I liked having last Monday off so much that I decided to do it again this Monday.
Actually, I decided to take it off so that I could go out and get some things done while most people are at work, such as my taxes.
I also decided that I can get by on what I have at home, so I didn’t do my grocery shopping today. I figure on also getting a haircut on Monday and swinging by my chiropractor’s office to pre-pay for a bunch of appointments with what’s left of last year’s Flex account, as I have until March to use that up.
Yesterday I found out how much my merit increase and bonus – which I should get on my next payday – are going to be. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed, but I realize that there are plenty of people who aren’t getting raises or bonuses at all, or who don’t even have jobs, so I’m certainly not going to complain about it.
As mentioned, I didn’t go grocery shopping today, though I did swing by the comic shop.
When I got home from that brief trip out into the world I decided that I would give the house the thorough cleaning that it’s been needing.
I got started on it, but soon found that my heart just wasn’t in it. I did at least manage to tidy things up a bit.
I also washed my sheets.
After I’d finished that I made my bed and thought, “Well, it’s made; I might as well lie in it,” but soon found that a nap just wasn’t going to happen, so I got up and watched last night’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold on my DVR, and then, as mentioned in my earlier post, unhappily watched last Monday’s episode of Heroes. Ugh.
(The one thing that could get me to tune back in? Having someone punch Hiro right in the face – hard – as he throws up his arms and yells “Ya ta!”)
Beyond that I got all of the necessary statements and whatnot assembled for getting my taxes done. I tend to hold onto every bill and statement that I get in the mail, even though I pay pretty much everything via online banking. I usually keep them until the next year, at which point I toss them. It’s very rare for me to just throw one away.
Naturally this means that the few exceptions prove to be the instances in which I actually needed to hold onto the statement.
For example, I always, always, always keep my mortgage statements, and I know that the statement I get in December is going to have my tax statement included so that, even though it’s already the standard practice, I need to hold onto that one.
Which is why it makes perfect sense that, apparently, I threw that one away.
At least, it wasn’t in the “tax stuff” pile, nor could I find it in any of the other somewhat organized piles of assorted “stuff.”
Fortunately I was able to get what I needed from my mortgage company’s Web site.
Still, I sometimes have to pause to be amazed by the fact that I can have those kinds of moments of monumental stupidity – and have them so frequently – and still manage to feed and clothe myself.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
I Just Can't Do It
I just can’t do it anymore.
My interest in the show Heroes has been dwindling ever since the second season, and it’s now officially gone into negative numbers.
I’m actually trying to watch an episode right now, and it’s painful.
With Brian Fuller returning to the show after the untimely and irritating demise of Pushing Daisies, I was going to try to hold on to see if there was any improvement, but my patience has reached its limit.
There were two things in this episode that served as the camel back-breaking straw: a lame, cliché joke about “a girl in a comic shop!” – made all the worse by the fact that people who work in the comic book industry are involved with the show – and Hiro’s whiny disappointment about not being the special one.
I’m not sure that I’m even going to finish watching this episode – and the fact that I’m writing this rather than actually paying attention to the show should tell you how engaged I am by it.
I’ll post a proper entry later.
My interest in the show Heroes has been dwindling ever since the second season, and it’s now officially gone into negative numbers.
I’m actually trying to watch an episode right now, and it’s painful.
With Brian Fuller returning to the show after the untimely and irritating demise of Pushing Daisies, I was going to try to hold on to see if there was any improvement, but my patience has reached its limit.
There were two things in this episode that served as the camel back-breaking straw: a lame, cliché joke about “a girl in a comic shop!” – made all the worse by the fact that people who work in the comic book industry are involved with the show – and Hiro’s whiny disappointment about not being the special one.
I’m not sure that I’m even going to finish watching this episode – and the fact that I’m writing this rather than actually paying attention to the show should tell you how engaged I am by it.
I’ll post a proper entry later.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Blast From The Past
I've been going through the archive of posts over at Slacktivist, and I found this post from March of 2005 that is made entirely out of win.
It's hard to pick a favorite line from it, but if pressed I would have to go with:
Public schools refuse to acknowledge that gorillas could ever speak. This is an example of the persecution that we face as believers.
(Edited to add: Given that these days most Slacktivist posts can generate upwards of 1,000 comments, it's very strange to look back and see posts that have as few as 10 comments, or sometimes even 0 comments. It's almost like reading Threshold or something.)
It's hard to pick a favorite line from it, but if pressed I would have to go with:
Public schools refuse to acknowledge that gorillas could ever speak. This is an example of the persecution that we face as believers.
(Edited to add: Given that these days most Slacktivist posts can generate upwards of 1,000 comments, it's very strange to look back and see posts that have as few as 10 comments, or sometimes even 0 comments. It's almost like reading Threshold or something.)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
6:55 AM
The time: 6:55 AM
The place: My bedroom
The alarm clock activates my iPod, which begins playing the song “Elsewhere” by Sarah McLachlan.
Me (thinking): Hey, I love this song. That’s nice. I think I’ll just lie here for a while and listen to it and then drift slowly back to sleep.
The time: 6:56 AM
The setting: My bedroom
The song is still playing. I’m still in bed, but there’s a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that the music isn’t just some random occurrence.
Me: Aw crap.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I started my day.
I’d taken some Tylenol PM before going to bed because I wasn’t feeling terribly sleepy and I was suffering from the various aches and pains that have, in recent years, become an increasingly pervasive presence in my life.
Unfortunately, the sleepiness-inducing effects of the pills decided not to kick in until after I actually – finally – fell asleep, leading to a general grogginess that lasted for the better part of the morning.
On Sunday evening I was sitting at my computer doing whatever it is I do while spending the majority of my time sitting at my computer when I heard someone knocking on my door.
The hell?
I headed downstairs and took a peek and saw what looked to be my neighbor. I turned on the light, opened the door, and confirmed this. He’d come by to tell me that my dome light was on in my car.
That meant that it’d been on for roughly six hours by that point.
D’oh.
I went to the car and found that the seatbelt was caught in the door, holding it slightly ajar.
I removed the seatbelt and properly closed the door, deciding that if there were problems with the battery I would deal with them the next day.
Yesterday afternoon I went out to the car, put the key in the ignition, and it started right up, so I figured I was good.
This morning? Not so much.
It came very close to starting a couple of times, but didn’t quite make it.
I stepped away from it for a few minutes, went back into the house and packed up some snacks for work, and then was going to knock on the neighbors’ door to see if they had jumper cables and would be willing to give me a boost.
Before doing that, though, I decided to try again.
It started up with no hesitation. Guess it just needed to warm up a little. Hopefully there won’t be any issues tomorrow morning.
It Really Is A Small World After All Department:
So every few days OK Cupid puts some “matches” in my “Quiver.” Basically there’s a search bot that scours the member profiles in search of someone who matches the search criteria I’ve selected.
Unlike other dating sites, you can’t get terribly specific with your search criteria. You’re pretty much limited to selecting an age range, whether you’re looking for a man or a woman, whether you want them to be looking for a man or a woman, and setting an acceptable distance from your location.
With sites like match.com you can also specify race, body type, hair color, language, religious beliefs, smoking/drinking preferences, etc.
Presumably that sort of stuff is covered by the personality profile that OK Cupid creates based on how you answer questions. At least, I’m assuming that’s why you can’t specify them in your search.
In any case, for distance from my location, my choice is 25 miles, which is the shortest distance you can select.
So today I got an e-mail telling me that there were new “matches” in my Quiver. I said, “This should be good for a mirthless laugh,” and clicked on the instant login link.
I was surprised to see that one of them was actually kind of cute. I looked to see where she was located and noted that it said “Loudoun.” I thought, “Loudoun? Where in Loudoun?”
(Loudoun is the name of the county I live in)
Then I looked more closely. It didn’t say Loudoun, it said “London.”
I know they moved the London Bridge to Arizona years ago, but when did they move London itself to within 25 miles of Leesburg?
Oh wait; they didn’t. OK Cupid is just dumb.
And I thought that the “match” from over 70 miles away that I got the other day was bad.
I mean, seriously, it wasn’t even London, Ontario. Being off by 50 miles is one thing, but to match me with someone who lives on another continent entirely?
I can’t decide if it’s better or worse than matching me with someone who requires that potential matches DO NOT have a penis.
The place: My bedroom
The alarm clock activates my iPod, which begins playing the song “Elsewhere” by Sarah McLachlan.
Me (thinking): Hey, I love this song. That’s nice. I think I’ll just lie here for a while and listen to it and then drift slowly back to sleep.
The time: 6:56 AM
The setting: My bedroom
The song is still playing. I’m still in bed, but there’s a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that the music isn’t just some random occurrence.
Me: Aw crap.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I started my day.
I’d taken some Tylenol PM before going to bed because I wasn’t feeling terribly sleepy and I was suffering from the various aches and pains that have, in recent years, become an increasingly pervasive presence in my life.
Unfortunately, the sleepiness-inducing effects of the pills decided not to kick in until after I actually – finally – fell asleep, leading to a general grogginess that lasted for the better part of the morning.
On Sunday evening I was sitting at my computer doing whatever it is I do while spending the majority of my time sitting at my computer when I heard someone knocking on my door.
The hell?
I headed downstairs and took a peek and saw what looked to be my neighbor. I turned on the light, opened the door, and confirmed this. He’d come by to tell me that my dome light was on in my car.
That meant that it’d been on for roughly six hours by that point.
D’oh.
I went to the car and found that the seatbelt was caught in the door, holding it slightly ajar.
I removed the seatbelt and properly closed the door, deciding that if there were problems with the battery I would deal with them the next day.
Yesterday afternoon I went out to the car, put the key in the ignition, and it started right up, so I figured I was good.
This morning? Not so much.
It came very close to starting a couple of times, but didn’t quite make it.
I stepped away from it for a few minutes, went back into the house and packed up some snacks for work, and then was going to knock on the neighbors’ door to see if they had jumper cables and would be willing to give me a boost.
Before doing that, though, I decided to try again.
It started up with no hesitation. Guess it just needed to warm up a little. Hopefully there won’t be any issues tomorrow morning.
It Really Is A Small World After All Department:
So every few days OK Cupid puts some “matches” in my “Quiver.” Basically there’s a search bot that scours the member profiles in search of someone who matches the search criteria I’ve selected.
Unlike other dating sites, you can’t get terribly specific with your search criteria. You’re pretty much limited to selecting an age range, whether you’re looking for a man or a woman, whether you want them to be looking for a man or a woman, and setting an acceptable distance from your location.
With sites like match.com you can also specify race, body type, hair color, language, religious beliefs, smoking/drinking preferences, etc.
Presumably that sort of stuff is covered by the personality profile that OK Cupid creates based on how you answer questions. At least, I’m assuming that’s why you can’t specify them in your search.
In any case, for distance from my location, my choice is 25 miles, which is the shortest distance you can select.
So today I got an e-mail telling me that there were new “matches” in my Quiver. I said, “This should be good for a mirthless laugh,” and clicked on the instant login link.
I was surprised to see that one of them was actually kind of cute. I looked to see where she was located and noted that it said “Loudoun.” I thought, “Loudoun? Where in Loudoun?”
(Loudoun is the name of the county I live in)
Then I looked more closely. It didn’t say Loudoun, it said “London.”
I know they moved the London Bridge to Arizona years ago, but when did they move London itself to within 25 miles of Leesburg?
Oh wait; they didn’t. OK Cupid is just dumb.
And I thought that the “match” from over 70 miles away that I got the other day was bad.
I mean, seriously, it wasn’t even London, Ontario. Being off by 50 miles is one thing, but to match me with someone who lives on another continent entirely?
I can’t decide if it’s better or worse than matching me with someone who requires that potential matches DO NOT have a penis.
Unfathomable Sadness
The last bit of this response to a reader wondering whether it would be better to see the 2D or 3D version of Coraline posted on Neil Gaiman's blog makes me sad, in so many different ways:
Easy. See it in 3D.
You can always go back and watch it in 2D. The DVD will come out later this year and be around for ever. You'll get to appreciate the US cast's voice acting then. This may be your only chance to see CORALINE in 3D.
(Same goes for the US. If you're putting off seeing it in 3D, don't: we lose the screens to the Jonas Bros 3D movie in a week or so.)
A sampling of some of the things that make me sad about this:
1. Coraline is being pushed out of theaters by a Jonas Bros movie
2. There's a Jonas Bros movie
3. The fact that I have even the vaguest notion of who/what the Jonas Bros are
Still, Neil's point is well-taken; go see Coraline in 3D while you still can.
Easy. See it in 3D.
You can always go back and watch it in 2D. The DVD will come out later this year and be around for ever. You'll get to appreciate the US cast's voice acting then. This may be your only chance to see CORALINE in 3D.
(Same goes for the US. If you're putting off seeing it in 3D, don't: we lose the screens to the Jonas Bros 3D movie in a week or so.)
A sampling of some of the things that make me sad about this:
1. Coraline is being pushed out of theaters by a Jonas Bros movie
2. There's a Jonas Bros movie
3. The fact that I have even the vaguest notion of who/what the Jonas Bros are
Still, Neil's point is well-taken; go see Coraline in 3D while you still can.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Long Stretch
First of all, happy birthday to my nephew Todd.
He won't actually be reading this, of course, but the birthday bears mentioning.
I spent most of today grappling with technology, and mostly coming out as the loser.
I also did the laundry, as having today off made it the de facto Sunday and therefore laundry day.
On the actual Sunday I didn't do much beyond having lunch with David.
When we met up for lunch David said, "How about a smile?" I said that it seemed unlikely. He said, "You're a tough egg to crack."
I responded with, "That's because I'm already cracked."
And scrambled.
As I was trying to leave the restaurant I was surrounded by a horde of children who didn't see moving out of the way of the much larger person coming at them as a viable option, so I had to carefully maneuver around them.
I told David that it should be considered socially acceptable to push children and old people out of your way. After all, they're children and old people: there's already a better than 50% chance that they'll just fall over on their own.
Today's paid holiday marked the last one that I'll see for a while, as we begin the long stretch from Presidents' Day to Memorial Day. Fortunately I have plenty of vacation time, so where the calendar fails me I can pick up the slack and make a few long weekends of my own.
He won't actually be reading this, of course, but the birthday bears mentioning.
I spent most of today grappling with technology, and mostly coming out as the loser.
I also did the laundry, as having today off made it the de facto Sunday and therefore laundry day.
On the actual Sunday I didn't do much beyond having lunch with David.
When we met up for lunch David said, "How about a smile?" I said that it seemed unlikely. He said, "You're a tough egg to crack."
I responded with, "That's because I'm already cracked."
And scrambled.
As I was trying to leave the restaurant I was surrounded by a horde of children who didn't see moving out of the way of the much larger person coming at them as a viable option, so I had to carefully maneuver around them.
I told David that it should be considered socially acceptable to push children and old people out of your way. After all, they're children and old people: there's already a better than 50% chance that they'll just fall over on their own.
Today's paid holiday marked the last one that I'll see for a while, as we begin the long stretch from Presidents' Day to Memorial Day. Fortunately I have plenty of vacation time, so where the calendar fails me I can pick up the slack and make a few long weekends of my own.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Maybe It's Just Me
I don't know about you, but when an attractive actress appears in your dreams and complains that you aren't drawing enough pictures of her, it seems to me that you ought to do something about that.
So, Kahterine Heigl, here's hoping that if you ever show up in my dreams again this will put you in a slightly better mood.
So, Kahterine Heigl, here's hoping that if you ever show up in my dreams again this will put you in a slightly better mood.
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