Friday night at the blog

I’ve got a quiet household tonight as the kids are safely in bed and Kelly’s enjoying a much-deserved night out with her friends. Even the cat’s sleeping, somewhere around here. I’ve got a half-full glass of wine at my side and an urge to write something – not just post a link somewhere.

First off, today’s my mother’s birthday. I called and wished her a happy one this morning. Even sang her “Happy Birthday,” knowing she couldn’t record it as she did a few years back. I was looking forward to getting the family over to her house tomorrow to celebrate but Hallie got sick at school today so we’re opting not to bring the kids. I’ll sneak over there at some point tomorrow to say hello, though.

Work is going well for me. It seems every few weeks something clicks in my head about my company’s product and I get a corresponding “growth spurt” in productivity. I feel like I know my way around the product now. It took a while to get here but I did it. I’m still not to genius level yet but it won’t be long.

One thing I am missing about my old job is the occasional international travel it provided. I haven’t had any opportunity for that at my new job, nor am I likely to any time soon. A trip out of the country is a good way to clear your head and get some perspective on life. Americans can easily become myopic and any boundary-stretching one can do is a very good thing.

I spoke recently with a friend who was looking at doing just that, actually. He’s considering a move to Spain. Sounds exciting and also totally impossible for us to ever consider. Some people take life by the horns and then there’s the rest of us.

For a number of weeks recently I was dealing with an eye infection that left my eyes bloodshot. Two weekends ago I awoke with my left eye swollen. A trip to urgent care and some good drugs got it under control. I went about a week with clear eyes until Tuesday, when wearing my contact lenses again brought the whole thing back to me. I was still in Charlotte and had to cut short my consulting visit as I had left my medicine at home like an idiot. That eastbound, squinting guy who couldn’t stay in his lane? Yeah, that was me. Another few days of eyedrops and I’m cured again, though it will be quite a bit longer before the contacts go back in.

Last weekend I chose not to shave and have kept it up for the whole week, resulting in a modest beard. I was thinking I might already be tiring of it when this morning brought strong, wintery winds. Could it be that this year’s unbearably hot weather is finally a thing of the past? Cold weather is a mixed blessing for me. I have hundreds of gallons of rainwater potentially in danger of freezing – and busting their containers in the process. Maybe I can rig up something to capture the small amount of heat escaping from the heater’s gas pack and use it to warm my water supply.

I’m between books at the moment, too. Gave up on Privatopia, didn’t finish Lab 257, and never got to The Homework Myth: not because they’re not good books but simply because I’ve been busy with other things. I guess I’m looking for something more colorful at the moment. I don’t read much fiction but I hope to read more of it. Then again, I do enjoy writing as much as reading.

Now, back to your regular blogging.