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December 27, 2004

donkey butts

Last pic for today. A couple of donkeys just hanging out at the petting zoo.

Posted by Mark at 07:37 PM | Comments (0)

two eagles

The bald eagles at the zoo are in a chicken wire enclosure, so it was basically impossible to take a picture of them without getting their cage in the shot. You can write your own socio-political commentary on this one. I tweaked the contrast and color saturation to make it more of a silhouette, and to emphasize the blues.

Posted by Mark at 07:30 PM | Comments (0)

vent texture

This is just a shot of a vent on the side of one of the zoo buildings. I don't know why, but I like it, and it was one of the few photos I took today that I was happy with showing.

Posted by Mark at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)

windowsill garden

And here's the windowsill garden I made for Matt.

Posted by Mark at 07:27 PM | Comments (0)

toolbox

Here's the toolbox I made for my Dad for Christmas.

Posted by Mark at 07:25 PM | Comments (0)

cleaning, gaming, photography

I would probably never clean if I didn't have a girlfriend. Kara will be here Thursday night, which means that today and tomorrow are cleaning days.

It looked like nobody was in the office today, so I worked from home. That gave me a chance to spend a little time playing Viewtiful Joe, which is easily the best game I've played in awhile. I think that 10 years ago (all things except graphics being equal), it would have been forgettable. What sets it apart is that it's your standard old-school side-scrolling platformer in an era where even our home gaming systems are sporting mostly formulaic titles. That is, your modern arcade has the driving game, the shooting game, the fighting game, and maybe one or two other titles...various permutations of these themes exist. At home, we're seeing the same thing with FPSes, RTSes, not nearly enough RPGs...so it's nice to have a game where the object is to punch and kick things while jumping, collecting powerups, solving minor puzzles, saving points to purchase powerups, etc.

I've now got more than enough games to keep me busy for the rest of winter. And I finally got around to installing the DVD software on my gaming PC, so I'm watching some of the Strong Bad emails over there right now. Good easter eggs. The video for "Moving Very Slowly" by Taranchula is awesome; too bad it seems unfinished.

I got some exercise today and went to the zoo to take some photos. I shot about 147; of those, I think I was particularly happy with about 2, and maybe 4 were worth showing. I'll put some of those up shortly.

That's the great thing about digital photography though...I have enough space on the camera for almost 450 pictures, and then I just erase it and start over. So I can afford to take 40 shots of an otter, trying to get the shot just as he swims up to the glass.

(I didn't get the shot.)

Posted by Mark at 07:17 PM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2004

winter moon

winter_moon_resize.jpg

One of the first "keeper" photos from the new digital camera. Shot December 25th, around sunset, in Kreamer, just across the street from my parents' house. Canon A85, stock setup. Really pleased with this one.

Posted by Mark at 03:13 PM | Comments (0)

presents are awesome

So Kara and I now have matching digital cameras. I'm actually quite happy about that, since I enjoyed playing with her A85 in Florida and I suppose I'd be disappointed if I didn't have the same features to play around with that hers has. I've already shot some neat photos, one of which I am very proud of and will put up here shortly.

You can expect to see TONS more photos up on blog in the immediate future. Man, I don't think I've ever loved photography as much as with this camera. I remember taking photography in high school and college and just loving having an SLR and all the ability to really compose your shots. The biggest problem is that, developing your own photos, you never really know what you're going to come up with. With this, it's instant gratification. I can go shoot something and immediately see if it's good or not. And because I grew up basically using Photoshop, it's already in the format it needs to be in for me to tweak. No messing with negative scanners and such.

Other highlights: 512 meg memory card for the camera. The Dremel, which is awesome. I've already been drilling and cutting things. Viewtiful Joe and Zelda: Windwaker for my 'Cube. Planescape:Torment for the PC. Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia on DVD. The Strong Bad Emails DVD. Clothes, food, a meat tenderizer/freezer defrosting hammer. An Orange County Choppers T-shirt and a little toy motorcycle. Some Lego motorcycles. Um, anti-monkey-butt powder from my Mom (apparently you put it on your bum for long motorcycle rides). The America textbook from The Daily Show. I think that's most of it...really great Christmas in terms of getting neat stuff. There wasn't a single thing that I was disappointed about, 'cept maybe the copy of The Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles that I already have, but that's not really a disappointment, since it is an excellent book...I just happen to have a copy. That was the first book I ever read about motorcycling when I was getting into it.

Mom made out big, with both a Toshiba laptop and an Easy-Bake oven. She is still slightly in shock. Matt got some cool stuff, including a car CD player, Mike got some books on directing film, and Dad got some jerky-making equipment and a food dehydrator. I had some of the jerky last night, and it is excellent. Tastes store-bought.

They liked their gifts I think. I'll have to post pictures of the toolbox I built my Dad and the windowsill garden I built for Matt a little later. Dad and I both ended up buying Mom Sweet Pea scented stuff from Bath and Body Works, which is funny.

I met up with Pat last night for a few beers, and we did some good catching up. Also saw Nate Reichenbach, Jason Yoder, and some other folks from back in the day. It's nice to come home now and then to see people from high school and such.

I'm still at home, and going to probably go get a little exercise for a bit. We're having salmon for dinner, courtesy of Matt, as soon as Mike gets back from work at Weis. Also, Dad took my car to Wal-Mart to replace the tire. I have to go steal some food, tools and possibly some wood to take back home for my next few projects...I'm pretty excited about them. Now that I have a camera, I'm going to document the process of putting them together.

Posted by Mark at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)

December 23, 2004

perfect gift

Just doing some final gift wrapping, then I have to pack. I'm working from home today, which is nice, and means I don't have to dress up for work. I'll head right up to Mike Muller's place in Frederick when I leave, where we're going to have a little Christmas party tonight. Should be fun.

Chatting with Kara, whom I miss, and we were talking about holidays. She says she's sad we didn't do Christmas together this year.

I'm glad we're doing New Year's together, since that's a very couples sort of holiday. I want to do Christmas together, but that's a little tougher since Christmas is such a family holiday. Next year we will, though. I guess, I've always done Christmas with my family, and I figured it would be a little tougher for them to not have me around. But, they understand that holidays together with loved ones is important not just for family members, but also with other loved ones, like Kara. So next year, we'll divy up the holidays.

I'm starting to get excited for Christmas. I have to say, for some years now, it hasn't been so much that I'm excited about what I'm going to get. It's more that I really love the look on people's faces if I get them something really cool that they enjoy. That's what I find to be most fun about Christmas: trying to figure out that perfect gift for somebody who is hard to buy for. I think this will be a pretty good year.

After all, I got my Christmas present early this year, in Florida, and I'll see her again in a week.

Posted by Mark at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2004

crafts

The period from around Thanksgiving to Christmas is always a little rough for me; I tend to hibernate when the sun starts going down around 3 in the afternoon (or so it seems). But once December 21st comes and goes, I find that looking forward to lengthening days makes the cold weather not such a big deal.

I was actually quite busy yesterday, as I've been during this whole early winter season. And that's a good thing. I'm pretty excited about some stuff I'm finishing up.

I really noticed that, during this time of year, I slow down, and so what I tried to do this year is give myself some fun projects to work on that I could do indoors. Woodworking and candlemaking are two of my new hobbies, and they couldn't be better for the cold, dark months.

One recent project is that I managed to successfully make hand-dipped taper candles, then made a wooden box to hold ten of them, which I gave to Csopi and Chuck as part of their wedding present. I hope they like them! I engraved their names and the date of the wedding on the back, put some nice brass hinges and a latch on it, polyurethaned the whole thing so it looks shiny. And I left the taper wicks attached to each other at the top, which I think looks cool.

Hand-dipping candles is a fairly time-intensive process, but I think I'm getting the hang of it, and the results were pretty good. They look rough enough that you can tell they are hand-made, but they also look, you know, like candles. They're round, they burn well, they fit in a candle-holder. That's really what I was going for. I don't like things that look absolutely perfect if you make them by hand. I think part of the process, part of the coolness of hand-made stuff, is that it doesn't look like you just bought it at Target...or from a craft fair either. It looks good enough to use, and just rough enough that you can tell somebody made it without the use of a factory.

I also love being a craftsman and doing this whole carpentry thing; last night, I realized that I needed a bigger cutting board for something, so I just grabbed a piece of pine I had laying around and sanded it smooth. Voila, one cutting board. Pine isn't the best wood for cutting boards, since it's so soft, but hey, it beats going to Target on the price. If it wears out or gets too nicked, it's pretty easy to make another one. Good call on buying that finishing sander.

The next big project is going to be furniture-making. I need some new nightstands. I figure that should be relatively easy, in terms of working on skills with designing a piece, making symmetrical cuts (which I struggle with, lacking a circular or table saw), and even doing some more complicated work with making a drawer. The best thing is that my bedroom is already done in pine, so I don't even have to mess with expensive woods or stains to get things to match. If the nightstands go well, I need to also make a dresser, and eventually, a bed. It would be pretty cool to have a lathe for making bedposts, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

In Florida, we discussed trying to get some people together to take a cruise in 2006. I think that jives with my plans for 2K5; I need to continue working on personal finance, and get in shape.

The last few months have taught me a lot about living within my means, and I haven't turned to credit once in that time. That's a big deal for yours truly. And, I managed to get myself back to the gym yesterday. I think that if I have something concrete to look forward to, i.e. a cruise, it is better incentive to get myself to eat right and lose weight. It worked the last time.

I think I am also giving up on ever being a morning person. I have this desire to be one of those people who gets up at 6 a.m. and goes for a jog. I just do not think that is ever realistically going to happen, and I should just let it go. I do wake up at a decent hour sometimes, but that is either because there is a very specific purpose, or Kara gets me up. Bottom line is, I'm a night person, not a morning person, and that is just the way it is.

In other news, I put the motorcycle in the backyard last night. I'd been putting it off for awhile; I am surprised the bike even started. Sometimes the battery on a bike will die if you don't run it to keep it charged once in awhile. I will have to make a point to bundle up and go for a ride now and then if we have a warm snap in the next few months.

Posted by Mark at 09:45 AM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2004

pearl jam

I'm listening to basically nothing but Pearl Jam and news radio lately. I know there are other bands out there, and other styles...I was actively listening to hip-hop stations in DC a little while ago and making my way through some Jay-Z and Ice Cube on the MP3 server.

But now I have some new PJ to listen to, and, I dunno...I guess I'm becoming kind of the Pearl Jam version of a Deadhead. The thing is, they've played so many shows now over the years, and so many of their shows are available in high-quality bootleg format (sometimes even recorded direct from the board by PJ themselves), that you could start a collection that would rival that of many other touring bands. It's a great thing. A particular show might have a cover or a B-side that you just don't hear often, or at all...so that's what I'm listening to.

Maybe after the holidays I'll do some more musical exploration, but PJ is fine for now.

Posted by Mark at 01:24 PM | Comments (0)

holiday

It was a little chilly in Florida on Monday. It had to be about 60 degrees out on the beach. We nearly had to wear long pants!

What a great weekend. I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed to leave a vacation. The wedding was superb, and I got some great gifts. Also, Kara loved her presents.

I figured a few weeks ago that I ought to know how to use a sewing machine...I mean, a tool is a tool, and fabric is just another building material. So I sewed her stocking, and also made on of those draft-blocker snakes that you put under a door. Also, in the first of several woodworking projects, I made a wooden Christmas tree out of two tree-shaped cutouts that went together to form an X shape when you look at it from the top.

She was sad that we didn't have a Christmas tree in the hotel room to celebrate Christmas. How surprised was she when she opened the gift to find that we did, in fact, have a tree to put presents under!

And she loved the diamond earrings. And I got a great picture of her opening up the Rudolph claymation video tape, which she was all disappointed that she didn't have time to watch a few weeks ago.

We took tons of pictures with her new digital camera, ate some great food, lots of tropical drinks, and saw some people we hadn't seen in quite awhile. All in all, it was a great vacation.

So Thursday night we flew to Florida, got my tux, ate dinner at Lulu's Bait Shack--I tried crawfish etufee, which was interesting--and then opened gifts. As an aside, the view from our hotel room was amazing. The beach and ocean was just across the street, and you could hardly see anything else to either side, so the effect was almost like being on a ship.

Friday it rained, but we took a short stroll to a restaurant for lunch, then relaxed for a bit and went to the rehearsal, and the rehearsal dinner. That was at a Polynesian-themed restaurant called the Mai Kai, where we saw some neat dances and had some extremely fun mixed drinks, one of which was the "Mystery Drink" and involved a dance and a special presentation. Then we hung out in Csopi's suite for a few hours.

The next day we went to the beach and went in the water for a bit, then ate lunch and got ready for the wedding, which was beautiful. Oh, I forgot, I got a great groomsman gift from Chuck...a Colbiri lighter with a cigar cutter in the bottom. I tested that out a little later in the weekend.

Their ceremony was short and sweet, and the weather was perfect for having it outside. Kara thought it was neat how some couples do the stuff you're "supposed" to do for weddings, but Csopi and Chuck really did things their own way. Examples, the steel drum that played during the ceremony, and a "sand-mixing ceremony" that replaced the traditional candle lighting thing. And they had a mashed-potato bar at the cocktail hour! It was crazy, but great. The filet mingon was excellent, I suspect we contributed to the delinquincy of a minor, and then we went out for drinks and got ditched by some of the older folks who I think were hipper than us and wanted to go out and raise the roof dancing.

Sunday, we met Natalie for lunch and then sat on A1A and drank margaritas for hours while I smoked a cigar, and we watched people, motorcycles and cars go by. Saw lots of nice choppers. Ft. Lauderdale is a great motorcycle hotspot.

Monday, we hit the beach for a little bit, had a nice lunch, and headed for the airport, where I was sad to leave Kara, sad to leave the vacation, and annoyed at the stupid airport where the terminals aren't all connected and I couldn't sit with her as she waited for her plane, which was delayed by a few hours because of snow in Boston. Eventually, though, we both got home, I unpacked, and played with my new presents.

Kara got me Tony Hawk Underground, which is fun, a Nalgene bottle and some spill preventers, a sampler pack of Calvin Klein colognes, two Pearl Jam CDs (technically one was from her mum, thanks mum!...I got Rearviewmirror and Lost Dogs, both of which are 2-cd sets and both of which are in my car right now), a little turtle thing that I thought was cute in New Hampshire, a bag of coal, a nice shirt from Gap, some silly putty, and a really sweet Christmas card. What a great girl.

So now I'm back at work in 20-degree weather, wasting time before new projects start up. I'm excited that I'm going to be able to see her again at New Year's. We sat on the beach and talked a little bit about our future, and I think we have a plan worked out for how to get ourselves into the same city at the same time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything works out. I miss her already.

Today they are having their holiday potluck lunch at work, which I forgot about. Free food!

Addendum: I don't think this blog entry really does justice to the vacation. It's very factual. I think because it's the shortest day of the year and I'm already prone to feel meh, I'm leaving out bits because I'd really, really, rather still be back there. Why does time go by so fast when you want it to slow down?

Posted by Mark at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2004

done in advance

My hair looks good. I am 99% done with Christmas shopping/preparation, over a week in advance. In fact, the last thing I need to do tonight is pack for Florida. I'm procrastinating right now. Mom needs a couple of songs for a Boy Scout photo presentation, and she's discovering firsthand the thrills of DRM. Yeah, that nice technology meant to keep music out of the hands of pirates, is instead keeping my poor Mom from adding background music to a slide show to be shown to a bunch of kids. Thanks, RIAA, and good job!

So anyway, I have some free Napster downloads sitting around, and I figured if she needs those songs, I'll get copies of them for her. What a pain. I haven't used the new Napster, but I'm sure it's not as good as the Napster of old.

I'm also remembering the thrill of playing old NES ROMs. While not technically legal, I justify this habit by saying, hey, I used to own most of those old games. It's legally in a gray area. But I'm not sure that it's morally wrong. These are old games, and nobody is really making money off them anymore...well, except for Nintendo, whos is repackaging the better old games for sale as GBA carts.

Anyway, yeah. I should go pack, but then I'm totally gonna play me some Armored Scrum Object or Low-G Man.

Posted by Mark at 06:58 PM | Comments (2)

December 14, 2004

green things

Sprouts. I have always wanted to like them, since an episode of MacGyver in which Richard Dean Anderson is eating some of them in his Jeep, and he quips that they are healthy, and don't mess up your clothes when they get all over you. Then he uses his Swiss Army Knife, some tree bark, and a button to build an ICBM.

But the point is, sprouts are supposed to be good and good for you. So I was feeling guilty for indulging in some of the really good lard-fried Grandma Utz potato chips last night--with bacon onion dip, no less--and I thought I would just browse the veggie region of the local Safeway for my lunching needs today. I ate a cucumber, a hot pepper, and some sprouts, and while I don't feel nasty like you usually do after you have eaten a chili-cheese burrito and a pound of nacho chips, I also don't have that feeling of having eaten something that is hands-down delicious.

I hear they are working on some kind of exercise pill. Frankly, I don't consider that to be cheating at all, any more than I consider not having to hunt for wooly mammoths for dinner and then cut down trees to keep from freezing through the winter months to be cheating.

In other news, I think I'm actually somewhat ahead of schedule in terms of my Christmas preparations. I'm almost unsure of how to handle not being in a rush. I think I like it.

I'm getting a haircut today. I really really need it.

Posted by Mark at 01:27 PM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2004

tools, work, bar food

I no longer need a finishing sander. I really, really needed a power sander, and they were all out of the cheap Ryobi and Black & Decker models, so I splurged...got a Dewalt. Same one as Dad has. Merry Christmas to me!

But, Dewalt tools are where it's at. I'll probably be giving that same sander to my grandkids someday. So, you know, it's a worthwhile investment. I'm going to go remove that from my Christmas list in a moment.

I'm working from home today. I got a short list of bugfixes to add to the app we released on Friday, and I should easily be able to finish up the last of 'em tomorrow in time for release. We then enter a release freeze from the 15th of December until the 15th of January, but that's fine...I don't even know what my next assignment is yet. The only thing I'm looking forward to at work is getting my performance evaluation, so hopefully I'll get a little raise and maybe even find out what my bonus is going to look like. I got some bills, you know?

I spent the weekend working on stuff and I'm almost done. Yoni had a friend in town for the weekend; as far as I can tell, they spent most of it playing PS2. Weird. Anyway, me and Chris hit Tonic last night for the Eagles/Redskins game, and once again, agonized over the fact that they don't have nachos...or really any good finger food. I know that's not what they're trying to be, but it's annoying. Tonic just isn't Ruth's Chris. It's a neighborhood bar. I recognize that they want to be known for their cuisine, but I think they should give up and start serving potato skins and mozarella sticks. Nobody wants pork chops during Sunday Night Football.

I wonder what's happened with Asylum in the few months since I've been there last. Their happy hour is 2 hours shorter, their prices seem to have gone up a bit, and the place seems oddly changed. Trendier, maybe. I dunno. Mainly I'm annoyed at the prices going up. I guess I have to find a different bar or something.

Posted by Mark at 05:26 PM | Comments (0)

December 09, 2004

plans

I never like early December. It feels like the sun goes down almost before it even comes up. Once I get to the 22nd, it's not so bad...at least then you know that the days are going to gradually get longer, even if the temperature is colder for the next few months.

We are finishing up a big project here, and it's making me kind of reflective. It has been a very crazy six months, working on this and some other stuff...I just filled out my performance evaluation, and it got me thinking about all the work we've done lately.

I have no idea what the next few weeks are going to involve. People are taking vacations, and it might be a good time to bone up on some skills that I'll need on the next projects, whatever they are.

And, of course, I'm also trying to figure out where my life ought to take me...and that's complicated. Very complicated, maybe more so than it has to be. Do I care about leaving DC? Not really; I've had a good run here. Do I care about leaving my job? Well...it's a good job, and I like it, and I would be perfectly happy working here for a long time to come, but it's not like there aren't other good jobs out there.

But would it be a good idea, career-wise, to bail right now? That's where it really gets complicated...because the answer is, no, it wouldn't. Probably. I think?

I'm kinda confused. Nothing new there.

Posted by Mark at 02:46 PM | Comments (0)

December 08, 2004

Kara meets a squirrel

kara_and_squirrel.jpg

Not a real squirrel though. Stuffed-type.

Posted by Mark at 12:37 PM | Comments (0)

mantle and wreath

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Our more tastefully decorated mantle. I was disappointed to find that about half my strings of lights didn't work this year.

Posted by Mark at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)

christmas in the ghetto

can_christmas_tree_closer.jpg

Why, it's our Christmas tree! It is made of 17 cans of Bud Light, some hot glue, and a string of white lights.

Posted by Mark at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)

December 06, 2004

royal flush in love

can_tree_beginnings.jpg

I am the luckiest man ever. Sometimes I forget that, and Kara reminds me.

I have some pictures to post, but I'll do most of them tomorrow. But here's a teaser. Whatever could that stack of beer cans be?!?

P.S. It's a cheesy subject line. I DO NOT CARE.

Posted by Mark at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)

December 05, 2004

33. guard 33.

When you are painting something, placing it directly on your newspaper drop cloth is a bad idea. Why? Well, the newspaper will stick to the dripping paint, and you'll have to sand it to get it off. A better idea is to use some blocks of scrap lumber to elevate the item above the drop cloth, so if paint drips, it will drip below and not cause sticking.

I went to Kate's James Bond party last night and had a good time. I dressed as "Guard #33." I don't think a lot of people "got" the costume. Basically, I wore my paintball camos, and put a name-tag on the front that said "Guard #33." The idea being, of course, that I was an extra...you know, the second guy from the left, who gets shot up by Bond and then falls, screaming, over the railing, during the climactic battle scene.

Anyway, the party was fun. As it was a mostly mixed-drink and hard-liquor party, I spent the majority of today recovering. I have some stuff around the house that has to get done, but it's probably not going to happen today.

The majority of my Christmas shopping is done now, I think. I hope people like their stuff.

Work should be quieting down soon. I have exactly one feature yet to add to the application, and once that's done, I have to do some bug fixing. I did a banner ad for Mark's side-project business, and he liked it, although I have to make a change to it in a moment here. Hopefully he'll have some contract work to throw my way, and that'll take care of part of my whole second-job thing. I guess I am still thinking about trying to find some kind of part-time bartending gig. I don't know. I have to think about it.

Posted by Mark at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)

December 03, 2004

things I would like

NOTE: I've updated some stuff that I've already gotten.

Here is the long-awaited Christmas list. If you are not a parent/sibling/girlfriend, you may move on; I expect nothing further from you, dear reader, than your continued patronage.

I will update this list as I think of stuff. Addendum: There are some items on the list that I would particularly like, that are not just sort of "Oh, these would be nice, but you know, whatever," but "Man, I hope I see these under the tree." They are bold.

Posted by Mark at 02:41 PM | Comments (0)

turkey, bars and cars

I have no excuse not to post. It has been awhile. If you've been reading the blog over the years, you know that I do tend to blog in bursts...some weeks, I'll have 3 or 4 entries a day. Then sometimes I'll blog once or twice in a month. I guess this has been more the latter.

So, catching up. Thanksgiving was nice. I went up, saw the family, ate turkey, drank beer. Highlights #1: Half-Life 2.

When I finally got around to finishing Half-Life 1, the game had been out for years, and the polish had faded somewhat. I just wasn't super-impressed. But seeing Half-Life 2 right after it was released just shows how far gaming has come. It ran with almost lifelike quality, even on my Dad's 3-year-old video card (the same one I have, coincidentally), and the physics was awesome. Picking up stuff and throwing it around just felt natural, and there was at least one neat physics puzzle in the bit that I played...you had to stack cinder blocks on the end of a board to counterbalance it, like a see-saw, so you could reach a ledge.

The game really moves. You hardly have time to catch your breath through the early portion of the game. I'm going to steal Dad's copy at Christmas, once he's done with it. Should give me a few nights of fun.

Highlight #2: I won at poker against my brothers. That was a well-earned $4. I won't say too much about my strategy, but I played a lot more aggressively than I usually do, and it paid off. Good times.

And I got some other stuff done, which was good, and which I'll write about eventually. But, it was a good holiday.

More recently, I've been working a lot as we try to finish up this last deadline. I did go out a couple nights this week, though. Tuesday was Tonic's 1-year anniversary, so I went out there with Chris for that, and it was good. I missed the bar scene so much...I know I'm trying to save money, but I have a feeling that NEVER going out is even worse than ALWAYS going out. I am going to make a conscious effort to give myself $20 to go out, at least once a week. I need the social interaction, and if I get it out of my system, I tend to be more responsible on the days I don't go out.

Last night I was at Hooters for wings with our contractors and some other co-workers. I'm honestly sad that the contractors are going to be leaving, even though I haven't been working directly with them for some time now...not really since the week with Kara.

Huh...ironically enough, they just left to go to the airport. Just makes me think about this project, and the last few months...hmm. I might have to was philosophical for a bit tonight.

Anyway, I didn't drink at Hooters...just iced tea. I had a time getting to sleep though. Too much caffeine.

I was Car Guy yesterday. When I walked out to my car in the morning, I noticed a golf-ball-sized bulge in the tire, and some cracked sidewall. I drove it to work, carefully, hoping that I wouldn't have a blowout...I made it there okay. I need to take it into Wal-Mart to get the tire, which is under warranty (thanks Dad!) replaced, but I don't quite have time to get up there right yet. So, I put the spare on. It was my first time actually changing a tire. That's a good thing to know how to do.

I was finishing up some stuff when my boss came back into the building and asked me if I had jumper cables. So I got to jump-start her Miata. That's a good thing for the performance review. Also, it lets me karmically repay the favor I got when a coworker helped me restart the Jetta when her tags were expired.

I have started my Christmas shopping, and to that end, I am going to put together a post of just stuff that I would like. Coming up in a moment.

Finally, it looks like Kara might come down here for New Year's! We've been together for six months...can you believe it?

Posted by Mark at 02:23 PM | Comments (0)