Thursday, August 20, 2009

Maybe they like Styx too

Phone being held out, music in the backgound:

"I'm at a Foreigner concert with your parents!"

More indiscernable music in the background.

"I know you're jealous!"

Voice mail from my 28 year old nephew, currently visiting my parents.

I guess I'll hear the story tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Yes, that would be a good day

Online conversation last night with a pilot friend:

Me: What's the best thing that happened to you today?
Him: I made an equal number of take offs and landings.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Alert the Media

A student I recently enrolled writes a column for a small local paper. For this month's column, he chose to write about starting college at the age of 57. He wrote that he plans to continue his education until he has his doctorate at 65. Pretty cool, huh?

He also chose to write about the "beautiful lady" who enrolled him, and how great she was.

It's nice to be recognized and appreciated. Duh. Of course it is. Who doesn't like being recognized and / or appreciated? (Some capricorns seem to be able to live without it as long as they are acheiving world domination, but that's neither here nor there...)

I once read an article in a business magazine about 'Orchid letters' vs 'Onion letters'. Onion letters are the nastygrams people enjoy writing when they are petulant / pissed off/ not made the center of the universe / whatever. Far fewer letters of gratitude get sent. I hope I won't succumb to laziness,as I have in the past,the next time I'm motivated to write an orchid letter. I hope you won't either- especially if you're writing it about me.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Asleep

That would be you. Not me.

Happy 2:23 AM.

I think there's a giant can of sugar-free Red Bull in my tomorrow.

Yes, I've tried everything to be able to sleep. I've tried Ambien several times over the years. If you ever receive an email from me that is unfathomably weird and ends in LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL, that's me on Ambien. If you walk into my kitchen in the morning and find a colander full of half-cooked spaghetti - which I have no recollection of making- that's me on Ambien. What would I do next on Ambien? It would likely be something freakish and wrong at 3 AM. It certainly wouldn't be sleep.

I may be lucky enough to fall asleep in the next hour. Then I get to get up 3 1/2 hours later. Good times.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Repreive

Friday morning lasted about 14 hours. Too long a week, too much pressure, too little sleep, and too stupidly hot outside.

Thankfully, right as I was going into bouncing off the walls, regailing everyone with dubiously funny stories mode, a repreive was given in the form of Pita Pit (baba ganoush and tziki as condiments? Hell yes) and a fountain.

Aaaaaahhhh. Fouuuuuntain. I love fountains. I especially love fountains on 90 degree days. I love them even more when someone gets the great idea that we should put our feet in the water while eating our sandwiches. I love them most of all when someone (that would be me) suggests we have the whole fountain to play in. And play we do.

Here are some fun pictures of my coworkers. The first one is Loni after successfully ducking under all three arcs of water (I made it through the first two. Yes there are pictures, but not here):