If you've missed large parts of this blog, I do recommend that you take a little time to go back and read through it. Heck, skim it if you must... I put hours of work every week into this, trying to hit the highlights and leave the washing-my-socks stuff out of it. So have a boo; I hope it's to your liking.
Plus, this week: a link-free blog!
July 7th - Shower me with Wisdom
A bit of wisdom came to me in the shower today, following in the footsteps of many who have experienced epiphanies whilst under the soothing flow of hot water. Though it was not the face of a saint that appeared in the mineral deposits on the shower curtain, it was something I felt needed to be shared. The image that occurred to me was this: balance. It came to me that a person cannot effectively deal with all the foibles that life throws at you unless they already have balance of some sort in their life. Being knocked off your feet or staggered by each new challenge seemed to be akin to a juggler trying to catch many medicine balls at once - the ones who are balanced in their life can nimbly catch or dodge these life missiles, while others will be knocked flat in short order. I liked the picture, and imagine one day I will use it somewhere...
July 8th - Foxed by a browser
I have been disappointed and annoyed for a few days now with my previously stalwart web browser, Firefox. The most recent update( 2.0.0.15 for those who know )has thus far managed to crash consistently with every other page I load. I've become frustrated enough to download and install another top web browser called Opera - wow, is it fast! It has quite a few features that Firefox does not, all of them eminently suited to swift web-browsing, so I recommend it to those looking for a fast surfing experience.
July 9th - Songs in my head
I worked a nice late shift today, my fifth of six days. Considering I am not, nor desire to be, a manager, i I do put in regular hours. But tempt me not with visions of Salary, lest I laugh in your face and regale you with tales of slave wages... I leave it at that.
On a happier note, I wrote a brief bit of a song today, the first in many a long year. Like my father before me, poetry comes naturally to my hand and so I hope now too will the occasional song. *grin* Balance, it seems, is VERY good for the muse... The Uncluttered Mind.
July 10th - Hey there Rene!
'tis my friend Rene's birthday today!
We've been friends since high school, when the heady days of trading TurboGrafX games were the highlight of our school weeks. I do miss those days sometimes, when grades hung on tests we were never ready for and excitement was a whisper of the next summer movie in the pipes. How little we really knew, and how happy we were most days.
July 11th - Pre-Birthday Swag
The morning vanished in the usual domestic blur, with a little kickstart to the day: I gave my cast-iron pan another workout with some bacon and eggs. I haven't had those in quite some time, and even though it was turkey bacon( low fat )it made no difference to the satisfaction of a well-made breakfast to start my day.
I received a surprise at work today as well: a birthday gift! Seems my two co-workers decided to buy me a ton of little themed gifts - guess what they chose? Spiderman. Yep, they spotted the little Spidey sticker on my PDA and took it upon themselves to raid a dollar store for kitsch. The centerpiece was a Mr. Potato-Head Spiderman, complete with Peter Parker parts. I was very touched at the thought that went into it all... see the photo here.
July 12 - to Market, to Market
I finally made it to the Moss Street Market today after 10am. It was busy but not overly crowded. I was surprised that only about half the vendors were selling food; the rest were crafts of excellent quality. While I currently have little need( or budget )for such, I did enjoy about an hour of wandering and enjoying the sights. As it's less than ten minutes walk from my apt, I may pop in a few more times this summer.
Having a day off is wonderful, as always. Deciding what to do with it, well... that can be frustrating as the hours tick past. Such was today, which managed a mix of things that brought me all too quickly to the close of the day. I did get some time on on the Xbox360 with Civ: Revolutions as well as a bit of BioShock. Seems that all my 360 pals are taking a break from COD4.
July 13 - Nothing on TV?
I worked another Sunday, lamenting the injustice of a world where a third of my life has to be spent under the last of others to earn coin. I am glad to see at least one of my friends has thrown off the yoke of Working For The Man - best of luck to you Brian!
I have decided to cancel my cable tomorrow - watching the many DVD's I have will occupy my time full well. Too, I have become quite dissatisfied with the image quality of digital cable - the compression used for each channel looks godawful on a large screen, even when compared to a DVD. The HD channels I do have do not carry a tenth of the shows I find interesting, so rather than aimlessly hope for the one show a week to be in HD, I am cutting my losses. Heck, I can watch a lot of the TV already recorded, plus use the 'net to hunt down things I may have missed. All in all, I feel good about it, as I hate to pay for something I do not use fully. Which is also why I have sent in a refund for my brain... *grin*
July 7th - Shower me with Wisdom
A bit of wisdom came to me in the shower today, following in the footsteps of many who have experienced epiphanies whilst under the soothing flow of hot water. Though it was not the face of a saint that appeared in the mineral deposits on the shower curtain, it was something I felt needed to be shared. The image that occurred to me was this: balance. It came to me that a person cannot effectively deal with all the foibles that life throws at you unless they already have balance of some sort in their life. Being knocked off your feet or staggered by each new challenge seemed to be akin to a juggler trying to catch many medicine balls at once - the ones who are balanced in their life can nimbly catch or dodge these life missiles, while others will be knocked flat in short order. I liked the picture, and imagine one day I will use it somewhere...
July 8th - Foxed by a browser
I have been disappointed and annoyed for a few days now with my previously stalwart web browser, Firefox. The most recent update( 2.0.0.15 for those who know )has thus far managed to crash consistently with every other page I load. I've become frustrated enough to download and install another top web browser called Opera - wow, is it fast! It has quite a few features that Firefox does not, all of them eminently suited to swift web-browsing, so I recommend it to those looking for a fast surfing experience.
July 9th - Songs in my head
I worked a nice late shift today, my fifth of six days. Considering I am not, nor desire to be, a manager, i I do put in regular hours. But tempt me not with visions of Salary, lest I laugh in your face and regale you with tales of slave wages... I leave it at that.
On a happier note, I wrote a brief bit of a song today, the first in many a long year. Like my father before me, poetry comes naturally to my hand and so I hope now too will the occasional song. *grin* Balance, it seems, is VERY good for the muse... The Uncluttered Mind.
July 10th - Hey there Rene!
'tis my friend Rene's birthday today!
We've been friends since high school, when the heady days of trading TurboGrafX games were the highlight of our school weeks. I do miss those days sometimes, when grades hung on tests we were never ready for and excitement was a whisper of the next summer movie in the pipes. How little we really knew, and how happy we were most days.
July 11th - Pre-Birthday Swag
The morning vanished in the usual domestic blur, with a little kickstart to the day: I gave my cast-iron pan another workout with some bacon and eggs. I haven't had those in quite some time, and even though it was turkey bacon( low fat )it made no difference to the satisfaction of a well-made breakfast to start my day.
I received a surprise at work today as well: a birthday gift! Seems my two co-workers decided to buy me a ton of little themed gifts - guess what they chose? Spiderman. Yep, they spotted the little Spidey sticker on my PDA and took it upon themselves to raid a dollar store for kitsch. The centerpiece was a Mr. Potato-Head Spiderman, complete with Peter Parker parts. I was very touched at the thought that went into it all... see the photo here.
July 12 - to Market, to Market
I finally made it to the Moss Street Market today after 10am. It was busy but not overly crowded. I was surprised that only about half the vendors were selling food; the rest were crafts of excellent quality. While I currently have little need( or budget )for such, I did enjoy about an hour of wandering and enjoying the sights. As it's less than ten minutes walk from my apt, I may pop in a few more times this summer.
Having a day off is wonderful, as always. Deciding what to do with it, well... that can be frustrating as the hours tick past. Such was today, which managed a mix of things that brought me all too quickly to the close of the day. I did get some time on on the Xbox360 with Civ: Revolutions as well as a bit of BioShock. Seems that all my 360 pals are taking a break from COD4.
July 13 - Nothing on TV?
I worked another Sunday, lamenting the injustice of a world where a third of my life has to be spent under the last of others to earn coin. I am glad to see at least one of my friends has thrown off the yoke of Working For The Man - best of luck to you Brian!
I have decided to cancel my cable tomorrow - watching the many DVD's I have will occupy my time full well. Too, I have become quite dissatisfied with the image quality of digital cable - the compression used for each channel looks godawful on a large screen, even when compared to a DVD. The HD channels I do have do not carry a tenth of the shows I find interesting, so rather than aimlessly hope for the one show a week to be in HD, I am cutting my losses. Heck, I can watch a lot of the TV already recorded, plus use the 'net to hunt down things I may have missed. All in all, I feel good about it, as I hate to pay for something I do not use fully. Which is also why I have sent in a refund for my brain... *grin*
Well there you have it - another week done and down in brief, in print. Who knows what next week will bring? The weather here is fantastic - two weeks of nothing but sunny skies and mid-twenties for temperatures. I just love it...
