They both make for strange bedfellows. On Sunday the NFL played the last games of the regular season. With the NFL having relatively few games in a season, it means there are a lot of ties in the standings. It also means that a lot of games have bizarre influences on other games because of the tiebreakers.
Since the Redskins were playing the late game, and I arrived at the bar in time for the early game I asked to have the Buccaneers game on. The Bucs were playing the Raiders, and I really have no opinion about either team. I don't even do fantasy football, so that didn't enter into my rationale. I wanted the Bucs to win, because that would mean that if the Eagles won, then Dallas and the Eagles were out of the playoffs. I know it's petty wishing bad things on other teams just because they are rivals, but the Redskins season was over last week, so I had to have someone to root for.
But even odder than my selection was the Jets game. Living in Boston, most everyone around is a Pats fan. For the Pats to win a trip to the postseason, the Jets had to win. The Jets may have fans out there somewhere, but they don't have a lot in Boston. Except for last Sunday when a number of raucous chants of "J... E... T... S... Jets Jets Jets!" broke out in the bar.
Of course, how can I comment on Sunday's football results without reflecting on the Lions loss. I was pulling for them, I really was. A part of me thought it would be great to see history made as a team finished with no wins. But a larger part of me hates the Packers and wanted them to lose to the worst team in football.
Other anomlies of the season... How about San Diego going to the playoffs despite having an 8-8 season? 5 teams have better records and aren't going to the playoffs at all. Another way to look at it is half the teams have a better record! And how sad is it that the Pats aren't going to the playoffs despite having a 12-4 record? That's a good enough record most years to win home field advantage.
Maybe the NFL should add more games to the season, so there are fewer ties in the standing. There isn't much they can do about the 12-4 and 8-8 thing unless they regroup the leagues, or change the way the games are scheduled.
Anyway, I got a bit off topic in this, but my point is, just because a guy's wearing a burgundy shirt and rooting for the Bucanners doesn't mean he's a Bucanners fan. He might just really hate Dallas.
30 December 2008
20 December 2008
Snow
So Winter has finally come to Boston. According to some winter came a couple of days early (if you believe winter officially begins at the winter solstice). For those with a loser definition, it came on Friday, at least to Boston.
We had flurries a week or two ago, but no accumulation to speak of. Basically enough to put you in the Christmas Spirit, but not enough to prevent people from going shopping. But yesterday, the hammer dropped.
I had a particularly interesting day. I had scheduled a meeting with a potential contractor for a project at work. They are located in Rhode Island, just over an hour south of Boston. I had scheduled the meeting on Monday, when the forecast showed Friday as the only day during the week that it wasn't going to be raining.
It wasn't until Thursday that I realized I'd chosen poorly. On Thursday, I mentioned to a co-worker that I was going going to be out early on Friday and explained about the trip. He said I should cancel because there was going to be a storm. I suppose just about everyone else in Boston knew the storm was coming before I did. I've just gotten out of the habit of checking the weather, because if its a bit colder, or a bit warmer, it only affects whether I put on my hat and how high I zip my jacket.
Checking the predictions, the 6-12 inch band of snow covered a swath including all of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I checked over and over, but the result stayed pretty much the same, only varying on exactly when it would hit.
But, I decided I would go anyway, although I moved it forward a bit so that I could at least get all the way there before the snow hit. On the way, I remembered some of my snow preparedness tips and stopped to get gas, even though I had a half tank left. While I was at the gas station, a news crew was interviewing the woman at the pump beside mine: "The Panic before the Storm" as I called it. They didn't seem interested in interviewing me, but then again, I'm not a cute girl in her early twenties.
My plan of getting to the meeting before the snow worked fine. I got to their facility just as the snow started to fall.. It ended up being a very good meeting. But a couple of hours had passed and when I got to my car there were three inches of snow covering it.
I cleared my car off and headed out, at a breakneck speed of ten miles an hour. I firmly ignored my GPS instructions to follow the side roads and shave a mile off the drive. Instead I took the most direct route to the interstate. Once on the interstate I got up to a whopping 30 miles an hour. At least for a little while. Eventually I hit a bridge where I barely had enough traction to keep going up. It was an intersting experience, and made me glad I drove a car with traction control!
I had to stop twice on the way to clear off my windshield. Even though the wipers were doing a pretty good job of moving the snow, it accumulated at the stops. The first rest stop I visited had a news truck waiting. I didn't see anyone near the truck, so I'm not positive what their mission was. If they were staged there to respond, or if they were waiting for someone to come in that they could interview. The second time I stopped, I actually got stuck. Luckily there was a guy clearing the sidewalks and he came over and gave me a hand getting out.
I stopped one more time on the way home to have dinner. That's when it got really interesting because there was thunder snow! It was only the second time I've ever seen it. Generally thunderstorms and winter don't mix. But occasionally they get together. It is more of a whomph than a crash, something you feel more than actually hear. There isn't the clear bolt of lightning either, but a coloring of the sky. On this occasion the sky turned a deep electric blue (the previous time I saw it the sky turned purple and green). The power dimmed a few times, but didn't end up going out.
I eventually got back on the road, and had a relatively uneventful trip in. It was rather odd though, because I saw a number of snow plows heading outbound, but didn't see any going my way, or even signs that they had only recently passed. It also seemed that the majority of people were definitely heading away from Boston and not towards Boston.
When I finally got to my neighborhood, I was surprised at how clear the streets were. I suppose the heavier traffic, and more frequent plowings had something to do with it. At least the main streets were pretty clear, the side streets considerably less so. I turned off the main street onto my street and immediately knew I had a problem. The snow plow had been through and was nice enough to dump a pile of snow in front of the driveway to the lot behind my building. Of course, there was also six inches of snow in the lot, meaning I probably couldn't have made it to my spot anyway.
So I drove around a bit until I could find a parking spot on the street. I found one a block over, but it was on the opposite side of the street. I tried pulling a U-turn, but nearly got stuck with my car perpendicular to the road. So, I drove around a bit until I could approach from the opposite direction. I plowed my car through the 8 or so inches of snow until I was reasonably close to the curb. Alright, it was until I couldn't coax my car to make any more headroom, then called it quits. Walking the block or so home.
This morning I got up, and was happy to see that the lot had been plowed! I checked some other windows to see how the roads around my building looked. That's when I found out that it had been so cold that the frames of my windows had formed ice inside! The worst was the door to my little porch, where the hinges were actually coated in ice. I'm really glad that I installed honeycomb shades, because they really did a good job adding insulation to the windows!
Anyway, I went outside and found that while the lot was basically clear, my spot was not! There was an average of a foot of snow covering my spot. Of couse, the spot next to my had been plowed (my spot and the spot on the other side were both empty allowing the plot to clear them without risking scraping a car). So I spent over half an hour shoveling my spot to get my car in. Then I had to go over and shovel my car out.
When I finally got the spot cleared and my car back on the road, I had to drive around a bit. The street I had parked on would have necessitated a left turn into the parking lot. Because of the various plowings I could only get to the lot making a right hand turn. A bit annoying, but no worse than the shoveling had been.
I ended up having to do some more shoveling to get my car into the space. Between the geometry of the lot and the amount of snow and ice left, I couldn't pull in in a single motion. When I tried to back out and realign, my car got stuck. But eventually I got it in. I'm guessing its going to stay right there for a few weeks. Maybe the whole winter, if it ends up being as bad a winter as everyone seems to be thinking.
So when all of that was done, I walked to My Diner (that's really the name, and it's just over a block away) for breakfast. I walked back to my condo on the street I had parked the night before. Another car had already parked in the spot I had vacated! Winter parking in a city like Boston is crazy.
Ahhh... Winter!
P.S. I would hate for anyone reading this to misconstrue my feelings about winter. I actually thoroughly enjoy the season. Sure shoveling is annoying and tiring, but there is a definite sense of accomplishment. Even the stinging numbness in my legs was enjoyable, in a crazy kind of way. Plus, if I were actually to complain, then I would have to stop making fun of Californians for being soft.
We had flurries a week or two ago, but no accumulation to speak of. Basically enough to put you in the Christmas Spirit, but not enough to prevent people from going shopping. But yesterday, the hammer dropped.
I had a particularly interesting day. I had scheduled a meeting with a potential contractor for a project at work. They are located in Rhode Island, just over an hour south of Boston. I had scheduled the meeting on Monday, when the forecast showed Friday as the only day during the week that it wasn't going to be raining.
It wasn't until Thursday that I realized I'd chosen poorly. On Thursday, I mentioned to a co-worker that I was going going to be out early on Friday and explained about the trip. He said I should cancel because there was going to be a storm. I suppose just about everyone else in Boston knew the storm was coming before I did. I've just gotten out of the habit of checking the weather, because if its a bit colder, or a bit warmer, it only affects whether I put on my hat and how high I zip my jacket.
Checking the predictions, the 6-12 inch band of snow covered a swath including all of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I checked over and over, but the result stayed pretty much the same, only varying on exactly when it would hit.
But, I decided I would go anyway, although I moved it forward a bit so that I could at least get all the way there before the snow hit. On the way, I remembered some of my snow preparedness tips and stopped to get gas, even though I had a half tank left. While I was at the gas station, a news crew was interviewing the woman at the pump beside mine: "The Panic before the Storm" as I called it. They didn't seem interested in interviewing me, but then again, I'm not a cute girl in her early twenties.
My plan of getting to the meeting before the snow worked fine. I got to their facility just as the snow started to fall.. It ended up being a very good meeting. But a couple of hours had passed and when I got to my car there were three inches of snow covering it.
I cleared my car off and headed out, at a breakneck speed of ten miles an hour. I firmly ignored my GPS instructions to follow the side roads and shave a mile off the drive. Instead I took the most direct route to the interstate. Once on the interstate I got up to a whopping 30 miles an hour. At least for a little while. Eventually I hit a bridge where I barely had enough traction to keep going up. It was an intersting experience, and made me glad I drove a car with traction control!
I had to stop twice on the way to clear off my windshield. Even though the wipers were doing a pretty good job of moving the snow, it accumulated at the stops. The first rest stop I visited had a news truck waiting. I didn't see anyone near the truck, so I'm not positive what their mission was. If they were staged there to respond, or if they were waiting for someone to come in that they could interview. The second time I stopped, I actually got stuck. Luckily there was a guy clearing the sidewalks and he came over and gave me a hand getting out.
I stopped one more time on the way home to have dinner. That's when it got really interesting because there was thunder snow! It was only the second time I've ever seen it. Generally thunderstorms and winter don't mix. But occasionally they get together. It is more of a whomph than a crash, something you feel more than actually hear. There isn't the clear bolt of lightning either, but a coloring of the sky. On this occasion the sky turned a deep electric blue (the previous time I saw it the sky turned purple and green). The power dimmed a few times, but didn't end up going out.
I eventually got back on the road, and had a relatively uneventful trip in. It was rather odd though, because I saw a number of snow plows heading outbound, but didn't see any going my way, or even signs that they had only recently passed. It also seemed that the majority of people were definitely heading away from Boston and not towards Boston.
When I finally got to my neighborhood, I was surprised at how clear the streets were. I suppose the heavier traffic, and more frequent plowings had something to do with it. At least the main streets were pretty clear, the side streets considerably less so. I turned off the main street onto my street and immediately knew I had a problem. The snow plow had been through and was nice enough to dump a pile of snow in front of the driveway to the lot behind my building. Of course, there was also six inches of snow in the lot, meaning I probably couldn't have made it to my spot anyway.
So I drove around a bit until I could find a parking spot on the street. I found one a block over, but it was on the opposite side of the street. I tried pulling a U-turn, but nearly got stuck with my car perpendicular to the road. So, I drove around a bit until I could approach from the opposite direction. I plowed my car through the 8 or so inches of snow until I was reasonably close to the curb. Alright, it was until I couldn't coax my car to make any more headroom, then called it quits. Walking the block or so home.
This morning I got up, and was happy to see that the lot had been plowed! I checked some other windows to see how the roads around my building looked. That's when I found out that it had been so cold that the frames of my windows had formed ice inside! The worst was the door to my little porch, where the hinges were actually coated in ice. I'm really glad that I installed honeycomb shades, because they really did a good job adding insulation to the windows!
Anyway, I went outside and found that while the lot was basically clear, my spot was not! There was an average of a foot of snow covering my spot. Of couse, the spot next to my had been plowed (my spot and the spot on the other side were both empty allowing the plot to clear them without risking scraping a car). So I spent over half an hour shoveling my spot to get my car in. Then I had to go over and shovel my car out.
When I finally got the spot cleared and my car back on the road, I had to drive around a bit. The street I had parked on would have necessitated a left turn into the parking lot. Because of the various plowings I could only get to the lot making a right hand turn. A bit annoying, but no worse than the shoveling had been.
I ended up having to do some more shoveling to get my car into the space. Between the geometry of the lot and the amount of snow and ice left, I couldn't pull in in a single motion. When I tried to back out and realign, my car got stuck. But eventually I got it in. I'm guessing its going to stay right there for a few weeks. Maybe the whole winter, if it ends up being as bad a winter as everyone seems to be thinking.
So when all of that was done, I walked to My Diner (that's really the name, and it's just over a block away) for breakfast. I walked back to my condo on the street I had parked the night before. Another car had already parked in the spot I had vacated! Winter parking in a city like Boston is crazy.
Ahhh... Winter!
P.S. I would hate for anyone reading this to misconstrue my feelings about winter. I actually thoroughly enjoy the season. Sure shoveling is annoying and tiring, but there is a definite sense of accomplishment. Even the stinging numbness in my legs was enjoyable, in a crazy kind of way. Plus, if I were actually to complain, then I would have to stop making fun of Californians for being soft.
19 November 2008
Pot
During the last election, the voters of Massachusetts decided to decriminalize marijuana, at least in small amounts. The arguments in favor of the proposition were mostly along the lines of, it sucks to have a criminal record for doing something illegal. Apparently it is hard to get a job, or find housing when you have a criminal record (which you get by doing something illegal). Needless to say I was not a big fan of this proposition.
Another reason I am not a fan of this proposition is because marijuana is classified as a schedule I drug by the federal government. To have a state undermine the enforcement and viability of a federal law is a travesty. Unenforced and poorly enforced laws are bad laws.
Anyway, that aside out of the way... Since the proposition was passed (it still has not become law) I have smelled marijuana on numerous occasions. In fact just a couple of days after it was passed I smelled smoke coming in through my window. This morning on my way to work, I was standing on the subway platform and the foul odor came my way. I saw three high school age kids standing at the very end of the platform, and hiding behind a pillar. I suspect they were the ones doing the smoking.
So, I'm wondering if the passage of this proposal is going to cause an escalation in the amount of pot being smoked. Also will it encourage people to smoke in public.
Another reason I am not a fan of this proposition is because marijuana is classified as a schedule I drug by the federal government. To have a state undermine the enforcement and viability of a federal law is a travesty. Unenforced and poorly enforced laws are bad laws.
Anyway, that aside out of the way... Since the proposition was passed (it still has not become law) I have smelled marijuana on numerous occasions. In fact just a couple of days after it was passed I smelled smoke coming in through my window. This morning on my way to work, I was standing on the subway platform and the foul odor came my way. I saw three high school age kids standing at the very end of the platform, and hiding behind a pillar. I suspect they were the ones doing the smoking.
So, I'm wondering if the passage of this proposal is going to cause an escalation in the amount of pot being smoked. Also will it encourage people to smoke in public.
08 November 2008
My Niece
The first few days of this month saw me in Knoxville, Tennessee to visit my niece Veronica Marie Bartholomay. Usually I travel to Knoxville to visit my sister, but, then again my niece is only 2 months old so there hasn't been a lot of chances for me to visit her.
Anyway, in addition to being the first time I got to see my niece, it was also my niece's baptism. I was honored to be her godfather, or rather her baptismal sponsor. I even got to hold her during most of the service.
The other sponsor was Veronica Marie's cousin Marsha (Roger's brother's daughter). I'm bringing up the other baptismal sponsor because we both apparently share a good idea of what a two month old needs. A ninja doll!
Seriously, we both independently decided that Nica (short for Veronica, although with her being so small right now, it is easier to think of her as Veronica Marie) needed to have a ninja doll. Melanie said that when Marsha brought the ninja doll she said, "That looks like something that Peter would get" and sure enough...
As for little Nica, she is a beautiful wiggly bundle of joy. She was also pretty well behaved for me. She didn't fuss once during the entire church service, and was even awake for the first half. She got a bit fussy when we insisted on getting photos with her after the service rather than letting her eat. But once that issue was settled she calmed down and slept while the rest of us went to lunch.
This is my favorite picture from the trip down. My niece really isn't that small, she just looks tiny next to my enormous mug. She's about the length of my forearm, and the fist that she's cocking back in the photo is about the size of the last joint of my thumb. Actually, the size issue was rather funny when I tried to hand her back to my sister after the first time I got to hold Nica. I was being so careful to distribute the holding, i.e. spreading my hands, that my sister couldn't actually find anywhere to put her own hands.
Anyway, in addition to being the first time I got to see my niece, it was also my niece's baptism. I was honored to be her godfather, or rather her baptismal sponsor. I even got to hold her during most of the service.
The other sponsor was Veronica Marie's cousin Marsha (Roger's brother's daughter). I'm bringing up the other baptismal sponsor because we both apparently share a good idea of what a two month old needs. A ninja doll!
Seriously, we both independently decided that Nica (short for Veronica, although with her being so small right now, it is easier to think of her as Veronica Marie) needed to have a ninja doll. Melanie said that when Marsha brought the ninja doll she said, "That looks like something that Peter would get" and sure enough...As for little Nica, she is a beautiful wiggly bundle of joy. She was also pretty well behaved for me. She didn't fuss once during the entire church service, and was even awake for the first half. She got a bit fussy when we insisted on getting photos with her after the service rather than letting her eat. But once that issue was settled she calmed down and slept while the rest of us went to lunch.
This is my favorite picture from the trip down. My niece really isn't that small, she just looks tiny next to my enormous mug. She's about the length of my forearm, and the fist that she's cocking back in the photo is about the size of the last joint of my thumb. Actually, the size issue was rather funny when I tried to hand her back to my sister after the first time I got to hold Nica. I was being so careful to distribute the holding, i.e. spreading my hands, that my sister couldn't actually find anywhere to put her own hands.
04 November 2008
Candy Corn Threshold
Halloween was a few days ago, and halloween reminds me of mellowcreme pumpkins. Mellowcreme pumpkins are a candy confection that is related to the candy corn. The ingredient list of both Mellowcreme pumpkins and candy corns are the same. Sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar, and flavorings. Alright so really it's sugar, corn syrup, salt, honey, gelatin, confectioner's glaze, dextrose, and various dyes and artificial flavors. But, corn syrup is sugar, honey is sugar and dextrose is sugar, so there is a lot of sugar packed into these goodies.The mellowcreme gets its name from the gelatin portion. Gelatin is the primary reason that marshmallows are so fluffy. It is also used in the pumpkins (and candy corns) to make them soft and delicious. So really, mellowcreme pumpkins are a cross between marshmallows and rock candy.
Anyway, mellowcreme pumpkins fall prey to the same failings as candy corns: the candy corn threshold. I have had this theory for a number of years, ever since winning a "guess how many" candy corns are in a jar contest.
I started eating the candy corns. As I ate the candy corns I reflected on how wonderful they tasted, and how I could eat candy corns for my entire life. Then suddenly, I bit into a bad candy corn. It tasted disgusting. There must have been a bad candy corn in the bunch. So I fished into the jar and came up with another candy corn. I popped this fresh candy corn in my mouth, bit down, and was disgusted! What are the chances of having two bad candy corns in a row? Especially after having so many that were absolutely fantastic?
I put the jar of candy corns aside, and pondered. Had I eaten past a line in the jar below which the candy corns were turned? I examined the jar minutely and could find nothing to suggest that the corns were tainted. I waited quite a while before delving back into the jar. With a good deal of trepidation I ate another candy corn. It was delicious! Perhaps there were only a few bad corns and I happened to get two in a row. But alas, this was not the case. I had a few more and then suddenly they turned sour again. I had gotten through barely a dozen before the taste turned from divine to damned.
So, that was how I discovered the candy corn threshold. You can only eat so many candy corns before some physiological phenomenon occurs which tells your taste buds that enough goodness has passed through. When that occurs you have to stop eating candy corns and allow the system to recover. The body does slowly recover, but it is a recovery and not a resetting. So if you press on while not fully recovered you will hit the threshold much more quickly.
Candy corns are not the only food that has a candy corn threshold. Marshmallow peeps also fall victim to this phenomenon. But peeps are much more insidious because there is a very real chance the the peeps have turned bad, especially if you have moved on to the second package.
For those who don't eat candy corns the same thing can be true of alcohol. You are having a blast, and then suddenly you lift your most recent drink and you feel sick. You put the drink down, get some air, drink some water, anything except taking another sip. You start feeling better, so you have another sip. If it doesn't taste too bad you start drinking some more, but it'll only be a few sips until you are at the threshold again. The point where your body says, any more alcohol and I'll puke all over your shoes. Unfortunately with alcohol, you can go well past this point before your body catches up on the scoring. So kids, stick with candy corns.
10 September 2008
Terrible Grand Canyon movie
I went to see an IMAX movie with people at work. I thought it was supposed to be on the Grand Canyon, instead it was about the Colorado River and why it was at risk. Oh, and the movie was crap.
One of the major points they made about the river was that it was terrible how low the water level is going because of drought. Of course the drought is being caused by global warming. Then 10 minutes later they talk about a Native American tribe that stored water from the river. The tribe was wiped out when they had a 50 year drought. So when the Native Americans ran into problems it was mother nature, when it happens to us, it's our fault.
If that were the only faux pas, I might have let it pass. But they went on to talk about the dams on the river. First they talked about the Glen Canyon dam (which they just called the grand canyon dam) and Lake Powell. Then they went on to talk about the Hoover dam, saying it was built in the 60s. Just a little bit of effort would have corrected this problem, putting the right dam in the right decade.
And apparently engineers are evil. So are dams, since they only provide abundant clean energy and prevent flooding. Oh, and they make the water nice and clear by letting the sediment settle out. BUt apparently clear water is a bad thing (although they never explained why that might be, except to say that it was how the river got its name, which also wasn't explained).
They also showed before and after pictures of what the river looked like when it was first explored, then finding the places and taking new pictures. So the result was a sandbar disappeared (which given the 80 years between pictures was likely inevitable because that the sort of things sandbars do), and the other picture showed a lot of plants. Apparently when the river still flooded it killed all the plants (although in fairness the type of plant that was shown was a non-native species, so maybe a bit of biblical cleansing would be a good thing).
Anyway, the three minutes of factual, and perhaps useful, information hidden in the movie were completely submerged in garbage. Oh, and the information/misinformation was further submerged against in the story of a writer writing about the Colorado river and taking a rafting trip with his daughter. Because apparently in 40 years there won't be a Colorado river anymore.
One of the major points they made about the river was that it was terrible how low the water level is going because of drought. Of course the drought is being caused by global warming. Then 10 minutes later they talk about a Native American tribe that stored water from the river. The tribe was wiped out when they had a 50 year drought. So when the Native Americans ran into problems it was mother nature, when it happens to us, it's our fault.
If that were the only faux pas, I might have let it pass. But they went on to talk about the dams on the river. First they talked about the Glen Canyon dam (which they just called the grand canyon dam) and Lake Powell. Then they went on to talk about the Hoover dam, saying it was built in the 60s. Just a little bit of effort would have corrected this problem, putting the right dam in the right decade.
And apparently engineers are evil. So are dams, since they only provide abundant clean energy and prevent flooding. Oh, and they make the water nice and clear by letting the sediment settle out. BUt apparently clear water is a bad thing (although they never explained why that might be, except to say that it was how the river got its name, which also wasn't explained).
They also showed before and after pictures of what the river looked like when it was first explored, then finding the places and taking new pictures. So the result was a sandbar disappeared (which given the 80 years between pictures was likely inevitable because that the sort of things sandbars do), and the other picture showed a lot of plants. Apparently when the river still flooded it killed all the plants (although in fairness the type of plant that was shown was a non-native species, so maybe a bit of biblical cleansing would be a good thing).
Anyway, the three minutes of factual, and perhaps useful, information hidden in the movie were completely submerged in garbage. Oh, and the information/misinformation was further submerged against in the story of a writer writing about the Colorado river and taking a rafting trip with his daughter. Because apparently in 40 years there won't be a Colorado river anymore.
09 September 2008
Busy Weekend
Last Friday I had a meeting down in Virginia, and another meeting scheduled for Monday. Rather that make two trips, I went down for the entire weekend. Of course, I had other reasons for staying the entire weekend.
My friend Carrie got married on Saturday. Hi Carrie! She was lucky enough to schedule her wedding on the day tropical storm Hanna blew through town. So there were quite a few wet guests at the wedding, but in spite of that a great time was had by all. Also, the DJ at least had a sense of humor about the wedding, since the first song at the reception was "Rock you like a hurricane."
So, my new look, bearded with a shaved head, was sufficient disguise to prevent Carrie's family from recognizing me. Of course, it had been a few years since I'd seen any of them, aside from Carrie. But, it was enough to cause one of the guests sitting at my table at the reception to comment to her friend that I reminded her of her friend's father. The bald head and facial hair and an apparently distinguished look. Oh, and apparently he looks good for his age.
One, really disappointing aspect of the storm, was that I didn't get to take White's Ferry. I could have, but I figured taking a ferry across a river in a tropical storm, might not be the best option. Although it wouldn't actually have saved much time anyway, since it takes miles of backroads to get there, compared to miles of interstate.
I also got to spend some quality time with my dad this weekend. After work Friday, I drove to his house, and then Dad, Tracy and I went out to dinner. Saturday morning we got a chance to do some bonding over breakfast and then watching Monk and Psych.
Not to take anything away from the wedding, or bonding with my dad... The most exciting part of the weekend was getting a call from my sister. I had literally just walked in the door of my father's house when she called to tell me that she'd had her baby! Veronica Marie Bartholomay is the newest member of the family, and absolutely precious. Of course, I've already decided I'm going to call her "Nica" because I'm going to be the cool uncle. And I have a lot of competition on Roger's side, or at least competitors.
My friend Carrie got married on Saturday. Hi Carrie! She was lucky enough to schedule her wedding on the day tropical storm Hanna blew through town. So there were quite a few wet guests at the wedding, but in spite of that a great time was had by all. Also, the DJ at least had a sense of humor about the wedding, since the first song at the reception was "Rock you like a hurricane."
So, my new look, bearded with a shaved head, was sufficient disguise to prevent Carrie's family from recognizing me. Of course, it had been a few years since I'd seen any of them, aside from Carrie. But, it was enough to cause one of the guests sitting at my table at the reception to comment to her friend that I reminded her of her friend's father. The bald head and facial hair and an apparently distinguished look. Oh, and apparently he looks good for his age.
One, really disappointing aspect of the storm, was that I didn't get to take White's Ferry. I could have, but I figured taking a ferry across a river in a tropical storm, might not be the best option. Although it wouldn't actually have saved much time anyway, since it takes miles of backroads to get there, compared to miles of interstate.
I also got to spend some quality time with my dad this weekend. After work Friday, I drove to his house, and then Dad, Tracy and I went out to dinner. Saturday morning we got a chance to do some bonding over breakfast and then watching Monk and Psych.
Not to take anything away from the wedding, or bonding with my dad... The most exciting part of the weekend was getting a call from my sister. I had literally just walked in the door of my father's house when she called to tell me that she'd had her baby! Veronica Marie Bartholomay is the newest member of the family, and absolutely precious. Of course, I've already decided I'm going to call her "Nica" because I'm going to be the cool uncle. And I have a lot of competition on Roger's side, or at least competitors.
24 August 2008
Air Travel
This weekend I went to visit my sister for her baby shower. It was good to see her and spend time hanging out. But I have to say the travel down there, and back, left something to be desired.
Almost all of my recent travels had been on another airline. An airline that doesn't charge extra for checked bags, and doesn't charge for drinks once on board. Seeing both of those shocked and annoyed me. As if travelling these days isn't annoying enough.
Security for me has generally been pretty smooth, if at times a bit slow. But I know for a lot of people that is the first annoyance they encounter. But on this occasion, my frustrations started before security: at check in. It seemed the airline lost my seat reservations. So rather than getting an aisle seat near the front of the plane, I got a middle seat at the back of the plane. Oh, and the AC thing didn't work (but that's another story).
As I said, security wasn't a problem, so I'll skip to boarding the plane. Once boarding started a mass of people clustered around the boarding line while waiting for their zone to be called. Of course, this meant that the people who's zones had been called had difficulty getting to the line. Once on board there is a struggle to get your bag into the bins, because people disregard the carry on limits. They bring on enormous bags, or three or four normal bags.
The well-travelled know that carrying on all your luggage means you save time at your destination and lessen the chance of losing a bag. Unfortunately too many people know this and there is a dearth of space for all of everyone's stuff. It probably doesn't help when the airlines charge extra for checking bags. Wouldn't it make more sense to charge people for the additional carry on bag? Or actually enforce the carry on rule? On the last leg of my trip back, a number of people had to check bags because the overhead bins were full. Big surprise.
On the first leg of my trip back, I was a bit excited because I managed to get the aisle seat in the front row. Unfortunately right before the door closed the passenger who had the seat next to me got on. He looked, and worse yet smelled, like he hadn't bathed in a day or two. I'm glad it was a short flight.
On the last leg of my trip, the guy sitting next to me was an armrest hog. He had the aisle seat, so was uncontested for one armrest. But he took over the armrest shared between us, and kept jabbing me in the side with his elbow.
I'm really trying not to be one of the jerks who complain about what jerks other people are. But as is obvious by this blog, I'm not entirely succeeding. However, since my readership is so low, I figure this is more like writing therapy. I can pretend I'm actually venting to someone.
So, the next time you travel, consider whether you're exceeding the carry on limit, and if the five minutes you save is worth the frustration to yourself and the other passengers. When you go to put your seat back, take a look behind you and see if you're about to smash the knees of the man or woman behind you.
Almost all of my recent travels had been on another airline. An airline that doesn't charge extra for checked bags, and doesn't charge for drinks once on board. Seeing both of those shocked and annoyed me. As if travelling these days isn't annoying enough.
Security for me has generally been pretty smooth, if at times a bit slow. But I know for a lot of people that is the first annoyance they encounter. But on this occasion, my frustrations started before security: at check in. It seemed the airline lost my seat reservations. So rather than getting an aisle seat near the front of the plane, I got a middle seat at the back of the plane. Oh, and the AC thing didn't work (but that's another story).
As I said, security wasn't a problem, so I'll skip to boarding the plane. Once boarding started a mass of people clustered around the boarding line while waiting for their zone to be called. Of course, this meant that the people who's zones had been called had difficulty getting to the line. Once on board there is a struggle to get your bag into the bins, because people disregard the carry on limits. They bring on enormous bags, or three or four normal bags.
The well-travelled know that carrying on all your luggage means you save time at your destination and lessen the chance of losing a bag. Unfortunately too many people know this and there is a dearth of space for all of everyone's stuff. It probably doesn't help when the airlines charge extra for checking bags. Wouldn't it make more sense to charge people for the additional carry on bag? Or actually enforce the carry on rule? On the last leg of my trip back, a number of people had to check bags because the overhead bins were full. Big surprise.
On the first leg of my trip back, I was a bit excited because I managed to get the aisle seat in the front row. Unfortunately right before the door closed the passenger who had the seat next to me got on. He looked, and worse yet smelled, like he hadn't bathed in a day or two. I'm glad it was a short flight.
On the last leg of my trip, the guy sitting next to me was an armrest hog. He had the aisle seat, so was uncontested for one armrest. But he took over the armrest shared between us, and kept jabbing me in the side with his elbow.
I'm really trying not to be one of the jerks who complain about what jerks other people are. But as is obvious by this blog, I'm not entirely succeeding. However, since my readership is so low, I figure this is more like writing therapy. I can pretend I'm actually venting to someone.
So, the next time you travel, consider whether you're exceeding the carry on limit, and if the five minutes you save is worth the frustration to yourself and the other passengers. When you go to put your seat back, take a look behind you and see if you're about to smash the knees of the man or woman behind you.
19 August 2008
First Houseguest
I survived my first house guest. Although to use such strong terminology implies something about my house guest that I don't intend. Since the trepidation I felt had more to do with my lack of housekeeping than any stress actually caused my my guest.
My cousin Elizabeth came to Boston to attend an APA convention and she stayed with me for four nights. It is always good to see her, even though in many ways we are diametrically opposed, specifically politically and in terms of diet. But we do have similar tastes in movies and can enjoy a bowl of popcorn together.
In other news, I'm totally vegging out watching the Olympics. Although, I tend to prefer the events that don't make primetime. I've really gotten into watching handball, waterpolo, weight lifting, wrestling, etc. I also prefer indoor volleyball to the beach volleyball. Indoor just seems faster, crisper, and the athletes don't look like postergirls for skin cancer. Now I'm looking forward to the track and field events, mainly the field events.
My cousin Elizabeth came to Boston to attend an APA convention and she stayed with me for four nights. It is always good to see her, even though in many ways we are diametrically opposed, specifically politically and in terms of diet. But we do have similar tastes in movies and can enjoy a bowl of popcorn together.
In other news, I'm totally vegging out watching the Olympics. Although, I tend to prefer the events that don't make primetime. I've really gotten into watching handball, waterpolo, weight lifting, wrestling, etc. I also prefer indoor volleyball to the beach volleyball. Indoor just seems faster, crisper, and the athletes don't look like postergirls for skin cancer. Now I'm looking forward to the track and field events, mainly the field events.
09 August 2008
Olympics
I've just starting watching the Olympics, and it's always amazing. Like many people, I've participated in some of the games, but definitely not on the level of these athletes. It's hard to say which I find more impressive, the events I'm familiar with, such as volleyball, rowing, badminton, or the events I'm not familiar with, such as saber.
There are definitely some events that I can't identify with at all, like equestrian. Am I watching something that is impressive, something so-so? Without the commentators I have no idea. Then there are the events where I know when they are doing something really hard, but if they are doing it really well or just okay, such as gymnastics and diving.
So far today, I've watched women's saber, women's 48kg weightlifting, men's 4x rowing, some volleyball, some badminton, women's air rifle. I'd say the most riveting so far was the weightlifting. They are really tiny women lifting a whole lot of weight.
There are definitely some events that I can't identify with at all, like equestrian. Am I watching something that is impressive, something so-so? Without the commentators I have no idea. Then there are the events where I know when they are doing something really hard, but if they are doing it really well or just okay, such as gymnastics and diving.
So far today, I've watched women's saber, women's 48kg weightlifting, men's 4x rowing, some volleyball, some badminton, women's air rifle. I'd say the most riveting so far was the weightlifting. They are really tiny women lifting a whole lot of weight.
13 July 2008
Parking Lots
Do people get stupid when they enter a parking lot? Or are parking lots just where I am most often exposed to stupidity? Actually, that brings up a second issue which is the people who design parking lots. Why do they put the traffic lane next to the buildings so that everyone has to walk across traffic? Wouldn't it make more sense to put the traffic lane at the far side of the parking lot?
Anyway, when getting groceries today I was once again amazed at how thoughtless people get when in a parking lot. Walking aimlessly diagonally through traffic, walking parallel to traffic on the road. The drivers are no better, often stopping at random times, starting to turn into a parking lane and changing their mind, snarling traffic behind them.
Although parking lots aren't the only place people display such behavior. Outside the building where I work is a T-intersection. For those walking parallel to the terminating road, there is a walk/don't walk sign. If you are walking towards the terminating sign, if you have made it to the median you can proceed safely when the don't walk sign appears because the traffic to the right is stopped while the terminating road turns left behind you. Unfortunately people walking in the opposite direction, will often see the people walking towards them and assume it's safe. Not paying attention to the traffic behind them that is trying to turn left where they are walking obliviously.
I might jaywalk, but I don't jaywalk in a manner than inconveniences traffic that is travelling legally with the right of way. In return I expect traffic to yield to me when I'm in a pedestrian crosswalk and I have the right of way. For some reason the worst offenders of this are public buses.
Anyway, when getting groceries today I was once again amazed at how thoughtless people get when in a parking lot. Walking aimlessly diagonally through traffic, walking parallel to traffic on the road. The drivers are no better, often stopping at random times, starting to turn into a parking lane and changing their mind, snarling traffic behind them.
Although parking lots aren't the only place people display such behavior. Outside the building where I work is a T-intersection. For those walking parallel to the terminating road, there is a walk/don't walk sign. If you are walking towards the terminating sign, if you have made it to the median you can proceed safely when the don't walk sign appears because the traffic to the right is stopped while the terminating road turns left behind you. Unfortunately people walking in the opposite direction, will often see the people walking towards them and assume it's safe. Not paying attention to the traffic behind them that is trying to turn left where they are walking obliviously.
I might jaywalk, but I don't jaywalk in a manner than inconveniences traffic that is travelling legally with the right of way. In return I expect traffic to yield to me when I'm in a pedestrian crosswalk and I have the right of way. For some reason the worst offenders of this are public buses.
18 June 2008
Ants
I hate bugs. Ants are bugs. I think Michael J Fox said it best in the Secret to my Success, "Anything with more legs than me..."
So this weekend I discovered a trail of ants. They somehow discovered the soda that I accidentally spilled a week or more ago. Actually I didn't spill the Coke, it came from the manufacturer with a defect. Regardless of the blame, some Coca Cola was spilled and I didn't clean all of it. There was still some left clinging to the plastic bag and some that splattered further than I expected.
I have a trail of ants and a decisions to make. I pressed ahead and decided to exterminate the invaders. I went to the grocery store and bought the poison. This was the "ants take it home and poison their friends" kind of poison.
But that wasn't enough for me. I looked online and decided more decisive action was required. I cleaned the area where the ants were going. I cleaned all the areas I thought that ants might be interested in. Then I set out the bait traps for the ants.
That wasn't enough. I couldn't wait for the poison to take effect. So I looked online. I found that ants don't like spices, and a number of spices were suggested. Looking in my spice rack, I found one spice that was mentioned: Cinnamon. So I drew a circle on the ground around the ants POE (point of entry). I placed a group of traps within the circle, just in case.
It turns out the ants really don't like the smell of Cinnamon. They literally climbed the wall to avoid crossing the line of cinnamon. Thankfully, they actually seemed to like the poison, so only a few ants ventured up the wall.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one with any problems. A number of my fellow condo-mates complained to the condo management company and they sent in the pros. But, the pros didn't show up until this morning, and my anti-ant methods seemed to eliminate the ants before they even showed up.
So I will claim victory!
So this weekend I discovered a trail of ants. They somehow discovered the soda that I accidentally spilled a week or more ago. Actually I didn't spill the Coke, it came from the manufacturer with a defect. Regardless of the blame, some Coca Cola was spilled and I didn't clean all of it. There was still some left clinging to the plastic bag and some that splattered further than I expected.
I have a trail of ants and a decisions to make. I pressed ahead and decided to exterminate the invaders. I went to the grocery store and bought the poison. This was the "ants take it home and poison their friends" kind of poison.
But that wasn't enough for me. I looked online and decided more decisive action was required. I cleaned the area where the ants were going. I cleaned all the areas I thought that ants might be interested in. Then I set out the bait traps for the ants.
That wasn't enough. I couldn't wait for the poison to take effect. So I looked online. I found that ants don't like spices, and a number of spices were suggested. Looking in my spice rack, I found one spice that was mentioned: Cinnamon. So I drew a circle on the ground around the ants POE (point of entry). I placed a group of traps within the circle, just in case.
It turns out the ants really don't like the smell of Cinnamon. They literally climbed the wall to avoid crossing the line of cinnamon. Thankfully, they actually seemed to like the poison, so only a few ants ventured up the wall.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one with any problems. A number of my fellow condo-mates complained to the condo management company and they sent in the pros. But, the pros didn't show up until this morning, and my anti-ant methods seemed to eliminate the ants before they even showed up.
So I will claim victory!
27 May 2008
Long Commute
Today was the first warm day of the year, meaning it cracked eighty. But it was also rather muggy, which is the thing about Boston summers that really bother me. Well, I don't like the temperature either, but the humidity really is terrible.
Anyway, the humidity wasn't the only weather we had today, there was also the little matter of the thunder storm. It snuck up on me during a telecon and when the thunder came down it really startled me. Anyway, a minute or two after the big lightning strike, I started hearing sirens. So evidently the lightning found something that didn't agree with it.
I put all that out of my mind, and a couple hours later I was ready to go home. The subway platform was especially full, I'd even say unusually full, and that is never a good sign. As I made my way down the length of the platform, I was again worried about the number of people. I got to the far end of the platform and there was an annoucement about fire department presense at one of the stations which was causing delays.
I'd heard disabled trains causing delays, I'd heard about medical emergencies causing delays, but this was the first time I'd heard about a fire department delay. Anyway, a few minutes later a train did finally arrive, and it was even on my side of the tracks. The problem was it was a train going the wrong direction. I hope for the best and got on the train, but they announced that they were holding the train because of problems at one of the stations. They also said they would be sending buses to make up for the service gap.
So I decided to find an alternate way of getting home. But the only game plan I could come up with was walking about a mile to the #1 bus, taking it across the river, walking a bit further and taking another bus. I walked Mass Ave where the #1 bus is known to run, and waited. I waited a little longer, and eventually the bus did arrive. Two buses right in a row in fact. The problem was they first bus only let on four people, and the second bus didn't stop at all.
I decided just to walk across the bridge, since it was only another mile. Except it started raining again. Oh, and then halfway across the bridge another #1 bus went by. It looked pretty full, so I might not have gotten on it anyway. But the important thing, at least for the story, is I was wet, and the bus left me behind.
I stopped to have dinner between where the bus would have let me off and where I could pick up the other bus. By that time it had stopped raining, of course. But, I didn't really mind that much that it was raining. It was kind of nice, actually.
From there on my commute was quite straight-forward, not more glitches. Although coming home, still being rather damp, I realized all I wanted was a shower. It's kind of ironic really. I don't know if I needed to be fully wet so that I could then feel dry or what. Just one of those quirky things I suppose.
Anyway, the humidity wasn't the only weather we had today, there was also the little matter of the thunder storm. It snuck up on me during a telecon and when the thunder came down it really startled me. Anyway, a minute or two after the big lightning strike, I started hearing sirens. So evidently the lightning found something that didn't agree with it.
I put all that out of my mind, and a couple hours later I was ready to go home. The subway platform was especially full, I'd even say unusually full, and that is never a good sign. As I made my way down the length of the platform, I was again worried about the number of people. I got to the far end of the platform and there was an annoucement about fire department presense at one of the stations which was causing delays.
I'd heard disabled trains causing delays, I'd heard about medical emergencies causing delays, but this was the first time I'd heard about a fire department delay. Anyway, a few minutes later a train did finally arrive, and it was even on my side of the tracks. The problem was it was a train going the wrong direction. I hope for the best and got on the train, but they announced that they were holding the train because of problems at one of the stations. They also said they would be sending buses to make up for the service gap.
So I decided to find an alternate way of getting home. But the only game plan I could come up with was walking about a mile to the #1 bus, taking it across the river, walking a bit further and taking another bus. I walked Mass Ave where the #1 bus is known to run, and waited. I waited a little longer, and eventually the bus did arrive. Two buses right in a row in fact. The problem was they first bus only let on four people, and the second bus didn't stop at all.
I decided just to walk across the bridge, since it was only another mile. Except it started raining again. Oh, and then halfway across the bridge another #1 bus went by. It looked pretty full, so I might not have gotten on it anyway. But the important thing, at least for the story, is I was wet, and the bus left me behind.
I stopped to have dinner between where the bus would have let me off and where I could pick up the other bus. By that time it had stopped raining, of course. But, I didn't really mind that much that it was raining. It was kind of nice, actually.
From there on my commute was quite straight-forward, not more glitches. Although coming home, still being rather damp, I realized all I wanted was a shower. It's kind of ironic really. I don't know if I needed to be fully wet so that I could then feel dry or what. Just one of those quirky things I suppose.
14 May 2008
Weather moods
I've always been a bit different than the average person when it came to my feelings for weather. I much prefer cold weather to heat, and avoid getting too much sunshine. I burn easily, and am slightly photophobic as a optometrist once told me.
But I think one of the oddest things is that "foul" weather seems to put me in a good mood. I know I seem to sleep better when a front moves through. It might be that it is darker outside so the early sun doesn't intrude on my sleep, although it could also be the drop in pressure. Going outside in the wing and rain also seems to put me in a good mood.
I don't know... Maybe it's the challenge that appeals to me. Fighting the wind seems to invigorate me. There also seems to be more air and cleaner air. It is also cooler and there are less bugs. As for the rain, I appreciate the cleaner air more than I mind being slightly damp. Sure a lot of consecutive rainy days starts getting annoying, but it's really not so bad.
But I think one of the oddest things is that "foul" weather seems to put me in a good mood. I know I seem to sleep better when a front moves through. It might be that it is darker outside so the early sun doesn't intrude on my sleep, although it could also be the drop in pressure. Going outside in the wing and rain also seems to put me in a good mood.
I don't know... Maybe it's the challenge that appeals to me. Fighting the wind seems to invigorate me. There also seems to be more air and cleaner air. It is also cooler and there are less bugs. As for the rain, I appreciate the cleaner air more than I mind being slightly damp. Sure a lot of consecutive rainy days starts getting annoying, but it's really not so bad.
29 April 2008
Been a while
I haven't written anything in a while, not so much because I have nothing to write, but because I just haven't gotten around to it.
So the biggest personal news was that I grew a beard, it got to itchy (but I stuck it out for more than a month) and shaved it off. It was an interesting experience, and I got a lot of positive feedback. Actually it was strange, things just seemed different. Oh, and I got carded all the time! It was quite ridiculous really.
Anyway, when I shaved it off I tried a couple of different looks, just for fun. The first one is just the beard. The next one was the beard without the moustache or soulpatch. It isn't quite clear in these pictures, but the moustache and soul patch were blondish (not really blonde, but the color of a blonde guy's beard). I also have to say the moustache was one of the most annoying, but intriguing parts of the experiment. It annoyed my upper lip considerably but I found myself fondling it. So then I went for the muttonchops. The final photo was an experiment and I call it my evil genius look. The perspective makes my shiny dome look enormous and quite sinister.
In other news this past weekend was the 6294 celebration at my fraternity. Today is actually Founder's day for Theta Xi, April 29 1864. In this case it's also the 123rd anniversary of my chapter being founded (1885). We started off with a BBQ, even though it's always a bit too cold to want to BBQ.
Then the alumni showed the active chapter how to play softball. Although we could have used a bigger turnout, I think we all had fun. We also had to improvise on a field because there were so many other games going on. We actually ended up using a baseball diamond with home plate at 3rd base, and home plate taking the place of first base. That was due to a football game going on in really really shallow left field. There was also much hijinks with swapping balls, since only one of the balls we brought was regulation and the other two were softer practice balls which couldn't clear the infield.
After the game everyone went home and cleaned up to get ready for the Corporation meeting and then dinner at the house. There was a quick trip to the wine store between the two where a bunch of us pooled our bottles to get the case discount on wine. The discount allowed us to get a couple of bottles of port for after dinner.
Although before we got to bust out the port there was a rivering to perform. Greg went and got married before he was properly doused, so we had to throw him in in front of his lovely wife. Of course, Greg didn't make it easy on us and decided to struggle the entire way. He was struggling to save face and not because he really didn't want to get thrown in the river. Anyway, if I was sore from the softball game, I was doubly sore from helping carry him all that way.
I kind of wonder what the random people on the street thought. A group of roughly fifteen people, including a few women, all dressed up (we left the jackets at the house but were still wearing ties, collared shirts, etc) carrying a struggling man down the street, across a foot-bridge, along the esplanade and eventually to the pier where we threw him in.
Ahhh... Good times.
So the biggest personal news was that I grew a beard, it got to itchy (but I stuck it out for more than a month) and shaved it off. It was an interesting experience, and I got a lot of positive feedback. Actually it was strange, things just seemed different. Oh, and I got carded all the time! It was quite ridiculous really.
Anyway, when I shaved it off I tried a couple of different looks, just for fun. The first one is just the beard. The next one was the beard without the moustache or soulpatch. It isn't quite clear in these pictures, but the moustache and soul patch were blondish (not really blonde, but the color of a blonde guy's beard). I also have to say the moustache was one of the most annoying, but intriguing parts of the experiment. It annoyed my upper lip considerably but I found myself fondling it. So then I went for the muttonchops. The final photo was an experiment and I call it my evil genius look. The perspective makes my shiny dome look enormous and quite sinister.
In other news this past weekend was the 6294 celebration at my fraternity. Today is actually Founder's day for Theta Xi, April 29 1864. In this case it's also the 123rd anniversary of my chapter being founded (1885). We started off with a BBQ, even though it's always a bit too cold to want to BBQ.
Then the alumni showed the active chapter how to play softball. Although we could have used a bigger turnout, I think we all had fun. We also had to improvise on a field because there were so many other games going on. We actually ended up using a baseball diamond with home plate at 3rd base, and home plate taking the place of first base. That was due to a football game going on in really really shallow left field. There was also much hijinks with swapping balls, since only one of the balls we brought was regulation and the other two were softer practice balls which couldn't clear the infield.
After the game everyone went home and cleaned up to get ready for the Corporation meeting and then dinner at the house. There was a quick trip to the wine store between the two where a bunch of us pooled our bottles to get the case discount on wine. The discount allowed us to get a couple of bottles of port for after dinner.
Although before we got to bust out the port there was a rivering to perform. Greg went and got married before he was properly doused, so we had to throw him in in front of his lovely wife. Of course, Greg didn't make it easy on us and decided to struggle the entire way. He was struggling to save face and not because he really didn't want to get thrown in the river. Anyway, if I was sore from the softball game, I was doubly sore from helping carry him all that way.
I kind of wonder what the random people on the street thought. A group of roughly fifteen people, including a few women, all dressed up (we left the jackets at the house but were still wearing ties, collared shirts, etc) carrying a struggling man down the street, across a foot-bridge, along the esplanade and eventually to the pier where we threw him in.
Ahhh... Good times.
05 April 2008
Sesame Street Turns 21
A fellow I work with belongs to an alumni group that went to a different bar every other week. The catch was that each new bar had to start with the next letter of the alphabet. So they might go to Avalon this week, then in two weeks to Boston Beer Works, then two weeks later to Cambridge Brewing Company, etc.
Anyway, another guy I work with really liked the idea, except on an accelerated pace, i.e. a bar every week. I was talking to him about the 12 drinking days of Christmas, and we came up with a hybrid idea. So every week we'd go to a new bar that is selected based on the letter of the alphabet criteria. From the 12 drinking days we take the concept of the scribe. The scribe's responsibility is to record the attendance of the event, makes notes of notable quotes/comments/actions, and most importantly the scribe gets to pick the next bar in the cycle. Who gets to be scribe? Well, from the 12 drinking days the scribe is the first person to ask, "Who's the scribe?" But since this is such a fledgeling operation, it is more whoever volunteers. If the designated bar is getting boring, or people just want a bit of excitement, a Field Trip can be called, whereupon everyone leaves and heads to the newly designated bar. After having a drink there, the party can return, or not.
Anyway, another guy I work with really liked the idea, except on an accelerated pace, i.e. a bar every week. I was talking to him about the 12 drinking days of Christmas, and we came up with a hybrid idea. So every week we'd go to a new bar that is selected based on the letter of the alphabet criteria. From the 12 drinking days we take the concept of the scribe. The scribe's responsibility is to record the attendance of the event, makes notes of notable quotes/comments/actions, and most importantly the scribe gets to pick the next bar in the cycle. Who gets to be scribe? Well, from the 12 drinking days the scribe is the first person to ask, "Who's the scribe?" But since this is such a fledgeling operation, it is more whoever volunteers. If the designated bar is getting boring, or people just want a bit of excitement, a Field Trip can be called, whereupon everyone leaves and heads to the newly designated bar. After having a drink there, the party can return, or not.
16 March 2008
St. Patrick's Day
Now that I'm living in South Boston, I should be more in tune to all things Irish, especially St. Patty's day. But no, I missed it. In my defense, I was sick all week. I had enough trouble keeping track of the day of the week, let alone a holiday I don't particularly celebrate.
So when I decided to go to a movie, I was a bit surprised by the parade preparations going on. I live half a block off Broadway, which is the main drag leading through South Boston. The parade starts two blocks from me at the T stop. So I walked past the vendors setting up their booths, the TV crews setting up their platforms and cameras, and the barricades. I tried to remember when exactly St. Patty's day was, because I was sure it didn't actually fall on a Sunday. But parades are good for Sundays, so....
Anyway, by the time I was done with my movie and heading back, the T was packed with people. Fortunately, most of them didn't know which end of the subway the Broadway T stop's exit resided on. So I walked past the crowds waiting on the platform and made my way all the way to the end. I didn't have to wait long before a mostly empty train arrived. At least the back end of the train was mostly empty. Empty enough for me to get a seat. The front of the train I knew was experiencing much pushing and shoving.
The next stop filled up my car, and it took forever to get the train moving at each stop. I think they were trying to stick strictly to the schedule. Anyway, eventually the train emptied for my stop and I got off. But the entrance to the T that I usually use is on the wrong side of the parade route. I only learned that the other way around was to use the other entrance, once I got to the top of the stairs. So I walked a couple of blocks over to avoid the parade route and made it home. Although I hope the parade ends at a reasonable time, since I need to do grocery shopping and the stores are on the wrong side of the parade route.
Anyway, by the time I got home I was convinced that I remembered that St. Patrick's day was March 17th. So I thought, tomorrow is the day. Nope. Well, I was right about the traditional day, but because of when Easter falls this year, Monday the 17th is a Holy Day, so the Catholics moved St. Patrick's day to the 15th. So I totally missed it.
Edit: I'm hearing now that it's only kind of moved, so maybe I didn't miss it afterall. Those Catholics are such crazy kids.
So when I decided to go to a movie, I was a bit surprised by the parade preparations going on. I live half a block off Broadway, which is the main drag leading through South Boston. The parade starts two blocks from me at the T stop. So I walked past the vendors setting up their booths, the TV crews setting up their platforms and cameras, and the barricades. I tried to remember when exactly St. Patty's day was, because I was sure it didn't actually fall on a Sunday. But parades are good for Sundays, so....
Anyway, by the time I was done with my movie and heading back, the T was packed with people. Fortunately, most of them didn't know which end of the subway the Broadway T stop's exit resided on. So I walked past the crowds waiting on the platform and made my way all the way to the end. I didn't have to wait long before a mostly empty train arrived. At least the back end of the train was mostly empty. Empty enough for me to get a seat. The front of the train I knew was experiencing much pushing and shoving.
The next stop filled up my car, and it took forever to get the train moving at each stop. I think they were trying to stick strictly to the schedule. Anyway, eventually the train emptied for my stop and I got off. But the entrance to the T that I usually use is on the wrong side of the parade route. I only learned that the other way around was to use the other entrance, once I got to the top of the stairs. So I walked a couple of blocks over to avoid the parade route and made it home. Although I hope the parade ends at a reasonable time, since I need to do grocery shopping and the stores are on the wrong side of the parade route.
Anyway, by the time I got home I was convinced that I remembered that St. Patrick's day was March 17th. So I thought, tomorrow is the day. Nope. Well, I was right about the traditional day, but because of when Easter falls this year, Monday the 17th is a Holy Day, so the Catholics moved St. Patrick's day to the 15th. So I totally missed it.
Edit: I'm hearing now that it's only kind of moved, so maybe I didn't miss it afterall. Those Catholics are such crazy kids.
08 March 2008
Another dream blog
The beginning of the dream is already a little vague. I remember running along the roof of this square building, the kind with a square courtyard inside. I was trying to get somewhere else but can't remember what I was trying to do. Off to one side of the building was a jungle and a short distance away was another building. In another direction was the ocean, the last two directions lead off to the city.
I remember we were at the bottom of a hill and that the rain was causing the streets leading to the building to be flooded. There was a party on the top floor of the building and it was some sort of mansion, with lots of drinking and shenanigans. There were even stuffed animals in the room. So at some point I realize the building is one fire. Rather than panicking everyone only gets more racuous in their partying.
I try to call 911 but it ends up being something like 6911 which is WWE Diva 911 where hot wrestling women answer the phone instead of professional emergency operators. After I tell them my hotel is on fire, I hang up and check out the situation. Checking the street level there is a monsoon outside. The cars driving on the ocean side of the building are in several feet of water with waves crashing over the tops of the cars. The drivers inside don't seem panicked at all, and seem oblivious to the surfers who are going by them.
I go back upstairs and the party is still going on, even though the fire just got to my fireworks supply. I remember that it was $200K or $250K in fireworks. Again no one is panicking, they are just excited. Some people leave the room and go into the hall. I decide that the 6911 call wasn't working and call 911 and say it was a significant fire, they question me on it being significant and I insist it is. I then decide to go down to the street to wait for them. I have a lot of trouble hearing the operator because of the noise of the party.
In the hall the people who left are having sex. Mostly it is random couplings of three or four people. Then I see one person I know having sex with his wife (he is very moral and at first I'm shocked, but since it's his wife I think it's alright). I'm invited by one of the threesomes (which contains my wife/girlfriend) to join, but say I have to go wait for the firefighters.
I go downstairs and see the flooded streets and I'm afraid the firetrucks coming down the hill won't be able to make it through. So I start running toward the road leaving down the hill, through the city. It is all these abandoned factories and warehouses that I recognize from other dreams. I'm quickly lost, and while running across on street I hear the trucks. I turn back and there is an ambulance far out ahead of the trucks.
I flag the ambulance down indicating it should follow me and start running back towards the burning building. I make it to a fenced off lot, the kind of fence that is corrugated metal so you can't see through it. Even though the sky is dark because of night and the rain, it is apparent there is a large fire burning on the other side of the lot because of the brightness.
I point out the large glow to the firefighter and he asks me if I were the one who reported the fire. I say I was, and he asks if I said it was a significant fire, and I say it was. He takes another look at the glowing sky, punctuated by a few more fireworks, and says that it's twice that. The ambulance driver meanwhile grabs me and pulls me into the lot, which is some sort of junk yard.
She immediately lifts up my shirt and starts applying electrical leads slathered in some sort of goo to my chest. I protest that I feel fine, and she doesn't believe me. As she is checking me out she is brushing into me more than is necessary. I again insist I'm fine, even my lungs feel clear I say, breathing deeply. But she insists, and says I probably haven't peed since it all began. I tell her I have and she is shocked. I tell her I have to again, and she is really amazed. She says that most people are so scared they couldn't piss to save their life.
I say that there wasn't anything to be scared of. The fire was moving slowly, so that it was easy to outrun. I also knew the structure of the building was still fine, so I didn't have to worry about that. As I explained things she got even more excited, and started really pressing against me. She says I must be some kind of miracle person. As she presses against me, I can feel how past her prime she is. She says something like she's a 59 year old woman with pancreatic cancer, and she wants my miracle tongue to lick her slit because it's closer to her pancreas. I have no idea where the pancreas is, only that pancreatic caner is almost inevitably fatal.
Eventually I break free from the extremely affectionate, 59 year old, slightly chubby, very soft, pancreatic cancer having EMT. I stumble away and find other people from the party huddled under blankets in the junk yard. I walk out the gate of the junkyard and find my girlfriend/wife talking to her father. Her father is the one that actually owned the hotel, the industrial buildings on one side, and the mansion in the jungle on the other side. I tell him that I'm sorry I burned his hotel down, but at least the fire didn't get to the mansion. He almost seems amused by it all and insists that it's not my fault.
Anyway, that's about as much of the dream as I can still remember. I'm sure by tomorrow, this blog will be the only record left.
I remember we were at the bottom of a hill and that the rain was causing the streets leading to the building to be flooded. There was a party on the top floor of the building and it was some sort of mansion, with lots of drinking and shenanigans. There were even stuffed animals in the room. So at some point I realize the building is one fire. Rather than panicking everyone only gets more racuous in their partying.
I try to call 911 but it ends up being something like 6911 which is WWE Diva 911 where hot wrestling women answer the phone instead of professional emergency operators. After I tell them my hotel is on fire, I hang up and check out the situation. Checking the street level there is a monsoon outside. The cars driving on the ocean side of the building are in several feet of water with waves crashing over the tops of the cars. The drivers inside don't seem panicked at all, and seem oblivious to the surfers who are going by them.
I go back upstairs and the party is still going on, even though the fire just got to my fireworks supply. I remember that it was $200K or $250K in fireworks. Again no one is panicking, they are just excited. Some people leave the room and go into the hall. I decide that the 6911 call wasn't working and call 911 and say it was a significant fire, they question me on it being significant and I insist it is. I then decide to go down to the street to wait for them. I have a lot of trouble hearing the operator because of the noise of the party.
In the hall the people who left are having sex. Mostly it is random couplings of three or four people. Then I see one person I know having sex with his wife (he is very moral and at first I'm shocked, but since it's his wife I think it's alright). I'm invited by one of the threesomes (which contains my wife/girlfriend) to join, but say I have to go wait for the firefighters.
I go downstairs and see the flooded streets and I'm afraid the firetrucks coming down the hill won't be able to make it through. So I start running toward the road leaving down the hill, through the city. It is all these abandoned factories and warehouses that I recognize from other dreams. I'm quickly lost, and while running across on street I hear the trucks. I turn back and there is an ambulance far out ahead of the trucks.
I flag the ambulance down indicating it should follow me and start running back towards the burning building. I make it to a fenced off lot, the kind of fence that is corrugated metal so you can't see through it. Even though the sky is dark because of night and the rain, it is apparent there is a large fire burning on the other side of the lot because of the brightness.
I point out the large glow to the firefighter and he asks me if I were the one who reported the fire. I say I was, and he asks if I said it was a significant fire, and I say it was. He takes another look at the glowing sky, punctuated by a few more fireworks, and says that it's twice that. The ambulance driver meanwhile grabs me and pulls me into the lot, which is some sort of junk yard.
She immediately lifts up my shirt and starts applying electrical leads slathered in some sort of goo to my chest. I protest that I feel fine, and she doesn't believe me. As she is checking me out she is brushing into me more than is necessary. I again insist I'm fine, even my lungs feel clear I say, breathing deeply. But she insists, and says I probably haven't peed since it all began. I tell her I have and she is shocked. I tell her I have to again, and she is really amazed. She says that most people are so scared they couldn't piss to save their life.
I say that there wasn't anything to be scared of. The fire was moving slowly, so that it was easy to outrun. I also knew the structure of the building was still fine, so I didn't have to worry about that. As I explained things she got even more excited, and started really pressing against me. She says I must be some kind of miracle person. As she presses against me, I can feel how past her prime she is. She says something like she's a 59 year old woman with pancreatic cancer, and she wants my miracle tongue to lick her slit because it's closer to her pancreas. I have no idea where the pancreas is, only that pancreatic caner is almost inevitably fatal.
Eventually I break free from the extremely affectionate, 59 year old, slightly chubby, very soft, pancreatic cancer having EMT. I stumble away and find other people from the party huddled under blankets in the junk yard. I walk out the gate of the junkyard and find my girlfriend/wife talking to her father. Her father is the one that actually owned the hotel, the industrial buildings on one side, and the mansion in the jungle on the other side. I tell him that I'm sorry I burned his hotel down, but at least the fire didn't get to the mansion. He almost seems amused by it all and insists that it's not my fault.
Anyway, that's about as much of the dream as I can still remember. I'm sure by tomorrow, this blog will be the only record left.
10 February 2008
More Rollerderby
Last night I went to the RollerDerby again. It really was a lot of fun, although the seats weren't the most comfortable. Actually, it was more crowded than the last time I went, and parking was a disaster, possibly because the line for tickets stretched into the parking lot blocking the only path for the cars.
Anyway, the match was the Cosmonaughties against the Wicked Pissah's. Apparently the Pissah's were last year's champions, and they proved their credentials by beating the Cosmonaughties. I'm still learning the game, but it didn't seem like the Cosmonaughties were getting all the points they should have. I'm not saying they should have won, because the Pissahs did seem to be the better team, even if they spent a lot of time in the penalty box.
Watching the match for a second time, I began to see the tactics and skills involved in playing the game. The first time it was too hard to separate out the chaos. But this time I really started to understand what was going on. I can hardly wait for next month's match, where the Boston Massacre (all star team pulled from the three teams in the boston league) play against the Bronx Gridlock.
Although, it wasn't all fun and games. Near the end of the third period there was an injury to one of the Pissah's, Evilicious. She slid into the wall and suffered lacerations to her face. Actually, she hit about twenty feet from me, but because of the setup of the seats I couldn't see her until she was being taken off on a gurney. Apparently the gurney was a precaution they take on any injury to the head whether it seemed necessary or not.
Oh, and the weather is smoking crack or something. Driving home last night, it started as a veritable blizzard. In the parking lot I walked around my car wiping the snow off. By the time I got back to the windshield it was completely covered again. When I got home there was nothing, not even a sign that it had been snowing. Then this morning it seemed like it would be a nice enough day. In the forties around noon, and I went out to get lunch. Of course, it was pouring down rain. By the time I got to lunch the sun was shining, and stayed shining all the way home. An hour or so later, it was another blizzard. Snowing blowing every which way, even up! Now, its bright and sunny, with those innocent puffy clouds.
Anyway, the match was the Cosmonaughties against the Wicked Pissah's. Apparently the Pissah's were last year's champions, and they proved their credentials by beating the Cosmonaughties. I'm still learning the game, but it didn't seem like the Cosmonaughties were getting all the points they should have. I'm not saying they should have won, because the Pissahs did seem to be the better team, even if they spent a lot of time in the penalty box.
Watching the match for a second time, I began to see the tactics and skills involved in playing the game. The first time it was too hard to separate out the chaos. But this time I really started to understand what was going on. I can hardly wait for next month's match, where the Boston Massacre (all star team pulled from the three teams in the boston league) play against the Bronx Gridlock.
Although, it wasn't all fun and games. Near the end of the third period there was an injury to one of the Pissah's, Evilicious. She slid into the wall and suffered lacerations to her face. Actually, she hit about twenty feet from me, but because of the setup of the seats I couldn't see her until she was being taken off on a gurney. Apparently the gurney was a precaution they take on any injury to the head whether it seemed necessary or not.
Oh, and the weather is smoking crack or something. Driving home last night, it started as a veritable blizzard. In the parking lot I walked around my car wiping the snow off. By the time I got back to the windshield it was completely covered again. When I got home there was nothing, not even a sign that it had been snowing. Then this morning it seemed like it would be a nice enough day. In the forties around noon, and I went out to get lunch. Of course, it was pouring down rain. By the time I got to lunch the sun was shining, and stayed shining all the way home. An hour or so later, it was another blizzard. Snowing blowing every which way, even up! Now, its bright and sunny, with those innocent puffy clouds.
04 February 2008
Superbowl
Yesterday was the Superbowl and I made a mistake. I went out to do my weekly grocery shopping. Actually, it is more like semi-weekly, but the point is I should have known better than to go when everyone in the world is getting food for the game. It's like going present shopping the week before Christmas. Although people were a little friendly now than at Christmas time. Probably because they aren't as stressed.
As for the game itself... This is definitely one of the best Superbowls I've watched. Not the best, but it's up there. I knew it was going to be close, but I wasn't expecting it quite like that. Of course, it's sad to be living in Boston when the Pats lost like that.
It was really odd, as I was coming home last night, there was a ton of traffic leaving South Boston. I'm not really sure where they were coming from, but the line of cars reached out of sight on the main drag.
Going to wrap this up, American Gladiators is on. Crush is hawt! So are Venom and Siren.
As for the game itself... This is definitely one of the best Superbowls I've watched. Not the best, but it's up there. I knew it was going to be close, but I wasn't expecting it quite like that. Of course, it's sad to be living in Boston when the Pats lost like that.
It was really odd, as I was coming home last night, there was a ton of traffic leaving South Boston. I'm not really sure where they were coming from, but the line of cars reached out of sight on the main drag.
Going to wrap this up, American Gladiators is on. Crush is hawt! So are Venom and Siren.
01 February 2008
An interesting week
A lot of things have been going on this week, actually the last two weeks. Last week, I spent the whole week without a voice. I had a sore throat for four or five days, then I lost my voice, and was without for a week. It was strange too because my throat stopped hurting but I still didn't have a voice for a few more days.
But now I'm feeling better, so it's time for the intersting things to happen outside my body. Hmmmmm... that sounds a little grosser than I intended, oh well.
So the manager of my office had his last day yesterday. He resigned to take a position at another company. My office has about 40 people, and is one of four for the company as a whole. Because we are so small relative to the company as a whole, there is a very different atmosphere than at the home office. A lot of people are worried that with the boss leaving, the corporate atmosphere is going to invade and we'll lose our relaxed collegiate way of life. But, we did have a big party last night, where I drank too many scorpian bowls.
It was really odd because by the time everyone was leaving and the last of us got on the T, I was feeling pretty sober. But when I got home and sat on my couch to check my email, my head began to swim and I was suddenly tipsy again. Very bizarre.
But the really big news is my sister's news. I'm going to be an uncle! There is even a possibility that the kid could be born on my birthday! Probably not, since the child would likely be overdue by a couple of weeks by that point, but I was born a couple of weeks late, so when not my sister's child. I hope she realizes that Uncle Peter will spoil the child until such time as I start having children of my own. It is kind of awkward to keep saying the child, but I won't call the kid it, just because I don't know the sex. Although I'm guessing a girl. Or just to freak my sister out, I'm going to guess three girls and a boy (her sister in-laws keep telling her about multiple births being common in the family or something like that).
But now I'm feeling better, so it's time for the intersting things to happen outside my body. Hmmmmm... that sounds a little grosser than I intended, oh well.
So the manager of my office had his last day yesterday. He resigned to take a position at another company. My office has about 40 people, and is one of four for the company as a whole. Because we are so small relative to the company as a whole, there is a very different atmosphere than at the home office. A lot of people are worried that with the boss leaving, the corporate atmosphere is going to invade and we'll lose our relaxed collegiate way of life. But, we did have a big party last night, where I drank too many scorpian bowls.
It was really odd because by the time everyone was leaving and the last of us got on the T, I was feeling pretty sober. But when I got home and sat on my couch to check my email, my head began to swim and I was suddenly tipsy again. Very bizarre.
But the really big news is my sister's news. I'm going to be an uncle! There is even a possibility that the kid could be born on my birthday! Probably not, since the child would likely be overdue by a couple of weeks by that point, but I was born a couple of weeks late, so when not my sister's child. I hope she realizes that Uncle Peter will spoil the child until such time as I start having children of my own. It is kind of awkward to keep saying the child, but I won't call the kid it, just because I don't know the sex. Although I'm guessing a girl. Or just to freak my sister out, I'm going to guess three girls and a boy (her sister in-laws keep telling her about multiple births being common in the family or something like that).
20 January 2008
I hate being sick
I think everyone does, but this is the second weekend this year (and it's still January) that I've spent sick. This time it's just a sore throat and a general malaise. Actually, I've had the sore throat since Tuesday or Wednesday, but it just kept getting worse as the weekend approached. Yesterday, I started losing my voice and today it is just a ghost. Hopefully, I'll be better tomorrow.
14 January 2008
Closet Extrovert
I've always been rather fascinated by the way the mind works. One of the things this has led me to do is take a lot of personality tests. The most popular, or at least most famous is the Myers-Briggs. I usually test on the introvert side of the scale, sometimes, way on the introvert side of the scale, but occasionally I will actually test extrovert. A lot depends on the way the question ends up being phrased.
Anyway, I was looking at a list of the traits that make one an extrovert and compared them to the traits of an introvert, and came to the realization, that I'm a closet extrovert. Yep, I'm actually a wild and outgoing fellow, I'm just too shy to let anyone know. Besides crowds make me nervous.
Really I think that dividing people in half by extroversion and introversion is overly simplistic, especially because introverts are usually labeled as socially inept and extroverts as socially savvy when the opposite is often the case.
Speaking of social interaction... Recently I have been told I have a piercing gaze. That was a new one for me, but many people over the years have commented on the expressiveness of my eyes. The real reason I brought up the eyes, was because I'm realizing more and more that people don't see me the way I see myself. But then again, I often see myself in different ways depending on the situation.
As Otto von Bismarck once said, "With a gentleman, I am a gentleman and a half, with a scoundrel I am a scoundrel and a half." I try not to be a scoundrel, but I find that I end up becoming the person I'm talking to in some small ways. I've often found by the end of a conversation I'm using the person's idioms, I once even acquired an Irish accent.
Anyway, I was looking at a list of the traits that make one an extrovert and compared them to the traits of an introvert, and came to the realization, that I'm a closet extrovert. Yep, I'm actually a wild and outgoing fellow, I'm just too shy to let anyone know. Besides crowds make me nervous.
Really I think that dividing people in half by extroversion and introversion is overly simplistic, especially because introverts are usually labeled as socially inept and extroverts as socially savvy when the opposite is often the case.
Speaking of social interaction... Recently I have been told I have a piercing gaze. That was a new one for me, but many people over the years have commented on the expressiveness of my eyes. The real reason I brought up the eyes, was because I'm realizing more and more that people don't see me the way I see myself. But then again, I often see myself in different ways depending on the situation.
As Otto von Bismarck once said, "With a gentleman, I am a gentleman and a half, with a scoundrel I am a scoundrel and a half." I try not to be a scoundrel, but I find that I end up becoming the person I'm talking to in some small ways. I've often found by the end of a conversation I'm using the person's idioms, I once even acquired an Irish accent.
13 January 2008
Three months
Last Thursday I had my three month review at work. It is hard for me to believe I've already been working there for three months (well, technically that will be next week, but I have been in Boston that long). Even though I don't quite feel settled, I'm aware of routines coming into my life. Although, with the holidays just past and all of that, the routines aren't firmly entrenched, so I still have time to see which are good and which need to go.
03 January 2008
It's Cold
Today was the first day I would admit it was cold. There have been other days I described as chilly, a bit nippy, and even acknowledged it was indeed freezing, but today was cold. I actually wore my winter coat (which I only got in the mail a couple of weeks ago) for the first time, and actually needed it. I got to work and checked the weather report. It said that it was 8 degrees outside, with a Real Feel temperature of -12F. It was so cold that there was frost on the office windows, the inside of the office windows! Yep, inside the windows.
In unrelated news, I had a very strange dream last night. I actually dreamt that I was having trouble sleeping. In my dream I kept waking up and tossing and turning. At one point I turned over to find my pillow soaking wet, as if I'd been drooling on it. But I was asleep the entire time. I actually have a problem some nights where my brain doesn't seem to fully go to sleep. My body is asleep, but my mind keeps going. On those nights, when I do dream they are strange, freakishly real dreams. I also don't wake up feeling quite so refreshed.
In unrelated news, I had a very strange dream last night. I actually dreamt that I was having trouble sleeping. In my dream I kept waking up and tossing and turning. At one point I turned over to find my pillow soaking wet, as if I'd been drooling on it. But I was asleep the entire time. I actually have a problem some nights where my brain doesn't seem to fully go to sleep. My body is asleep, but my mind keeps going. On those nights, when I do dream they are strange, freakishly real dreams. I also don't wake up feeling quite so refreshed.
01 January 2008
Happy New Year!
Another year has come and gone, and in my life it was a significant year.
- I was laid off, kind of, and spent months getting paid to look for a job
- I quit my job (before the lay-off actually kicked in) and the company I'd worked for since college
- I got a new job, turning down several other offers that could have kept me in California, moved me to Colorado or Virginia
- I almost bought a house in California, but ended up leaving California altogether
- I moved back to Boston and bought a condo
- I started shaving my head (I'd done this before, but not for this long)
I doubt that 2008 will see quite so many significant changes in my life, but there is always the possibility.
As for New Year's Eve, I spent the evening at Whiskey's. When I first moved to Boston, I had dinner there quite regularly and still go most weekends to watch football. So I figured that would be a good place to close out my year and begin a new one.
I had a lot of fun and met many nice people. A couple from Pittsfield that were in town for New Year's. Two girls who I seem to recall were working as au pair's, one of them was from South Africa (I mentioned I had been there as a kid when there was the big drought, she had no idea what I was talking about, since that had been in 1983 and she was born in 1986, made me feel like a dirty old man). I also met a couple of girls who described themselves as Canadian Pollacks, who were visiting Boston for New Year's. I always find it amazing how people from all over can end up in one place.
It was also a lot different than the New Year's before which I spent in San Francisco. I had a good time in San Francisco, but it didn't have the relaxed friendly feel that I had this year.
Anyway, I hope 2008 brings you happiness and fulfillment.
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