Thursday, January 21, 2010

Cattle Call 2.0

The best weeks are those that allow for thought and reflection without one pounding on a desk demanding severance pay. This has been one such week. Even though we started Tuesday, today feels like it should have been Friday.

Things started off well enough. Ben gave me a hand on Saturday doing some serious wrenching on the '59. We somehow made it into and out of the lodge with frozen appendages occurring only AFTER a couple hours of wrenching. Lots of movies chewed through on Monday while Cara was at work. Should this have been summer I'd be giving serious thought to just about anywhere else than where I was sitting at that time. Tuesday through Thursday clicked right off even with meetings, angry wage folk, pressed clothes, early bedtimes, ebaying and all manner of ilk that came my way. I even managed to drift off to sleep with that 80% mind running-body too tired to care, feeling.

Tonight was especially interesting as the tab at a local downtown establishment was on the company. Drinks flowed and people talked, as it were. The most difficult part of the evening was leaving knowing there was another 9 hours in front of me starting off well before dawn the next morning.

But, the best part was reminding myself of the notion that each and every one of us has a say in our future. It was announced earlier this week that for the "best part" of the summer we'd be running OT continuously. This is terrific news for the bank account, but puts a real dent in the 'summer to finally enjoy' category. It's enough to make a man really consider how many bridges he'd care to burn, and lately I've taken to lighting a few off, knowing I'll be a year shy of a decade of service in a handful of months. It's good for the soul to run up against one's supervisor with enough gusto to leave them both curious and angry, even if it means a bit more time trading one of life's most precious commodities for the almighty buck: time.

And so goes this summer. A veritable laundry-list of activities, tempered with prostitution.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

With a Twist of Lyme Disease

(Note, the post prior to this one was written last week)

Terrific weekend after a slug of days that were taxing, but moved fairly quick. Friday night I met Ben down at the PL and had a few brews. Parents dropped in for a bit and Ben and I ultimately took control of the juke. I recall shots AND an egg. What more could you ask for on a blustery Friday night.

Did the only decent thing by sleeping in on Saturday, then heading out for breakfast at Jay's for the "UNI-que Domewich". You want a good croissant, look no further. From there, the Rod. Where else but on a Saturday afternoon? I renewed my card and went wild in the compact periodicals section. So much juicy information not available anywhere else, tilled under by that assuming internet. Found some real gems to take home.

From there, groceries- I did my part to keep the economy rolling. Each time I go to HyVee I like to try something new. Over new year's with cocktail fever, I bought a jar of Tomolives. Imagine crossing a miniature tomato with an olive and pickling it (like an olive). Pretty good. This time, it was nacho cheese with jalapenos in a metal can from the originators of the concession stand nacho. That, and a glass 16oz bottle of Coke. We made the mistake of using the self-checkout, which we normally avoid if we're buying any sort of "adult" beverage. This time it was the fat stack of coupons cut earlier in the day. I was warned the machine liked to freeze up, which was sage advice because I couldn't find a barcode or ID number to save my life and wasn't going to risk it.

We made it home and celebrated by enduring a recent acquisition of The Right Stuff before passing out like old folks.

Sunday I had intended to visit the lodge, but the heat wave of 11F wasn't winning me over and the clock was ticking. Instead, Cara ran errands while I took care of ironing and the dishes and LOTS of reading (periodicals are a 24hr checkout). I saddled up the laundry and we spent the late afternoon at the parents taking care of wash while I fired up the old clamshell, scanner and remote burner and committed a number of 50 y.o. articles to the impermanence of the bit. With a new yo-yo powersupply on that iBook (courtesy of the Lincoln School sale) I was reminded how much I like that machine when it's not powering down or sparking. It's so natural to carry it may find its way back into daily use this summer and the responsiveness of OS9 is surprising (you know what I’m talking about).

I had intended to pull out the soap box and do some grand standing but that'll have to wait for next time when I'm not immersed in reality.

Sprightly Prose

It's unfortunate there wasn't more time in the break that I could have gotten around to part 2 of my last entry- I didn't intend to just up and leave ends loose. Also unfortunate is how, without some vacation, my mindset has reverted back to desk-jockey mode. At least I’m able to still identify the distinction.

What had been batted around as a legit Omaha escape ended up a 24 hr to-and-fro given the other events of the week and my desire to truly lose myself in a string of nameless days around town. Since I booked a room for Saturday night, Cara tagged along and kept herself occupied while I was at the shindig that evening. Had a grand time over appliances and was none too happy to leave Mariott's plush king-size bed the next AM.
Monday was a real drag and it's this getting up at 5:30 business that's the real sin. Forces my hand at 9PM, which unravels to 10 after getting home at 6. The rest of the week has been noticeably better in the "life sucks" department. Little Caesar's and a bond flick last night…one in which we had seen not that long ago, but had left such a weak impression on the gray matter that you could have fooled me; "From Russia with Love". A new flotilla of LD's are on their way which I should have ordered _before_ the break. Well...live and learn (then forget and do it all over again).

More to come....