Thursday, July 8, 2010

Sickly

It comes off as pure coincidence when I get sick during the first nice two days of the summer but I can attest that I really am knocking on Heaven's... Lobby.

It started off with the sniffles and an inkling of a sore throat, but last night I was just burning up to 100 plus degrees. So I spent most of yesterday just confined to couches and chairs and being dog tired. Woke up feeling a lot better today, but feeling guilty that I missed work. As guilty as not making any money goes.

Got the paystub for my "bonus" though I have to argue that when a third of your bonus gets taxed out, it barely qualifies as a bonus. Federal taxes can bite me.

Thinking of getting on some writing schedule. It was significantly easier during my college years because my word processor was just that, didn't have Internet on it to spoil my quality time with my brain. And I didn't have so many distractions either. Now I find
myself constantly moving from room to room trying to find a quiet place to even contemplate.

Sitting out here in the shade but it's still hopelessly hot. The two kiddy pools are out and the kids and dog are having a ball splashing about in it. Daisy did manage to squeeze her way out of her leash and took off down the street but Elaine intercepted her while I did my best impression of a fat guy chasing down a phantom canine.

Having a couple days off have made me think about what I've got to do to get back in the game. Since I've never been one of those folks who do well in interviews, I've got to create some kind of environment whereby people come to me. I don't really know what that's going to work, but I'm sure going to spend some time thinking about it.

Whew, it's hot in here.

Monday, July 5, 2010

4th

Not like we had it all planned out, but I suppose that one of the things we weren't really counting on was rain. But here it is, we are hanging out at the mall a little longer with no solid plans in sight when the mall closes. Do we sit out in the wet field in the rain? Or do we camp out in car for three solid hours? Either way, we should be amply entertained. That's one of the upside of having a geeky father. He's got an iPod with monopoly for him and the missus, a DS and a PSP for the youngins to kill some time. I come equipped with gadgets, I'm like the Batfather. And my wife is Robin.

Have been archiving video by tossing it on the computer, then upconverting it to 720p and making them into digital files, which is then backed up to Mozy so it lives in the cloud. I know this interests maybe one person, but it's a daunting but necessary task. Interesting thing is I came across a 4th of July tape from 1998 when my wife was just a friend and a couple kids were just a couple kids. It's interesting to view it all in perspective now, the adults have gotten fatter, the kid now has kids and the other is off to college. It's interesting how some mundane mindless videotaping takes 12 years to pay off in nostalgia.

Was tinkering around with the iPad and it is a fun little device, though I'm still not completely sold on it. There's still too many duplicated functions on my iPod touch, which has the added benefit of being a portable device with cheaper price points for apps. I suppose in the end a laptop might prove to be much more ideal for that type of money. Conclusion? Wouldn't mind one as a gift.

My writing schedule is crap right now, journalling is a mini effort toward the right direction. I've got ideas stewing and needs to be put down on paper.

So last week we got a bit of bonus and a pay bump, and though it's nothing to really write home about, it's certainly a good pacifier for me to cool down for a while. Still uncertain in the grand scheme of things, but I think I'll try keeping my eyes open for other possibilities.

The mall officially closed 16 minutes ago and there's still a good amount of people milling about, avoiding the rainy grass and whatnot. There are three hours left before the fireworks, and likely an hour after that just trying to get out of here. But I suppose that's what being a responsible parent is - taking your kids to see fireworks no matter what the weather is like.


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