Category: Daily Life

It is a sunny, hot Sunday. The wind is blowing. Through the window, in the conditioned house, the outside looks very pleasant. But it is 101°F and rain approaches from the west. I wile away my day jumping between a recreational book (I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller), a business book (Project Management Lite: Just Enough to Get the Job Done…Nothing More), and programming for a client. I’d love to be doing yard work. On the other hand, I just roughed out a high level specification for a website I’d like to build for myself. But alas, responsibilities call: client work, planning the week, planning the week’s meals, personal finance and other paperwork. On Sunday he rest…right.

Attempted to make the zipline work. I’ve increased its length so we get more play and sag in the rope. The seat therefore bottoms out. Raising the rope and making it as taut as possible only resulted in a seat that is too high and becomes a projectile upon getting off. While the longer ride sounds fun, unless I replace the static line with a steel cable and a static line I suspect this is a bust. Wait! I could use prusiks and a come along on the static line. Hmmm. I wonder what the tolerances are?

My brain hurts.

As these last few hours of vacation come to a close, I have to take pause and assess the success and failures of the vacation. I succeeded in having an adventure with Evan and 23 other scouts as well as 12 other parents. I succeeded in not thinking about work. I succeeded in massive cleaning efforts. I failed to find Noah’s sash and merit badges for his Eagle Board of Review. I succeeded in fixing the motor on the telescope. Looking forward to seeing it track objects in the sky now. Succeeded in improving a client website but failed to complete it enough for deployment (which means billables). Succeeded in not thinking about my regular job. Failed to think about my regular job. Failed to win the lottery. Succeeded in relaxing a bunch!

When we bought our 55 inch flat screen I used the box it came it to horde all my power cables, wall warts, network cables, pci cards, memory, etc. I’ve just gone through the box and separated out the components.

I am quite sure that power cords breed while we are sleeping. I have never owned so many power cables. Has anyone ever caught the mating process on film? I get it has a male and female end but locomotion? And where do the babies come from? Has anyone ever seen a baby powercord?!

Also, does anyone need a rubber maid contain full of ide cables?
Hayes 28.8 baud modem? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? (The US Robotics Sportster 1200 is mine!)

Where did the day (and my vacation) go?

Dear Neighbor, You left your steamroom on outside. Sincerely, Sweaty

I need to be programming.
I want to be cleaning the house.
I desire to lounge and watch television with my wife.
I am packing for 4 days of camping.
I will be shopping for additional gear.
I should be planning bunk assignments, creating a duty roster, making cheers and marching cadences, and figuring out rainy day games to occupy 24 nine year olds.

I woke up at 3:30 but couldn’t get my lazy ass out of bed. Woke again at 7:15.

Good day gone to bad in 30 seconds flat over something that didn’t fucking matter but it was a no win situation.

super secret bus driver exchange.

Megabus adventure thus far. Bus was already pretty full when arrived in Knoxville presumably from Atlanta. We were very fortunate to actual find 3 seats near one another. Bus is relatively comfortable if you don’t mind “warm” and “friendly.” The older lady with the neck brace has reclined her seat into my lap which is nice in that “this provides a sense of security like the safety bar on a roller coaster. The low rumble of road noise and blowing of something they toy with referring to as air conditioning has me wishing I had purchased the Parrot Zik noise canceling headphones. For some reason I can’t get the pressure equalized so my jaw is tiring from trying to pop my ears. Evan is thrilled and so am I. Cathy looks happy. The crowd is very subdued. The bus appears maintained with the exception of a blatant problem with the windscreen. (See picture) Not sure if that growing smell of sweaty person is odeur o’ Doug’s failing deodorant or my traveling companion. In an attempt to keep the bus a constant “warm” I am certain the driver is recirculating the air. I don’t know Washington D.C.’s pollution index (insert mandatory congress joke here) but I am quite looking forward to inhaling it deeply.

Would I ride the Megabus again? I can guarantee I will make one more trip.