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March 11, 2009
steak, qa, tv
Kara's surprise for me turned out to be Smith and Wollensky's, where I ate a gigantic 14 oz chunk of perfectly-cooked filet with some nice sides. What service! She had mentioned on the OpenTable reservation that it was my birthday, and they gave me a hand-written card signed by the staff, plus a complimentary dessert with candle. Our waiter really knew his wine and was very pleasant besides. Highly recommended.
Today I'm getting ready for a software deployment, trying to do some last-minute QA...it's been worthwhile as I just discovered a bug that I know would have been an issue with some user somewhere. I'm at the home office; I think Labatt likes the company, although she seems to be getting hungry. I thought I was getting some Kitty Lap Time but she walked across me and continued on to the floor.
We were going to do dinner with the Pothiers but MJP is under the weather, so we'll meet up with them on Sunday to watch the Tool Academy reunion. This also means I get to watch LOST live.
P.S. Welcome to any new readers! Enjoy the minutiae of my fast-paced celebrity life!
Posted by Mark at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)
March 10, 2009
31
Birthdays are worth an update.
No major drama this year...30 is another decade, 31 is just another year. Kara got me a chocolate-chip cookie cake, and we opened gifts just after midnight last night. She got me a Lego picture frame and Lego salt and pepper shakers, and a copy of 1000 Places to See Before You Die, which I had seen at Veronika and Chuck's in Florida last week and been intrigued by. We spent a half-hour or so randomly thumbing through the pages, competitively putting K's and M's at the tops of the places we'd already seen. "Ha!" she would say, marking off someplace in Spain or Vermont, leaving me to grumble that "there's no entry for swimming across the Potomac." But I was able to initial the Lake District in England and the Isle of Skye, so I think we're about even.
There's some disagreement on what constitutes "seeing" a place; I've been to the Rhine Valley but they weren't running boat tours at that time of year, so can I cross it off the list if I haven't actually sailed down the river? If nothing else, we have a good excuse to go back to some places we've been and spend some more time.
We're working on vacation plans for the year and it looks like we'll try to do some local trips to visit old friends, and hopefully go to Iceland this summer for our big trip. It's random but there are supposed to be good values there right now with their economy in such a poor state, and it's a short flight. Plus, part of the island is in the Arctic Circle, and if you go, you can see puffins and get a certificate that you've been to the Arctic Circle, which is cool. Literally.
Nothing much else to report. Went to Extreme Beerfest a few weeks ago; Brother Matt was in town with his roommate and we had some good and interesting beers. I think Cambridge Brewing was the winner with their very chocolate-milky CaCow. This past weekend we were visiting Veronika and Chuck in Ft. Lauderdale, and then to see Kara's Mum in Stuart where she's temping as a tax assistant for Kara's Aunt Cil. The next few weekends should be quiet. We need to pick a weekend to finally visit Matt in Philly, plus we've got 3 weddings this year, and we have to plan to Dalius family reunion...it's going to be a busy travel year.
Classes continue to go well. I was sick for a bit in January and February which led to me missing some days, but I'm better now. I'll knock out my core Strategy class this semester, along with Project Management, and then I'll take Understanding Financial Statements in the first summer session. Then it's just Fall and Spring, and I'll be done. It's definitely getting close to the end of the road, and it's amazing to think about how much I've learned. I feel like I've gotten some opportunities to apply it, and that should only increase once I've got the actual degree.
I'll try to get into the habit of blogging again. I usually keep my Facebook account updated rather than write long entries about what we ate for dinner last night. Writing's good for me though.
So, the plan for 31 is to keep on keeping on...no major life changes. Work out a little more, eat a little better, cook more, start playing guitar again, get our finances in order, remodel the kitchen, do more "stuff" out in Boston and the world, and generally keep on a productive path. I have to say, though, life is pretty good, and it keeps getting better.
Posted by Mark at 04:09 PM | Comments (0)