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March 29, 2006
Hot Tub Anticipation
After such a long push at work, I decided it was time for MAW and I to reward ourselves with a hot-tub. This seven-seater was delivered yesterday and hooked up this morning. The water is now at 70F and warming at a rate of 4 degrees per hour.
Zero-hour should be about 9pm tonight. I'm literally aching with anticipation.
Life in General by Dan | Permalink | Comments (0)
March 26, 2006
Aggiecon
Well, I just got back from Aggiecon, and I'm now into the second half of my vacation. I did fairly well at the art show, selling Intercession, Invoking Power, and Two Sides. MAW ended up taking the kids back home to stay with the nanny, so we actually got a real vacation out of it.
But tomorrow it's back to the grind: watching movies, playing games, pushing my kids on the swing... I just hope I can keep up with the pace.
Life in General by Dan | Permalink | Comments (1)
March 18, 2006
Terrell Owens signs with the Cowboys
Terrell Owens has signed a 3-year $25 million dollar contract with the Dallas Cowboys. My brother called to ask if I was serious about an earlier threat I'd made, and I have to say that I am.
Until T.O. stands in front of the crowd in Texas Stadium and apologizes for what he did as a San Francisco 49'er, I will not be watching the Cowboys play as long as he wears their uniform.
Life in General by Dan | Permalink | Comments (1)
March 17, 2006
Vacation
Work is done.
I'm on vacation for two weeks... sixteen contiguous days of not working. This hasn't happened since I took my sabbatical.
Or as MAW put it, "Now we begin the deprogramming."
A few things on tap for my vacation:
- I'm going to AggieCon, both to attend and to show off some art. For those of you who care, I'm taking "Intercession", "Invoking Power", "Holding a Fairy" (which I think I'll retitle as something like "Look What I Found"), "Father Forgive Me", "Two Sides", "Homesick", and "The Day Her Replacement Arrived". That's seven pieces, which should be enough for the two panels I've reserved. I had begun work on a re-do of "Guardian", but it's not going to be ready in time. I rushed that piece last year to get it ready for the show and was never happy with the results. I'm not going to repeat that mistake.
- I'm getting some landscaping done. Mainly I'm having an extension to my patio built.
- I'm getting a hot-tub. Actually, it's already been ordered, and I reasonably expect it to be delivered/installed late in my second week of vacation.
- I'm going to watch a lot of DVD's.
- I'm going to try to build the bulk of my first shower station for Flipside.
- I'm going to go see a movie... at the theater... during the day... on a weekday!
- If anyone wants to actually see me out of my work-induced cocoon, this would be a good time for me to have lunch with you. My regular lunch partner will be travelling during some/most of my vacation, so I should be readily available.
- I'm going to get my World of Warcraft Paladin to level 39 and try some battleground stuff.
- I'm going to not feel guilty for not going into the office after dinner.
- I'm going to try imagining, just for a little while, what retirement might be like.
Let the deprogramming begin.
Life in General by Dan | Permalink | Comments (0)
March 02, 2006
Sweet, sweet justice
I almost always obey the speed limit. Typically, I set my cruise control for about one or two MPH over the actual limit just so that I can't be accused of "not even going the speed limit!!!" by other drivers or passengers. Still, on a lot of roads, that makes me the slow-poke, annoying a lot of other drivers. * It's not because I'm a complete square. Let's just say I'm doing penance for youthful indiscretions in this area.
There's a new 2-lane country road near where I live, and in my opinion, it should have a limit around 50mph or even 55mph. It's nice and smooth and straight. However, the speed limit is only 40mph, perhaps an omen pointing to the eventual residential development the area is destined for. Most drivers are speeding like crazy on that road, doing 50 or 60 and passing me with honks, even though the entire stretch is marked no-passing with a double-yellow line. It frustrates me because I generally feel that laws should either be enforced or repealed, not ignored. In fact, with everything else adding stress to my life, this little bit was causing me grief well out of proportion.
Well, this morning there was justice. I was driving home from the local elementary school doing my usual 41mph, and another car zoomed up on me and then tailgated me for about a mile and a half, honking and swerving to look around me. Finally, he decided he'd had enough and jumped out into the oncoming lane and punched it, blowing past me at well over sixty. He even put his hand out the window to flip me off as he pulled back in front of me, racing down the road with only the other hand on the wheel.
He must have still been doing at least sixty when he drove past the sheriff’s car tucked behind a mesquite tree a quarter mile down the road. I'd already spotted the sheriff, and I'm sure that she had seen the entire incident. I managed to catch up to them as they were pulled over but before the sheriff had gotten out of her car. I drove past very slowly -- for safety, of course -- and managed to catch the eye of the driver.
I waved.
Ah yes... sweet, sweet justice.
[* Note: On downtown highways, I edge things up to be going closer to speed of traffic as that is actually safer in such a crowded environment, but on other highways, you'd be amazed at how fast you move doing this kind of cruise control thing. In the Austin areas that have a 65mph limit, a lot of people end up doing only 60 or so. I can just set myself in the left lane and rarely have anyone come up from behind me.]
Life in General by Dan | Permalink | Comments (3)
March 01, 2006
Ash Wednesday and Lent
Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent on the Catholic calendar. While I'm not Catholic, I decided that this year I'm going to do a little purification ritual of my own. That's right, I'm going to give something up for Lent. Choosing what to give up took a lot of soul-searching, but after thoughtful reflection I've made my choice.
Overtime.
Yep, I'm going to give up overtime for Lent. It's going to be tough, given that I've been binging on it the last six months, but I think with the support of my family and the community I should be able to make it. I just ask that you all keep an eye out for me. If it looks like I'm surrending to temptation, remind me of my committment to giving myself some fucking slack for a little while.
Yeah... this'll work.
Life in General by Dan | Permalink | Comments (3)