyball. I was about an hour early, so I pulled my guitar out and practiced until about 5:45. Some solid and relaxed work on Flying Home, Bicycling to Afghanistan, Calliope and Third Relation. One of my team-mate's 1 year-old granddaughter turned up at my feet, and she bopped a little to the basslines of Calliope and Third Relation.
Home to pick up new shower curtains and grab dinner. Over dinner, watched really bad movies (Cobra anyone?) for a while, a quick on-line game and to bed (pretty late).
Monday, July 23, 2007
23 July 2007 (Monday)
Away from the journal for a bit. I'll back-fill for some of the past week from my notes.
Up at 6:30 this morning. This is another morning where the previous alarm (5:15) went off, I shut it off, but I don't remember doing it. I know I was tired when I went to bed, but I didn't realize how tired. I also don't remember Lisa coming to bed.
In to work for the first of any meetings. My boss is late calling me, but we manage to cover what we need to in 30 minutes. I get the sense, now that my final day has been set, he is treading a bit more carefully. This is a bit selfish on his part, and I can't blame him. He needs to get things done, and my termination is not his choice.
More meetings (customer, new projects) and finally a meeting with the local HR dude to get the official paperwork for my end of service. No real surprises, and it's actually good to speak with him for a while. As far as HR people go, he's pretty good (the classic "joke" is that Human Resources is neither). He's always been willing to share "off the record" and I have always appreciated his candor. In addition to my own situation, was also talk about the general health of our business, and my frank disappointment in our management. This isn't due solely to my termination, but a larger issue that I see with the staff. Enough has happened with our colleagues in the last two years that management has effectively used up all of its goodwill with the employees and is now deep in debt. Even those people who generally and blindly tow the line are having doubts.
Meet another colleague int he hall and talk about my purchasing some power tools from him. I also learn that he's found another position outside the company and will be leaving soon. The next wave has begun.
Now, a few last items, and I'll head home. Hopefully, The Deathly Hallows will be read and ready for me when I get there.
----------------------------
Home at a reasonable time to a quiet house. Lisa completes the Potter, and now I'm off. I ask her what she's having for dinner, and she asks what are we having for dinner? in reply. I suggest that it is only her having dinner - I'm reading.
A small side conversation about her day at work and the behavior of her boss at work. In a recurring theme for the day, we discuss HR as a corporate tool.
----------------------------
Potter is complete. Good stuff all the way through. I'll probably read through it again later in the week to pick up the things I might have missed. Downstairs to attend to the broken-assed cat, then to the dog's nails and finally to bed.
Up at 6:30 this morning. This is another morning where the previous alarm (5:15) went off, I shut it off, but I don't remember doing it. I know I was tired when I went to bed, but I didn't realize how tired. I also don't remember Lisa coming to bed.
In to work for the first of any meetings. My boss is late calling me, but we manage to cover what we need to in 30 minutes. I get the sense, now that my final day has been set, he is treading a bit more carefully. This is a bit selfish on his part, and I can't blame him. He needs to get things done, and my termination is not his choice.
More meetings (customer, new projects) and finally a meeting with the local HR dude to get the official paperwork for my end of service. No real surprises, and it's actually good to speak with him for a while. As far as HR people go, he's pretty good (the classic "joke" is that Human Resources is neither). He's always been willing to share "off the record" and I have always appreciated his candor. In addition to my own situation, was also talk about the general health of our business, and my frank disappointment in our management. This isn't due solely to my termination, but a larger issue that I see with the staff. Enough has happened with our colleagues in the last two years that management has effectively used up all of its goodwill with the employees and is now deep in debt. Even those people who generally and blindly tow the line are having doubts.
Meet another colleague int he hall and talk about my purchasing some power tools from him. I also learn that he's found another position outside the company and will be leaving soon. The next wave has begun.
Now, a few last items, and I'll head home. Hopefully, The Deathly Hallows will be read and ready for me when I get there.
----------------------------
Home at a reasonable time to a quiet house. Lisa completes the Potter, and now I'm off. I ask her what she's having for dinner, and she asks what are we having for dinner? in reply. I suggest that it is only her having dinner - I'm reading.
A small side conversation about her day at work and the behavior of her boss at work. In a recurring theme for the day, we discuss HR as a corporate tool.
----------------------------
Potter is complete. Good stuff all the way through. I'll probably read through it again later in the week to pick up the things I might have missed. Downstairs to attend to the broken-assed cat, then to the dog's nails and finally to bed.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
22 July 2007 (Sunday) All-day circle meeting
Rise and brief morning exercises, then shower and out to the store to get lunch items for today. Back to the house, pack the cooler and most of the car. On-line search for the Hughes produces a different, but close address. Scanning the map of the area and consulting my sense-memory of driving there last, I can recreate where I need to go. A very interesting process to watch.
Chris is delayed getting to my house, but we are able to leave by 9:30. Arrive at the Hughes' shortly after 11:00, but still before most of the team. All but Dev arrive and are set up at about 11:30 (Dev is delayed), so we begin.
- C Major up & down in four octaves takes us about 35 minutes.
- From here, we work on the base pattern for the day: C Major, (1) up three octaves, (2) down two octaves, (3) up three octaves, (4) down three octaves, (5) up two octaves, 6 down three octaves; change to 5th position at (3) and return to open position at (5). We work on this for about an hour before Dev arrives, adding in the Bb and F# in alternating octaves (so the 16 octave pattern for the work is C Ionian, C Mixolydian, C Ionian, C Lydian, C Ionian, C Mixolydian, etc.) Once he is incorporated into the circle, we continue this work for nearly another 90 minutes, when we break for lunch. Though we do not complete the pattern, there is some high quality work and listening going on.
- Lunch, and some nice time out in the back yard. Also bring up the possibility of the work day at Royalston on August 5th. Not many are likely to be available, but that's fine.
- After lunch, more work in the large circle, and then a break into two smaller groups - the Invention 1 circulators in the house, the other four of us in the back yard continuing to work on the four octave challenge. After about 45 minutes, we are able to complete this, then we make three attempts at the basic four octave scale but are unable to complete this. In to the house and on the floor to listen to two versions of the Invention 1 circulation, one slower one faster.
- After a break, back to more work on the basic pattern, the regular four octave circulation (if you made a mistake, you would drop out and the circulation would restart), and an attempt at quickly circulating three octaves, as well as another pass at Invention 1.
Victor suggested that we not meet for the next two weeks, though he is available for lessons, and suggested some personal work, and staying in contact with Invention 1, Passage, Askesis and Third Relation.
I had a sense of real confidence in the group with the first three octaves. I also had a sense of the average amount of attention available to the group - this would be about 35 to 45 seconds. If we could push this to a minute, some things would really open up. I also noticed that I would easily fall into an automatic mode in certain instances, and had to work to remain in contact with the exercise, and not let my muscle memory do all the work. I was tired, but not in the usual way, so I had a sense that something got created today, and some of that energy was still available.
-------------------------------------------
Home, out to grab dinner (Subway was closed, so I settled for McDonald's - I should have just made popcorn). Some on-line poker, and then to bed.
Chris is delayed getting to my house, but we are able to leave by 9:30. Arrive at the Hughes' shortly after 11:00, but still before most of the team. All but Dev arrive and are set up at about 11:30 (Dev is delayed), so we begin.
- C Major up & down in four octaves takes us about 35 minutes.
- From here, we work on the base pattern for the day: C Major, (1) up three octaves, (2) down two octaves, (3) up three octaves, (4) down three octaves, (5) up two octaves, 6 down three octaves; change to 5th position at (3) and return to open position at (5). We work on this for about an hour before Dev arrives, adding in the Bb and F# in alternating octaves (so the 16 octave pattern for the work is C Ionian, C Mixolydian, C Ionian, C Lydian, C Ionian, C Mixolydian, etc.) Once he is incorporated into the circle, we continue this work for nearly another 90 minutes, when we break for lunch. Though we do not complete the pattern, there is some high quality work and listening going on.
- Lunch, and some nice time out in the back yard. Also bring up the possibility of the work day at Royalston on August 5th. Not many are likely to be available, but that's fine.
- After lunch, more work in the large circle, and then a break into two smaller groups - the Invention 1 circulators in the house, the other four of us in the back yard continuing to work on the four octave challenge. After about 45 minutes, we are able to complete this, then we make three attempts at the basic four octave scale but are unable to complete this. In to the house and on the floor to listen to two versions of the Invention 1 circulation, one slower one faster.
- After a break, back to more work on the basic pattern, the regular four octave circulation (if you made a mistake, you would drop out and the circulation would restart), and an attempt at quickly circulating three octaves, as well as another pass at Invention 1.
Victor suggested that we not meet for the next two weeks, though he is available for lessons, and suggested some personal work, and staying in contact with Invention 1, Passage, Askesis and Third Relation.
I had a sense of real confidence in the group with the first three octaves. I also had a sense of the average amount of attention available to the group - this would be about 35 to 45 seconds. If we could push this to a minute, some things would really open up. I also noticed that I would easily fall into an automatic mode in certain instances, and had to work to remain in contact with the exercise, and not let my muscle memory do all the work. I was tired, but not in the usual way, so I had a sense that something got created today, and some of that energy was still available.
-------------------------------------------
Home, out to grab dinner (Subway was closed, so I settled for McDonald's - I should have just made popcorn). Some on-line poker, and then to bed.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
15 July 2007 (Sunday) Anime Conventions, and Flying to Pittsburgh
Rise at about 7:30 and take stock of the morning. Lisa and I still wish to go to Connecticon today, but Kerry got in late so we were waiting to see if she still wanted to go. In the end, we go with the two of us and spend the better part of the morning wandering the dealer room, filled with little Ashes, Vash the Stampedes, Edward Elrics, denizens of the Leaf and Sand Villages and the occasional Imperial T.I.E fighter pilot. Some pretty cool stuff, including a person doing laser engraving and custom accessories for cosplayers and more independent comic artists than I had expected. We'll definitely return next year, and probably bring our youngest nephew.
Home and idle away the afternoon on the deck. Pack and head to the airport around 5:00. Once at the airport, a slight delay due to thunderstorms in Pittsburgh (these delayed the 3:30 flight out of Hartford until 7:00, so it's just as well I decided to take the late flight today).
In to Pittsburgh without much fuss, to dinner and then to the hotel room. Unpack, make the space mine, read a bit and then to bed.
Home and idle away the afternoon on the deck. Pack and head to the airport around 5:00. Once at the airport, a slight delay due to thunderstorms in Pittsburgh (these delayed the 3:30 flight out of Hartford until 7:00, so it's just as well I decided to take the late flight today).
In to Pittsburgh without much fuss, to dinner and then to the hotel room. Unpack, make the space mine, read a bit and then to bed.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
14 July 2007 (Mom's on the Cape)
Kim and I arrived at Mom's about 9:30 last night, after grabbing a quick dinner. Todd tortured Kim on the way up by calling to tell her that he and the kids had gone to see The Order of the Phoenix (not true, they went to see Ratatouille) and that they were having lobster (true - they were at the Lobster Pound in Brewster). It was a good ride up with my sister, getting caught up on all manner of things.
Rise at about 7:30. Mom was already up (naturally), and we chatted a bit. Kim and the girls head out to the pool and Todd and I help Mom get the dining room set up for everyone. I head out to the garden center for a new sweep waterer and a pot Lisa wanted from the last visit, and porcupine grass for Kim. By the time I get back, my grandparents arrive and the rest of the family slowly filters in. As usual, we cook enough food for about twice our number (there are 14 of us). The whole day is actually pretty quiet - there was much conversation and laughter, as there usually is, but it was of a different, more subdued quality.
Once everybody clears out, I help clean up. Head out at about 5:30. I think Mom was hoping I'd stay, but I really wanted to get home to spend a bit of Sunday with Lisa before I go to Pittsburgh.
-------------------------
Interesting that the Firefox spell checker wants to replace Ratatouille with Bouillabaisse.
Rise at about 7:30. Mom was already up (naturally), and we chatted a bit. Kim and the girls head out to the pool and Todd and I help Mom get the dining room set up for everyone. I head out to the garden center for a new sweep waterer and a pot Lisa wanted from the last visit, and porcupine grass for Kim. By the time I get back, my grandparents arrive and the rest of the family slowly filters in. As usual, we cook enough food for about twice our number (there are 14 of us). The whole day is actually pretty quiet - there was much conversation and laughter, as there usually is, but it was of a different, more subdued quality.
Once everybody clears out, I help clean up. Head out at about 5:30. I think Mom was hoping I'd stay, but I really wanted to get home to spend a bit of Sunday with Lisa before I go to Pittsburgh.
-------------------------
Interesting that the Firefox spell checker wants to replace Ratatouille with Bouillabaisse.
Friday, July 13, 2007
13 July 2007 (Friday) Ooooh, scary!
Friday the 13th arrives. An interesting fact that in the Greek and Spanish traditions, the unlucky day is Tuesday the 13th.
Rise with some difficulty, as we were up late last night. Morning practices, shower, dress and pack for the Cape. Traveling light this weekend - the only real bulk in my bag are the pillows. Also grab some beverages left over from our 4th of July party.
In to work a bit later than I would like, but no big deal. Commiserating a bit with some of the other folks in the office, though there is the news that at least one group will be staying on campus through 2009. There is some hope for the IT people that they may not have to leave for a while. For me, I doubt it changes anything.
Rise with some difficulty, as we were up late last night. Morning practices, shower, dress and pack for the Cape. Traveling light this weekend - the only real bulk in my bag are the pillows. Also grab some beverages left over from our 4th of July party.
In to work a bit later than I would like, but no big deal. Commiserating a bit with some of the other folks in the office, though there is the news that at least one group will be staying on campus through 2009. There is some hope for the IT people that they may not have to leave for a while. For me, I doubt it changes anything.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
11 July 2007 (Wednesday)
Well then, a full week away from the journal. Back-posting in progress for the weekend.
Rise at 6:25 this morning - pretty good considering the days off this week. Morning practices and out the door, get gas for the car and in to work by 8. My morning is clear, so I spend it going through e-mails and making calls out on projects.
Lunch today is a picnic for the department - the weather isn't great, but it's still good to get outside and mingle with the remaining crew.
Meetings through the afternoon, and heading home (hopefully) at 4.
---------------------------
Home, and thoroughly unmotivated - so an evening watching A Prairie Home Companion and Superman Returns.
Rise at 6:25 this morning - pretty good considering the days off this week. Morning practices and out the door, get gas for the car and in to work by 8. My morning is clear, so I spend it going through e-mails and making calls out on projects.
Lunch today is a picnic for the department - the weather isn't great, but it's still good to get outside and mingle with the remaining crew.
Meetings through the afternoon, and heading home (hopefully) at 4.
---------------------------
Home, and thoroughly unmotivated - so an evening watching A Prairie Home Companion and Superman Returns.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
10 July 2007 (Tuesday) Creeping towards 40
A day not at the day-job, but still at work.
Rise at 7:00, morning practices, then outside to water the gardens. Spend about 20 minutes getting things set up, then in to shower. Once showered and dressed, I move the sprinklers around to different parts of the garden and head to DMV.
At DMV, I head to the testing department. It is crowded here with all of the teens in to do their driving tests. All in all, it takes about an hour for me to go in, fill out the paperwork, wait, take the motorcycle test, wait, talk to the person verifying the paperwork and the test, wait, bring my paperwork to the photo guy, wait, take my picture, wait, get my new license.
Back home and move the sprinklers again and head out to grab some breakfast. Out to the Cosmic Omelette for a breakfast burger. Chat with one of the regulars about concerts (he's going to Roger Waters tonight), Harry Potter and the golden age of Science Fiction (Robert Heinlein, in particular). Back home and enter into a silent debate about going to Foxwoods to play some live poker. Opt for a quick on-line game, then change and start working on the shed.
Spend the afternoon building a new 8' shelf in the shed, including cutouts for the framing, a round-over on the edge of the shelf, and shelf supports with angle cuts. Also build folding arms to hold the various spikes and tomato poles. I made these with a bridle joint with certain edges rounded to allow the parts to rotate around a central pin. Unfortunately, I made the joints too loose and had to add an extra pin to stop the rotation. The curves were pretty sloppy as well - I could really use a bandsaw for these types of things. Finally, I put a fake outlet on the wall so I could store the extension cord splitters, rather than putting them in a pot.
Found myself being grumpy again later in the afternoon. I think I know why this is, but it is still difficult to articulate in a way that isn't hurtful.
Lisa naps while I play a few more rounds of poker on-line. After this, out to the movies, then home and to bed. Transformers kick ass.
Rise at 7:00, morning practices, then outside to water the gardens. Spend about 20 minutes getting things set up, then in to shower. Once showered and dressed, I move the sprinklers around to different parts of the garden and head to DMV.
At DMV, I head to the testing department. It is crowded here with all of the teens in to do their driving tests. All in all, it takes about an hour for me to go in, fill out the paperwork, wait, take the motorcycle test, wait, talk to the person verifying the paperwork and the test, wait, bring my paperwork to the photo guy, wait, take my picture, wait, get my new license.
Back home and move the sprinklers again and head out to grab some breakfast. Out to the Cosmic Omelette for a breakfast burger. Chat with one of the regulars about concerts (he's going to Roger Waters tonight), Harry Potter and the golden age of Science Fiction (Robert Heinlein, in particular). Back home and enter into a silent debate about going to Foxwoods to play some live poker. Opt for a quick on-line game, then change and start working on the shed.
Spend the afternoon building a new 8' shelf in the shed, including cutouts for the framing, a round-over on the edge of the shelf, and shelf supports with angle cuts. Also build folding arms to hold the various spikes and tomato poles. I made these with a bridle joint with certain edges rounded to allow the parts to rotate around a central pin. Unfortunately, I made the joints too loose and had to add an extra pin to stop the rotation. The curves were pretty sloppy as well - I could really use a bandsaw for these types of things. Finally, I put a fake outlet on the wall so I could store the extension cord splitters, rather than putting them in a pot.
Found myself being grumpy again later in the afternoon. I think I know why this is, but it is still difficult to articulate in a way that isn't hurtful.
Lisa naps while I play a few more rounds of poker on-line. After this, out to the movies, then home and to bed. Transformers kick ass.
Monday, July 9, 2007
9 July 2007 (Monday) Workin' Them Angels
Rise at 6 with the pets, and then duck back and snooze a bit longer. Rise and putter with Lisa around the gardens, then we opt for an early nap, as we're both tired and we know tonight will be a late night.
Rise and putter some more. Head out for dinner at Abbott''s and then to the Mohegan Sun for Rush (!).
I have to say, I've seen most of their shows in the past 20 years, and the past three tours are as good as they get (the Vapor Trails tour was probably the best). The set list:
Set 1:
01. Limelight
02. Digital Man
03. Entre Nous
04. Mission
05. Freewill
06. The Main Monkey Business
07. The Larger Bowl
08. Secret Touch
09. Circumstances
10. Between The Wheels
11. Dreamline
Intermission
Set 2:
12. Far Cry
13. Workin' Them Angels
14. Armor And Sword
15. Spindrift
16. The Way The Wind Blows
17. Subdivisions
18. Natural Science
19. Witch Hunt
20. Malignant Narcissism
21. Drum Solo
22. Hope
23. Distant Early Warning
24. The Spirit Of Radio
25. Tom Sawyer
Encore:
26. One Little Victory
27. A Passage to Bangkok
28. YYZ
3 hours & 15 minutes of my wife and I dancing and singing at the top of our lungs.
Rise and putter some more. Head out for dinner at Abbott''s and then to the Mohegan Sun for Rush (!).
I have to say, I've seen most of their shows in the past 20 years, and the past three tours are as good as they get (the Vapor Trails tour was probably the best). The set list:
Set 1:
01. Limelight
02. Digital Man
03. Entre Nous
04. Mission
05. Freewill
06. The Main Monkey Business
07. The Larger Bowl
08. Secret Touch
09. Circumstances
10. Between The Wheels
11. Dreamline
Intermission
Set 2:
12. Far Cry
13. Workin' Them Angels
14. Armor And Sword
15. Spindrift
16. The Way The Wind Blows
17. Subdivisions
18. Natural Science
19. Witch Hunt
20. Malignant Narcissism
21. Drum Solo
22. Hope
23. Distant Early Warning
24. The Spirit Of Radio
25. Tom Sawyer
Encore:
26. One Little Victory
27. A Passage to Bangkok
28. YYZ
3 hours & 15 minutes of my wife and I dancing and singing at the top of our lungs.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
4 July 2007 (Wednesday)
Rise at 8:00, and go through the normal morning routines. Out to the yard to help with a few last minute items, then to the store for some forgotten food items, with a final stop at the ice house. Back home, some last minute cleaning and food prep, and then a short break before beginning basic cooking.
The afternoon is spent pleasantly with a number of friends and family, eating well, and enjoying the rain under the awning on the deck.
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How can so many people still find this President is still doing good for our nation, or the world?
The afternoon is spent pleasantly with a number of friends and family, eating well, and enjoying the rain under the awning on the deck.
----------------------------
How can so many people still find this President is still doing good for our nation, or the world?
Monday, July 2, 2007
2 July 2007 (Monday)
So, a staggered week begins (due to the 4th being in the middle of the week). Rise a bit late, as I was up a bit later than I had expected. One quick check of work e-mail finds another meeting reschedule for my first meeting, so I'll be in to work a little closer to the meeting that I might otherwise like. Short meeting in the end, as Thomas has another meeting that has been rescheduled. More meetings on global financials and the convoluted ways we deal with the global business. Reason is slowly creeping in to the organization, but not at a pace that can save me any time soon.
---------------------------
Out for lunch, and back to the office feeling a little groggy. Two afternoon meetings, one of which is a project kickoff meeting. I was pretty shaky, and my technical resource was just coming back from a funeral, so the meeting wasn't as sharp as I might have liked, but we got through it. I need to find some meeting resources and make sure that I get the most out of these initial hours of a project. The rest of the day spent dealing with some audit results and recalculating financial information.
---------------------------
Back home and really dragging. Lisa and I head out to do the bulk shopping for the 4th. Some beef, chicken and salmon for the grill. We were both so distracted that we forgot all of the non-perishable items we had planned on getting. This just means I need to jump into the fire tomorrow. Once home again, we do a little yard clean-up, move the new holly's up to where they will be planted (and out of the sun), do some watering and watch the poppers open. Finally, we pull all of the folding chairs out, hose them down and hit them with Nature's Miracle to see if we can drive out the mildewy smell from the shed. Some light computing and then to bed.
---------------------------
Out for lunch, and back to the office feeling a little groggy. Two afternoon meetings, one of which is a project kickoff meeting. I was pretty shaky, and my technical resource was just coming back from a funeral, so the meeting wasn't as sharp as I might have liked, but we got through it. I need to find some meeting resources and make sure that I get the most out of these initial hours of a project. The rest of the day spent dealing with some audit results and recalculating financial information.
---------------------------
Back home and really dragging. Lisa and I head out to do the bulk shopping for the 4th. Some beef, chicken and salmon for the grill. We were both so distracted that we forgot all of the non-perishable items we had planned on getting. This just means I need to jump into the fire tomorrow. Once home again, we do a little yard clean-up, move the new holly's up to where they will be planted (and out of the sun), do some watering and watch the poppers open. Finally, we pull all of the folding chairs out, hose them down and hit them with Nature's Miracle to see if we can drive out the mildewy smell from the shed. Some light computing and then to bed.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
7/1/2007 (Sunday) - The Weekend
This weekend was spent at the Basic Motorcycle Riders Safety Course. Now, I was a little intimidated from the class - essentially, there is a lot of material covering what could go wrong when you are on a motorcycle, that you are essentially invisible to most motorists, and very vulnerable. Saturday morning was our first time on the bikes, all 250cc or smaller machines. We worked through the basics - parts, operations, safety, learning the slip zone on the clutch, basic movement and maneuvering and so on. It was a bit warm, but my new helmet is surprisingly well ventilated, and I was warm, but never overly so. After lunch, it was back into the classroom to complete the work from Thursday. The program is well designed, with the classroom material presented in three ways: the written page, verbally from the instructor and visually from a video. I found this interesting, as it covers the common ways people learn in these situations. A quick written "evaluation" and we are done by 3:30 PM.
Home a bit earlier than expected Saturday, though I am thoroughly exhausted from the riding portion of the class. The rain comes in heavy late in the evening and things finally cool off completely.
Sunday began a bit earlier, as we didn't quite get through all of the exercises on the bikes Saturday. The whole day is spent fine tuning and developing our skills. We had two people leave the class today. The first had witnessed a serious bike accident the night before on the way home from class and while she had seemed to have shaken that off before she arrived, after about 20 minutes on the bike she couldn't continue. Quite understandable. The second rolled his ankle under the bike during an exercise, and while it wasn't serious, he felt that he was done - this was a shame really, as he was the shakiest at the outset, and had really developed well, becoming more confident as he went.
At the end of the day, we go through our riding skills evaluations, and all pass. By the end of the day we were all having fun, and even with the stress of being "tested", we all were having a blast. Afterwards, I went with a couple of the other riders for a celebratory beer at a local. The class population was very interesting: about half of us were older and had no riding experience, and the other half were mostly young dudes with some experience, a little showy in some cases but generally good. One of the women in the "older" group (we were all late 30's to early 40's) was really funny (and a bit of a horndog). It was fun watching the mild discomfort of a couple of the dudes when she was hitting on them. A good time overall.
Home, and find that the circle meeting is canceled for tonight, so some quiet time at home. Scrounge a bit for dinner and end up going shopping for some basics.
---------------------------------------
It's sad as I look back on this week - I've spent very little time with the guitar.
Home a bit earlier than expected Saturday, though I am thoroughly exhausted from the riding portion of the class. The rain comes in heavy late in the evening and things finally cool off completely.
Sunday began a bit earlier, as we didn't quite get through all of the exercises on the bikes Saturday. The whole day is spent fine tuning and developing our skills. We had two people leave the class today. The first had witnessed a serious bike accident the night before on the way home from class and while she had seemed to have shaken that off before she arrived, after about 20 minutes on the bike she couldn't continue. Quite understandable. The second rolled his ankle under the bike during an exercise, and while it wasn't serious, he felt that he was done - this was a shame really, as he was the shakiest at the outset, and had really developed well, becoming more confident as he went.
At the end of the day, we go through our riding skills evaluations, and all pass. By the end of the day we were all having fun, and even with the stress of being "tested", we all were having a blast. Afterwards, I went with a couple of the other riders for a celebratory beer at a local. The class population was very interesting: about half of us were older and had no riding experience, and the other half were mostly young dudes with some experience, a little showy in some cases but generally good. One of the women in the "older" group (we were all late 30's to early 40's) was really funny (and a bit of a horndog). It was fun watching the mild discomfort of a couple of the dudes when she was hitting on them. A good time overall.
Home, and find that the circle meeting is canceled for tonight, so some quiet time at home. Scrounge a bit for dinner and end up going shopping for some basics.
---------------------------------------
It's sad as I look back on this week - I've spent very little time with the guitar.
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