an unexpected gift

Seeing the new year in with my father...worth more to me than anyone will ever know.

stupid monkeys

Quite literally zero hours of sleep tonight. Brain monkeys keep eeping and jumping about, keeping the annoyingly unreliable sleep pixie from visiting. It's about 5am now...I keep hoping she'll get over her fear of primates and come by. Crossing fingers...

choice

''The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think, and what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny...it is the light that guides your way.''

--Heraclitus, Greek philosopher

[found in, of all places, an article by Doc Jensen about "LOST"]

bittersweet

Just spent the evening working with Dad on his playlist of songs he wants to be played at his funeral when the time comes. Very hard, very emotional for both of us, but I wouldn't have traded it for the world...it's another memory I'm going to carry with me for a very long time, of a very personal and meaningful time I shared with my father.

Thank you, da.

back to it

The 'day of rest' didn't quite turn out that way...stuff came up to get done, things people needed to get out of the house while they could, visitors coming over, and an annoying inability to nap [sleep has been eluding me lately...go fig]. But it worked out, and Dad was able to cross some things off his list, which is good.

Today is more 'crossing off'...heading "into town" to get some things mailed out, run random errands, and [with luck] eat at one of Dad's favorite burger/fries places [hello, Tom's...we shall see if your burgers and fries can compare with your ever-so-delicious handmade candies]. There was some pretty good snow and wind all day yesterday, so it will be interesting to see how the roads are...they are pretty good at keeping them clear around here, but when you've lost your snow-driving skills after many years in California, even a little bit keeps you on your toes. My guess is I will get re-acclimated to driving in winter weather just about the time all the storms stop and things clear up...

a day of rest

Nothing that absolutely has to get done today, no solid plans, everything Dad wants to get done has to wait until the business week starts up again. It's been pretty constant activity since I got here, so I think we are both looking forward to a day of vegging and napping and just chilling before it all starts up again.

<a hand quietly reaches around and hangs a "do not disturb" sign on the doorknob; the person that hand belongs to climbs back into a still-warm bed to try to get a bit more sleep>

mmmmm....

Dad is making his tacos. Om noms.

more memories being made

The quiet world, just after a snowstorm.

That awesome moment when you are driving and stop quickly...and a huge sheet of snow from the roof of the car comes slooshing down onto the windshield.

Going to the movies with Dad.

Showing him a few tricks for managing butter-drenched popcorn [see, sometimes an old dog can learn new tricks, and sometimes a young[er] pup can teach <grin>].

Catching up with relatives I haven't seen in a while.

Christmas eve with family, food, and quiet conversation. And no drama...a wonderful gift in itself.

Santa showing up after all, with something for me to wish and dream on.

The sound of wind howling and whistling outside, while I'm warm and cozy under blankets.

Hanging out with my nephews and getting away from things for a bit [thanks, guys].

The best present of all: time with my dad.

one to remember

Happy Christmas everyone...

on grief and greed and human nature

Even though may I understand some of the reasons behind it, some bits of human nature still frustrate and confuse me. When my grandmother died, I was only about twelve years old...but I saw what grief does to people and relationships, and how greed caused more heartache, and it really hit me on a very deep level. I've carried that with me since.

As she was coping with the fact that she was dying, the one thing my mother didn't want was a replay of the drama that happened when her mother died...and yet it happened. People being called vultures, some folks keeping track of who was getting what, others who felt they had more of a right to determine what went to whom.

It made me sad, very sad for my Mom...she would have hated to see it.

And now it's happening again. My father is having a blast, doing good with the money he and Mom worked so hard for all their lives...he is taking care of the people who meant a lot to my mother and to him, giving things away, working with people to help them get closer to their dreams, trying to bring some smiles to their faces and pass on some of the good fortune he spent a lifetime with Mom creating. He's making himself happy, and making my mother happy in memoriam. And for some reason, it's not enough for some people.

I've been thinking about it a lot. There seem to be four different stages of responses to the kind of philanthropy Dad and Mom were doing [and Dad is currently doing] as they planned for their deaths:

* "I'd like..." - these are the folks who, when my parents were giving things away, said "I would like to have", and then they would name some piece of furniture, some basket, some bit of jewelry, something that had special meaning to them or evoked memories for them.

* "I need..." - these people said "well, if you are really sure, I could use". Then they mentioned things like a heater, a television, a bedroom set. Practical items, things that they truly needed or were already planning to get on their own.

* "I want..." - this is where the fine line starts. Once the first two types of asking were done, it started turning into "well, if it hasn't been given away yet, I want". Not a need, no real connection to the item, just "this would be cool to have". Not necessarily a bad thing, and it still makes Dad happy to give things to people who will appreciate them [and I freely admit that I have quite a collection of knives and bags and lights from him to ship home], but it doesn't take much for it to devolve into greed just because something is there to be had. Which segues into the last type...

* "I want, so they can't have" - I'm seeing people take things just so that others don't have them, even if they have no need or even room for them. They don't think someone else has a right to something, or they are being just plain greedy, as if it were a free-for-all. So they grab and take and pile on and pile up and walk away with stuff just because it was there.

And on a slightly selfish note, here is where I end up totally screwing myself: I only ask for what I would like, and what I think I deserve. I did it during my divorce...legally, I was entitled to a full half of all of our assets [including our house]; instead, I only asked for a portion. And the same with Mom and Dad: I wanted them to spend their money on themselves and they way they wanted; after all, they were the ones that worked so hard for it. I didn't feel that I deserved or was entitled to any of it. If I needed something, I worked my ass off to get it: my car, my house, my motorcycle, my vacation to Disneyland, basically my life. It never occurred to me to expect them to provide any of that for me. Anything that I'm getting from Mom and Dad is an unexpected bonus, something I honestly have a hard time accepting, but am very grateful for and will make good use of.

Let me be clear: I have absolutely no problem with how Dad is handling things. Truthfully, I applaud him for it. And you know what? He's having a fricking blast doing it. It's fun to watch the joy he is getting by giving things away. I just wish people could be a little nicer to each other during all of it...it's not worth burning bridges about. In the end, the rest is all just stuff...it's the emotions, the memories, the people who count.

Luckily, some people see it for what it is, and are enjoying it and are grateful and kind and love him for doing it. Those are the ones I am trying to focus on...because that, too, is human nature. Good, bad, kind, self-focused, altruistic, loving, remote, greedy, giving. There is a song in my collection, by the band Nomad, which has some lyrics I try to live by:

"Keep your face to the sunshine, and you will not see the shadows."

Sometimes it's not easy to avoid the drama...but damn it, for my Dad's sake, and for my own, it's what I'm going to do. And if it means I get less, or don't get as much as others do, it doesn't matter...because I have this time with my Dad, I have my friendships with my parents [which I especially treasure], and I have a lifetime of what Mom and Dad taught me. I hope others are able to avoid the shadows, and see that side of all of this as well.

I love them, and they loved me. That's ultimately all that matters.

refrigerator wisdom

From a magnetic notepad on my parent's fridge:

"Take time from doing to enjoy being."

random neuron firings

It's funny the memories that pop up:

Dad twirling me up in the rope tire swing, then letting go and watching as I spun back down and giggled like crazy...then jumping back quickly as I threw up on his feet.

Mom's spaghetti, Dad's goulash.

Riding in the car with Grandma, listening to her eight-track of "Hit the Road, Jack".

Dad chasing the armadillo.

Dad catching the armadillo.

Christmases in lots of places, with two constants: Mom and Dad making us wait while they finished their coffee [sheer torture, trust me], and Dad's awesome pocket knife that could open any package.

Driving Mom's Jetta around the block from the garage, and not stalling it once [never got out of first, but still...].

Moving into the house in Trinway, and the various stages it went through over the years.

Mom and Dad, cuddling in the recliner, giggling over some private joke.

And new ones being made now, and which will inspire a 'gosh, I remember when' blog post years from now:

Dad being there at the airport...with bells on.

Dad fixing bacon and eggs, and the bacon being just right...crispy on the ends, less in the middle.

Being shown cool lights and knives and tools and bags, and getting to pick from a large selection.

Realizing even more things that I have in common with Dad.

That's what it's all about: the memories, the experiences, the sharing. So thank you, da, for sharing time with me...

quote from a friend

From Dorothy Thompson: "Courage, it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow."

[thank you, Tony...]

leave of absence

Taking some time to head to Ohio and be with my Dad...taking a leave of absence from work so I can be there as long as I need.

Miss you, da...see you soon.

a rare moment

Pepper and Bean chilling on the couch:

sick cats, long nights, and great big seas

A 'meh' weekend...Friday was spent burning a sick day and getting further behind at work, had to stay home with Bean [who wasn't doing well]. That set the pattern for the weekend: keeping an eye on her, trying to get her to eat, medicating her, cleaning her up when she needed cleaning, trying to give her plenty of chances to stay quiet.

Sunday night was an attempt at a more normal evening: Will and I headed to Santa Cruz to see Great Big Sea. It was weird being there, seeing Alan's shoulder-length brown hair and realizing it hasn't changed in years. Many years. Then I thought about just how long I've been going to see the guys in concert, and realized it's likely been fourteen or fifteen years. Wow. Which started me thinking about life back then, and Ope and Kristen visiting and Ope getting so excited about this Celtic group he wanted to share with us, only to have me run to the CD collection and pull out their album. He was a bit disappointed that he wasn't the one to do the introducing, but then he realized how awesome it was that we'd been drawn to the same group, and we had an awesome time playing the album, trying to sing along with 'Mari-Mac' and 'End of the World' [and failing hilariously].

GBS still has it...same three core guys, Alan, Sean, and Bob, singing their hearts out and having a blast. Venue was a bit odd, seats instead of an open dance floor, but everyone came together and stood up and danced, in spite of the chairs. Their voices are awesome, they played the classics, the crowd pleasers, and some new stuff. They closed the evening by coming away from the microphones, standing on the edge of the stage, motioning for the crowd to quiet down...and then singing an amazing acapella song. No mikes, no instruments, just the guys singing in beautiful harmony to a very receptive crowd.

Can't wait to see them come around again. Can't believe how many times I've seen them come around already. And I can't believe the changes my life has gone through, and that a little band from Newfoundland has been one of the constants through an inconstant time.

Thanks for the soundtrack, guys.

fun with anesthesia

I hate anesthesia. Or rather, I hate the effects of coming back from anesthesia. They are hitting Bean hard...her systems are waking up, and with a vengeance. She's having a rough morning, which means I'm having a rough morning. Add in antibiotics that are known to upset her systems even more, and it's going to be a fun, fun day.

the power of xrays

Got a call from the vet...they reviewed Bean's xrays [taken as part of her super-uber-exam], and it turns out that some time in the past, she had some pretty serious surgery on her back right leg. It's call FHO [femoral head ostectomy], and essentially the round ball head of the femur is totally removed, and the femur is left to create fibrous tissue in the joint instead. We think it was a result of the dog attack I was told happened to her when she was younger [before I adopted her]; the leg was either broken or severely dislocated, causing bone-on-bone contact and damage to the hip. The intense pain could only be alleviated by an FHO procedure.

So now we know why she has that weird sashay in her back leg...no ball in the ball-and-socket joint to keep her leg aligned.

Weird.

monetary, emotional, and moral dilemmas

By the end of today, I will have spent almost $4000 on Bean's medical costs, in less than one month [ouch]. Her recent IC flare-up, the resulting emergency room visit and overnight stay, the annual check-up right after that, and now as part of the dental cleaning [involving sedation], they found that she had "resorptive lesions" on three teeth [a genetic condition in which the enamel is absorbed back into the body, exposing the root and causing pain and potential tooth fracture]. Only treatment: extraction surgery. It's not the same as decay, which can have the treatment put off for a while...it's something that should be done as soon as possible. And since it's full surgery, it's not cheap.

The timing is rotten...one of those "if I'd known, I wouldn't have done x, y, or z" situations. It's not just the money [though that's a hard one, especially since I'm a "single income household"]...there's also the time factor. While Will is awesome, and has gone above and beyond with pitching in, I'm still a very self-sufficient person, and it's hard for me to just let others take over things that are my responsibility. So I'm juggling work, the cats, and a thousand other things that need my attention...and sadly, it's not enough. So trying to prioritize and just let some things fall away, which sucks, and hurts my organized, retentive, "I can do it" soul.

Keep trying to remind myself: breathe in, breathe out. [Sighing is breathing, right??]

thank you

Veteran's Day...thank you, da.

back to reality

As some of you folks know, I've been lucky enough to pretty much drop off the face of the earth for a bit...took an honest-to-gourd vacation, went to Disneyland with Will, did a lot of motoring, and basically got to relax and go completely offline and chill. So if you've sent me emails, IMs, text, voicemail, carrier pigeons, or postcards, I'm way, waaaay behind in answering...working my way through the backlog, along with catching up at work.

Vacation. An awesome concept, great while you are in the midst of it, but utterly sucky to have to return from. Phooey on reality.

halloween idea

Leavenworth Lincoln :^)

poor bean

Long story short: Bean spent the night in the veterinary emergency room...came home to find blood in the litter pan and over the bathroom floor. Possibly a flair up of what hit her a few years ago [though we are hoping it's just bacterial]. She's home now, but in pain and having troubles moving around and using the litter pan. We'll know more when the results get back from the lab...

happy today to me, or in the local vernacular...

...happy faceversary. Been two years since I started full time at Facebook; a bit longer since I started as a contractor. An interesting ride, to say the least...

end of an era, new beginnings

Traded in my MINI this past weekend...surprisingly hard to say goodbye to him. He was the first custom order the Mountain View dealership took after it opened; I was there on their second day in business, with my order all configured online and ready to go. He held up very well over the next seven and a half years, especially considering the big chance I took on the first model year of a basically totally new type of car. We went on rallies together, had a blast on Thunderhill Raceway, motored north, south, to the coast, to Vegas, to Hoover Dam, all kinds of places. Quirky, unique, very fun, different. Definitely my kind of car, which is why...

...I traded him in for a brand new one. Brand new MINI Cooper S [only 7 miles on the odometer when I picked it up]; red with white roof and mirrors, white bonnet stripes, 17" black rims, premium accessory packages, sporty leather seats, red leather details on the interior. Much sportier, much more powerful, and a total blast to drive. Named him Sparky, for his resemblance to a fire engine...trying to get a personalized plate now.

Soooo hard to sit at work when all you want to do is go motoring... >.<

sigh

A co-worker's father just died. Suddenly. She [my co-worker] was sitting there, working away, and her phone rang...and then she just kind of crumpled and started sobbing. My heart aches for her...and if I'm brutally honest, it's aching for me too. Seeing her get that call brought back that Friday when Dad had to call me about Mom...and it hurts even more, knowing that there is another phone call in my future about my own dad.Yes, it's life. Yes, it happens to all of us. But that doesn't make it ache any less.

being a good firefighter's wife

Will is working the Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival with the SCFD, so I'm heading there to support him and see what they've got him doing. 90+ degree heat, so it's a bit warm...and he gets to spend it in a dark shirt, wool uniform pants, and black work boots.

But don't you just love a man in uniform? <grin>

heading out

Going to 104.9's "Big Show"...Flogging Molly, The Airborne Toxic Event, Jack's Mannequin, All-American Rejects, The Limousines, and other bands that I can't remember right now (doh). Should be a good show.

yay! boo!

yay! weekend!
boo! grumbly pissy Stacey for no really good reason...

yay! thunder, grey skies, and rain...my favorites!
boo! Will's first flying lesson was scrubbed due to turbulence...

yay! Fun times in San Jose for Jon's birthday...yummy dinner, then a movie with the gang.
boo! No boo for this one...it was a good time, got to see folks again and meet some new ones, found some amazing and random stuff in common with his sister. Anti-boo!

yay! Will got to throw ladders and get more practice with SCBAs with the SCFD!
boo! he ended up with bruises, sore muscles, and an out-of-alignment back :^(

yay! Will got to go flying the next day!
boo! Stacey lost her grey skies and rain <grin>

yay! Mountain View Art & Wine Festival
boo! uhhh...no boo on that one, either. I really enjoyed being there with Will. Huzzah! A win!

yay! Stacey cranked and beat a work deadline by more than a day!
boo! it all starts over again, with nary a break...

yay! really good dental check-up!
boo! dentist chair = neck pain = headache and neck spasms = monster migraine [owee]

yay! ice pack, migraine meds, and dark room
boo! no interwebs whilst lying flat on your back, so later, gator...off I go

i like this

It is a sad world where the capable and the thorough are forced to amend their actions to accommodate the efforts of the less capable, the lesser trained, or the less industrious. However, it is our world, and we must live within its confines, until we are able to change those circumstances.

mostly crappy weekend

Maybe not full-on "crappy", but it was a bummer of a weekend. Will was on-call, and he got called. A lot. Every day of the three-day weekend, for hours at a time. Even when he'd addressed the issue at hand, he still needed to stay online and be available as others did their sides of things, so we were held hostage all weekend.

Managed to salvage some of it late Monday [after he'd been working from 8a past 2p]...grabbed some lunch, got some shopping done, did some wandering about. But it's just not the same the night before you head back to work as it is the first day of a three-day weekend... :^(

Oh well. Life goes on and all that crap. We have jobs, we have family [blood and chosen], we have each other, we have our health. Guess I shouldn't bitch too much, eh?

poor puppy...

Will had to take his dog in for surgery this morning...he's having a tumor removed, poor little guy. :^(

Crossing our fingers that everything goes all right...

goodbye, uncle steve

You gave me my first motorcycle ride...big bad-ass Hell's Angel, lifting his twelve year-old niece up onto his Harley, patiently making sure her helmet is on right before taking off.

It's a good memory.

guess where I am today?

guess where I am today?,
originally uploaded by tiredcynic.

We had to get our photos for our Premium passes before the big October trip, so we jaunted down for a day trip.

So far, we've done Pirates, Haunted Mansion, the Jungle Cruise, and Space Mountain (which was AWESOME!!)...we're sitting on the Disneyland Train, riding around and chilling before we head back to the airport. (California Adventures will have to wait for October, I guess.)

I have now officially been to Disneyland.

And I'm definitely coming back.

proof positive

You guys thought I was kidding about the food they serve here at Facebook...

http://www.foodgal.com/2009/08/inside-the-cafe-at-facebook-headquarters/

cracker jacks, etc.

Ballgame with Will last night, Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks. Went with Callahan, Serge, and Betsy, thanks to a vendor who offered tickets to the Virgin America Loft at AT&T Park. Awesome seats, good time, and one of the more exciting final 15 minutes of a baseball game I've seen. Giants were ahead by 3 going into the 9th, and they managed to give up two runs in about 10 minutes...finally won it on a wimpy little ground drive, snagged and thrown to first. Final score, 5 to 4, Giants. Cheer, yell, whoo.

[btw, the Loft was amazing. I was expecting one of the skyboxes: glassed in, sterile, removed. Nope. This thing is fricking *right* down on the field, just beyond 1st, with a full row of outdoor seats to go with the fancypants indoor area. Very nice, close to the action, excellent view of everything, and directly under the effing COLD water that goes spewing high into the air when the Giants hit a home run. Not too shabby.]

a very good weekend indeed

Friday was fun, with the desk decoration and cake and hanging with folks at Facebook's weekly happy hour. Friday night was chill, feeding the cats, hanging out with Will, snarfing nummy Panda Express Orange Chicken [they now sell the Orange Sauce in bottles!!], grabbing pieces of Safeway carrot cake [my favorite!] for the next day, and generally relaxing and enjoying not having to do anything or be anywhere. Which pretty much describes the weekend, actually...with the exception of Will's meeting with his flight instructor and some work maintenance on Sunday, the entire weekend was ours to do with as we pleased. It was one of the more relaxed weekends I've had in a very long time, even though we did a lot of running around and got a lot of stuff done.

Saturday morning started earlier than hoped, but was still good. Can't complain about a day that starts with birthday carrot cake and beautiful flowers first thing in the morning. Then we rambled about, watching some telly, taking it easy, and headed out into the day. Got a lot of things done: furniture shopping for Will, computer shopping, lots of running around...but all of it was stuff we *wanted* to do, not *had* to do. Amazing what a difference that makes. Found a couple of *awesome* shirts for Will at Marc Ecko Cut and Sew...polos that fit him perfectly, with the Cut and Sew logo on them [look it up and you'll see why I like it <grin>]. Found a nice zip-up hoodie for me there, and it was crazy on sale...ten bucks, baby. It was a fun retail therapy day [complete with a shared Cinnabon], though a bit hard for me...I'm fairly careful with my money, and very used to being self-sufficient and taking care of myself, so it's odd and hard for me to relax and let someone else pay for things for me. And it's especially awkward right now, because Will isn't quite used to the fact that I don't expect or need him to buy things for me, so there's some adjusting we are doing [but as far as adjustments go, it's a good problem to have].

Along those lines, I am now a proud user of a Mac Pro awesome kick-ass desktop machine. It's a hand-me-down: I'm still a bit woogy with having things bought for me, so a new machine just for me wasn't an option. Instead, Will upgraded to a new one, and I get to use his old one, which is by no means obsolete [or even close]. Now I've finally got a machine powerful enough to game with...which is dangerous indeed. There goes my last excuse for avoiding EQ2... :^)

Sunday was a bit more along the 'things we *have* to do' line: furniture delivery and setup, Will had his flight instruction and work maintenance, but the rest of the time was ours. Dinner at Blowfish Sushi [seriously good], random running about for bedding and supplies, and a camera purchase for Will. Actually, a lot more money was spent for him than me over my birthday weekend...but I'm okay with that. <grin>

All in all, a very good time...there were loved ones that I wished could be there to share it with me, and I missed them horribly, but in general, a good time. So now it's back to work, back to the grind. Always a bit harder to do after a free-form weekend like that...but a girl's gotta make a living, right?

a good start to a great day

a good start to a great day,
originally uploaded by tiredcynic.

birthday fun

The folks I work with are awesome...check out my day [click on the pics to see them bigger [and blurrier]]:





I love that they knew I'd love the skull theme, and the "Watchmen" DVD [from Sho] and the Bone Chiller ice-cube trays [from Phil] made me smile...I love that they know me so well.

Add in the pirate flag, the pirate hat, skull/pirate-themed temporary tattoos, and my favorite, the eyepatches on the skulls on my desk [yes, the skulls were already there], and it made for an awesome day at work.

Thanks everyone!!

a good surprise

These just showed up for me here at work:


An early birthday present from my dad. He's a good one. I miss him a lot.

psycho ex-girlfriend

Wow...

renaissance man

Will got sworn in last night as a volunteer firefighter for Santa Clara county. It was a good time...rather 'thrown together', with the chief confusing the times for the ceremony, but worked out well. His friends were there to share it with him: Nate and Kim and their daughter Molly, and Jon and Bree and their son Logan. It was good to hang with them, especially since we got extra time together because we showed up an hour early, due to the aforementioned confusions. Saw Manuel and Ross again, which was cool; got to see and meet some of the other guys. Will took the oath, we got some pictures taken [thanks Nate!], he got assigned to his company, met his captain and his company mates, and then we headed out.

So now I'm dating a skydiving, motorcycle-riding, firefighting [soon], snowboarding, mountain-biking man who is currently in ground school as he works towards his pilot's license.

Makes me tired just watching him. <grin>

thank you, dan aykroyd!

How awesome is this??


To be fair, my Russian friend tells me the vodka it contains is not the best [to paraphrase his strong opinion], and I tend to trust this guy's opinions on vodka, but you have to admit the bottle is frickin' AWESOME.

Something tells me that most of it is bought just for the bottle alone...

introversion fun for everyone!

A busy Saturday: a BBQ for the newest members of the Santa Clara County Fire Department's Volunteer Division, an honor that Will put in over a year-and-a-half of time to get. He gets sworn in a few weeks from now, but they had the barbeque a bit early...a good meet-n-greet for current and new members of the department. An awesome group of people, hung out with his other fellow "new guys", met a bunch of the firefighters and other volunteers, heard stories, got to know the Chief a little. All in all, an awesome day, followed up by hours of playing Civiliation IV with Will [danger, danger!! Time sink!! Danger!].

Sunday was literally a day of rest for me. Frickin' introversion killed me...I had an awesome time Saturday, but apparently it drained me [and my resources were already a bit low, so I was screwed]. Slept really well, got up, watched some Winnie the Pooh while curled up on the couch with Will...and fell asleep. Woke up a little later, he got up to get ready, I was going to shower...and I fell asleep. Woke up, found Will playing Civilization IV, so plopped down behind him to watch him play and conquer the world at Ghandi's expense...and I fell asleep.

Apparently I needed some sleep. >.<

july 4th weekend [warning - long post]

Finally made the time to get these up and online...as promised, pics and details of an awesome July 4th weekend, with many thanks to Will and Nate. [click on pics to see the larger version]

Friday was chilling and indulging in doing nothing much at all [ahhhh....bliss]. Saturday was wandering, meandering, do what we feel like, including finally making a trip to the Hiller Aviation Museum by the San Carlos airport.

A cool place, very plane-nerdy, lots of hands-on stuff, including a Blue Angels F-18 cockpit you can climb into, and a 747 engine and the front half of the plane that you can explore [holy carp, those things are *huge*]. Pretty cool place, pretty fun time...glad we went.

We spent Sunday afternoon [the 5th] with Nate...he very graciously volunteered to fly us around as he logged some of the required hours for his license.

Nate was awesome...answered all my questions thoroughly and patiently, took us on an awesome loop south along the coast, basically following Highway 1 over Santa Cruz, towards Monterey.


As we neared the Monterey airport [KMRY], we saw four F-16s parked off the taxiway...and just as we pulled the plane up and parked it, they took off one after the other right in front of us [quite literally...we were parked facing the runway, so we got a front row seat to the fun].

That was amazing...the power, the RRUMMMMBBBLLEEE as they went nearly vertical directly in front of us, feeling the bass in your bones. Utter, utter awesome-sauce.

We ate at The Golden Tee in the terminal [and later dealt with the fish 'n' chips fighting back >.< ], then headed back out to the plane to head home. As we taxied towards holding, we saw two F-18s on the taxiway in front of us [squee!!].

More awesomeness...being that close to them, watching them take off directly ahead of us, giggling at the tower telling us very calmly to "be aware that there are two F-18s taking off ahead of you, so there will be turbulence from the jetwash", loving that a little Cessna was taking off right behind frickin' military jets. Can I use the word 'awesome' again???


A straight shot back to KPAO, excellent landing, park the plane, and then back to come down from an incredible weekend. Even stomach/digestive issues from the greasy fish couldn't entirely ruin it...


Thank you, Nate. Any time you need an excuse to go flying, I'm happy to give you one.

thicker

Donated blood today...learned the interesting fact that a pint of blood weighs about 17.5 ounces. A whole frickin' pound. Who knew??

see? told you...

Heh...I called it. This showed up in my inbox a bit ago:

"After announcing back in February that Nine Inch Nails' round of dates
with Jane's Addiction would be the band's last U.S. tour, Trent Reznor
now says he's not quite ready to call it quits."

Somehow I knew it wasn't going to be their last tour... <grin>

sending love to dad

Been thinking of you much...love you.

quick update, more later

Good weekend, though it ended on an icky note. Much relaxing and chilling and movie watching; went to Hiller Aviation Museum and played in a Blue Angels' cockpit and a 747 engine [pics to come]. Kept the aviation theme going with an awesome flight with Will and Pilot Nate, flying around and about and generally south, landing at the Monterey airport for lunch. Four F-16s took off just after we got there, and we got to watch from the side of the runway [words can't describe just how amazing that was]. Two F-18s were ahead of us on the runway as we left, so we got to see them take off from a pilot's eye view...loved the tower warning us about possible turbulence from their engines.

It got ickier after that...something I ate didn't agree with me [we suspect the fish and chips, since Will was suffering too]. Unhappy innards, restless stuck-at-home sick day, but a very sweet and patient man to share it all with [gee, lucky him]. Back at work today...not really feeling better, but have too much to do to lose another day [darn it].

With luck, I'll get some pictures of the good stuff posted soon...

saying goodbye to a sweet old lady

he's heading back

Dad left for his trek home a little bit ago. House is quiet, sad, and a bit more cluttered than before he came. <smile>

he's on the way!

Squee!!!

evil, pure and simple

Just got called to the main lobby...I had a flower delivery. There sits as arrangement of yellow and red roses [yellow with red tips...gorgeous] and a gift, delivered by a florist less than a mile down the street. And the card is written in his own handwriting: "The suspense is terrible, but it's almost over. Love, Da."

Did I say evil? <grin>

evil, evil man

Dad called me...he's somewhere in Palo Alto, but won't tell me where. "I may just pull over and sack out somewhere for a while," he says. Then he mentions the name of the street that Facebook is on, saying the speed bumps were nasty and he hopes the stuff in the trailer survived. "Where the heck are you?? I'll come out and meet you at the door if you are close," I say. He just gives a low giggle in reply. He's loving it.

Evil, I tells ya...

even closer

Dad is getting closer...he should be here in a few days [if I don't lose him to Reno <grin>].

weird place

Had this weekend pretty much to myself, and realized it was the first one I've had in a very long time...pretty much since before Mom died. And it was weird...there's been so much drama since then, big and little, that I've not really had any downtime to assimiliate it all. And it's still happening: family drama still going on [heavy sigh], found out that I'm apparently still being stalked by Will's exes [sigh], work is a paycheck [good] but not a fit for me [not as good], I haven't had the energy to get as much time on my motorcycle as I'd like [sigh], I'm sad for the drama going on in the lives of a couple close friends [sending love to them], and other random things that add to the day-to-day juggling.

So this weekend alone was good in the 'assimilation of a lot of crap that's been going on' sense, but hard in the 'feeling up and that all is right with the world' sense. I know I'll get there...and part of getting there involves exactly what this past weekend provided: solitude, the ability to just be in my own skull for a while and let things rattle about in whatever way they need to. But darn it, I want to get there faster...harrumph.

can't wait

Dad is more than halfway here. Can't wait to see him...

summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime...

We have a new toy.

It's only a '99, no power anything, and it has over 84K miles on it, but it's in awesome shape [one owner who frickin' *babied* the thing], has a decent stereo and alarm system, was purchased from a dealer [so it's had a full inspection and overhaul], and has a 12-month/12K mile full warranty...not too shabby for a 10 year-old car. And now I have something to learn to drive stick on [and even a volunteer instructor with years of Miata experience].

Let the sunburns, windburns, and tangled hair begin...

a much-needed recharge

A very good, very mellow weekend...it helped that it was a three-day one. Slept in on Saturday, which I haven't done in a while. Rambled about, chilling, playing with cats, reading, then headed south with Will to get some practicing done on my bike [he found a very cool parking lot that was perfect].

After we got back, we spent a relaxing evening starting to get caught up on Fringe episodes, which continued into the next day...interrupted only by a very random trip to CostPlus and the purchase of some more-fun-than-expected half-yard glasses:

Much Corona, a few limes, and an entire bag of Lime Tostito chips were consumed...amazing how easy it is to work your way through a box of Corona when drinking out of 650ml glasses. More Fringe watched, a very fun and somewhat tipsy evening was had, and thanks to judicious ingestion of aspirin and water, we even managed to avoid nasty hangovers the next morning [mostly].

Sunday was way, way mellow...lounging about, enjoying the weather, heading out for some Johnny Rockets [mmm, vanilla Diet Coke], finally finishing the Fringe season [we were waaay behind, but now we are caught up]. Then sadly it was time for the long weekend to end and real life to encroach again...darn it. :^(

But it was a very, very, very good weekend.

working on it

Managed to find the energy and a good location to get some more "saddle time" this weekend...see, here's proof:

In motion:

Artsy shadowy shot:

A better view of the BatBike:

I'm getting there, slowly but surely...

[big thanks to my photographer/mentor/all-around-patient-guy Will ]

ache

Mom's birthday today.

ugh, busy, blegh, better

Ugh: 90 to near-100 degree weather over the weekend, no AC. But on the fun side, we recharged Will's AC in his car [Pep Boys sells DIY kits...who knew??], and it worked beautifully. Huzzah.

Busy: Trying to close April, pack up old office, get settled into new office, and finish audit, all at once. Cue circus music.

Blegh: Something I ate didn't like me [or the heat or stress or not drinking enough water or who knows]...missed a day of work, but Will was sweet enough to bring my laptop and some paperwork home for me so I ended up getting some really good work done in between "interruptions".

Better: Feeling better now...hopefully whatever it was has passed. Now I just need to get some good sleep, and I'll be back a little closer to 100%.

packing, moving, new start

Facebook is moving this weekend, and Game Day is tomorrow, so today is pretty much a wash as everyone prepares for the move. I have to admit, as much as I miss being in IT, it's nice not having to be part of the move team. This will be the first corporate move I *haven't* helped plan, and I've got to tell you: it feels good to sit back and let someone else handle it for a change. It's hard though...I'm very used to taking care of myself [heh...just ask Will], so it's weird to not be organizing things and making them happen. But I think I'll adapt... <snort>

hisgraine, hergraine, yourgraine, migraine

Another migraine, only about three weeks after my last one. Definitely weird...for years, I've only been getting these maybe every quarter or so, if then. This one was [is] bad: three separate instances of sparklies and obstructed field of vision [the middle one was near total...very freaky], and the pain is still hitting after almost 24 hours now. It was bad enough that I was in tears at my desk, and I finally threw in the towel and headed home. So I had an evening of Excedrin Migraine [aspirin, acetaminophen, caffeine] plus ice packs, and a heating pad for the resulting knot in my back [a nasty one, sensitive to even a simple touch]. At work now with a ball cap pulled low over the eyes, bottle of meds on the desk, trying to move as little as possible.

And can I just say that I have the coolest guy ever? He dropped everything to drive me home, stopped to get food and meds for me, then made sure the dogs were quiet and things were nice and dark for me when we got there. He kept me distracted with DVDs since I couldn't nap, and pretty much spoiled me rotten. He's a good one... <smile>

lumpy days

A good weekend, though a lumpy one. Been running on fumes for the past few months, and it's catching up...very 'meh' mood, that 'don't wanna' slump that hits and seems to greatly increase gravity under you and keeps you from wanting to do much of anything.

Still managed to get stuff done and have fun, though: saw the new Wolverine movie [good as a movie, but some *terrible* continuity errors and really annoying plot parts that were introduced then just totally ignored], Will took me up to Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton [hurrah for 120 year-old telescope and 120" new telescopes], we watched two Star Trek movies, did dishes, dirtied dishes, made spaghetti [hence the dirty dishes], slept in, bummed around, fed the cats, played with the dogs, chilled, played EQ2 [well, he played while I spectated], bought some board games and brought some of mine down to his place for future playing [Mille Bornes FTW], random chilling and wandering.

Heh...guess it was actually pretty packed for being totally lumpy and lazy. <grin>

still cranking

Met some deadlines at work, making it through the audit a bit at a time, new tasks and deadlines raising their ugly heads. Got the okay from my manager for some time in June, so I'll get to spend some time with my dad [yay]. The Prodigy concert is coming up next month...we thought about going to see NIN, especially since Will had heard that they weren't touring anymore, but apparently they are pimping themselves out all over the place, so it looks like we'll have plenty of chances. <grin>

Weather has been wacky, with near-100 degree temperatures in the day and 50s in the evening. Bad side: no AC. Good side: crank the windows open at night to let in the cooler air, which helps mitigate the heat during the day. Dogs seem to handle it well, cats are none the worse for wear. Cooler weather coming for the weekend [huzzah].

Still not sleeping well, and it's showing...random crap like sending email to wrong folks, or losing things, or not being able to find the right words in the mental thesaurus. With luck, the cooler weather and a weekend will set things right.

Hmmm...what else...saw 'Fast & Furious', which was fun [I'm sooo not a chick-flick chick, so this was my kind of movie]. Not a lot going on outside of work lately...go to work, go home, relax with Will or some friends, toss-turn-try-to-sleep, get up, go to work, repeat. Things will settle down eventually....there is good stuff coming up, like Dad's visit, and Disneyland, and putting miles on my motorcycle. So in the meantime, I keep cranking, keep breathing, relax when I can, and keep my eyes on the horizon...

catching up

Summary: good days, rough nights.

Got out on my motorcycle for the first time on Saturday...very, very different from the lower-to-the-ground Suzuki GZ250 I rode in the MSF class. The center of gravity is way higher, and the four-cylinder engine makes for a less forgiving clutch/throttle when first starting out...need to rev it higher to keep it from stalling, and the friction zone is really small. Once it's going though, it's very smooth and very forgiving...and much, much quieter than Will's V-twin [at least until I get confident enough to rev it up, then the high-pitched inline-four "VREEEEEEE" will be heard throughout the neighborhood]. It was much more tiring than I expected, so much going on: brain thinking about every little move and movement, trying to coordinate entire body and be quadridextrous. A learning curve, but one that will pay off.

90+ degree days meant I didn't get to ride beyond that first outing...way, way too hot. Spent Sunday cleaning up my lawn furniture and getting it set up in Will's backyard, then chilling with him, a beer, a couple dogs, and some music. Much needed relaxation and downtime...got zero hours of sleep the night before [been battling the insomnia since I got back from Ohio, but that was by far the worst night yet]. Sadly, not much better the next night [or the night after]...hence "rough nights".

Now trying to keep my muzzy brain focused to get through the workday...insomnia can have some subtle effects that creep in, especially when dealing with email and spreadsheets and mind-numbing audit details. Blegh.

[but I got to ride my motorcycle...yay! and share good off-the-grid time with Will...yay! and watch some entertaining movies...yay! So it's not *all* bad...]

without the chick in the way

Here is a better pic of the bike, all shiny and new:

vroom

(well, maybe not quite "vroom" yet, but I'll get there...soon.)

it's official...

...as of today, I am a motorcycle owner.

double w00t.

it's official...

...as of yesterday, I am a licensed motorcyclist.

w00t.

still breathing

Struggling, but still breathing. Missing my mom, missing my dad. Trying hard to get caught up at work, but it's rough since there is no one cross-trained on what I do [so when I am out, nothing gets done and it all waits for me to return]. People as individuals are being amazing, but the bureaucracy is unforgiving...because the team is *supposed* to be able to cover if any one person is unavailable, management doesn't/won't make any allowances for my time away. Plus they've moved a deadline *up* by a week and a half, right in the middle of an annual audit...I'm trying hard to keep it all together.

But hey, I've got the okay to work as much overtime as I need to... [sigh]

'thank you' just isn't enough

To everyone who has texted, emailed, commented, called, hugged, written, remembered, laughed, cried:

Thank you.

. . .

I was too late...they had to let her go while I was still in the air.

I love you, Mom...

thank you...

Thanks for the wishes, everyone...sorry I haven't been able to get back to you personally yet. I'm lucky to have you guys...

long night

My mom is in critical care, on a ventilator in a medically-induced coma. Hanging by the phone for updates or the call to come home...and thinking about her and my dad a lot. Love you...

love you, mom...

Love and thoughts, Mom and Dad...

oh brother

Zuck is going to be on Oprah this Friday. Guess Facebook has truly entered the zeitgeist.

the details [LONG]

WARNING: REALLY LONG POST AHEAD

Summary: passed the California motorcyle safety course, very tired and sore, rained on second day and bike slid out from under me, survived to ride another day.

Now for the longer version:

Many years back, I took the motorcycle safety course...I passed it, but for a lot of reasons [budget for a bike being the biggest], I didn't turn it into a license. It's a decision I've regretted over the years [as my friends know from hearing me talk about it <grin>], and I finally nutted up and made it happen.

The class itself was different from the one I'd taken before: classroom time was much less interactive and being taught, and much more "split into groups, use the book to answer this list of questions". More efficient, definitely, and the questions were ones that showed up later on the written test, so in that sense, it prepared us for passing. For actually internalizing and understanding the "why" behind the techniques, though, it wasn't as good. The range time was much better than the earlier curriculum, though. The exercises were well paced, and they built on each other smoothly...you had time to ease into a skill, practice it, then you moved on to something slightly more difficult. The coaches were patient and really paid attention, so you got a chance to put book learning into action, see the hows and whys, and get a real-world feel for things.

I did the "all three days in a row" option: Friday night in classroom from 6:30p to 10p; Saturday morning on the range from 7a [gack] to 12:30p, then classroom from 1:30p to 3:30p; and Sunday morning on the range from 7a to about 12p [first 4 hours or so of new exercises and riding, then the final riding test].

Friday night:

I met other riders-to-be from both my group [the morning group] and the afternoon group [they would be in class while we were riding, and riding in the afternoons after we finished]. Some annoying rah-rah participation stuff: "Now we are going to go around the room...you have to tell us the name of someone else at your table, and one thing about them." Then we started in on reading a list of questions, then flipping back and forth in the book to answer them. Once we did that, each group answered a set of questions and we talked about them. Pretty standard classroom stuff. Only odd bit is that our session was part of a 'coach refresh/peer review' thing, so instead of the more normal 2-3 coaches, we had 10-12 of them, all trading off. A little weird, but interesting to see the different styles and personalities.

Saturday morning:

Seven frickin' o'clock in the morning...got there early, hung out watching the coaches inspect the course for debris and bring out the bikes. Hung out with some of the coaches, chatting, waiting for others to arrive. I had my own gear [helmet, jacket, gloves], so I kind of stood around while the others were picking out theirs from the stuff provided. Finally we were ready, and we picked a bike...I went for the Suzuki GZ250 [dark green, of course <grin>].

And away we went. I won't detail each exercise...we learned clutch control, throttle, braking, leaning to turn, making slow sharp turns by counter-leaning, all the good stuff. One guy laid his bike down [braked too hard on a quick-stop exercise, the bike went squirrelly under him, then it fell and he fell], but that was pretty much the only thing to happen that day. We lost 3 of our original 12 somewhere along the way...they just didn't come back from a break, not sure why they left.

Ye gods, what a looooong day...sore, tired, brain constantly on, body doing things it wasn't used to. Survived it, had a rushed lunch with a couple friends [who rode their bikes, so I hopped on the back in my gear...whee! Even better, I ran into a former co-worker just as I was taking off my helmet...surprised him a bit, I think. :^) ], then back for a few hours in the classroom. Somehow stayed awake and alert, and even passed the written test with 100%.

[A very flattering thing: one of the coaches caught me as I was leaving. They gave me their card, asked me to keep in touch and let them know about what bike I get, my rides and experience. They said that in another year or two, after I got some experience and if I found I liked riding, they would be happy to recommend me for the coaching program. Very, very cool...]

Sunday morning:

Soooo sore, sooo tired. And even better: rain. Steady rain, more than a drizzle, less than a downpour. Class went on. Slightly more advanced exercises: "the box" [a miserable figure-eight, very tight, very slow turns...even the coach had troubles making it in the rain], quick stops, riding over obstacles, getting into third gear then downshifting and braking before turns, decreasing radius turns, and other fun stuff.

I frickin' *nailed* the box my first time through. Second time, not so much: the bike slid out from under me, whacking my leg as it [and I] went down. Got up, the coach righted the bike...I asked him what I'd done wrong. "It's wet," he said. "Not a lot you can do about that." A few others went down during the day because of the rain...one guy bounced his head on the pavement [helmets in action, boys and girls...now you see why you wear them]. No major injuries, though...and all things considered, I would much rather my first time riding in the rain be on a controlled range, with 10 experienced coaches around.

[An aside: the obstacles were FUN. Four 2x4s were set up around the range, and we rode in a large oval, kerbumping over them, focusing on technique [throttle up a bit just before going over, stand on your pegs and shift weight back, then throttle back down immediately after front tire is over and sit down]. Fun. Fun fun fun. Fun to ride over things, and fun to finally just *ride*...big ovals, enjoying the feel, no pylons, no stopping, no watching for cross traffic, just riding for a while. Nice.]

After hours of riding and exercises and nerves jangling and rain not stopping, we all lined up for the final riding test [or as the coaches called it, the "skills celebration" <eyeroll>]. Four tests: the box, swerve, quick-stop, and 135 degree diminishing radius curve. Judged on technique mostly, with points off for going outside the lines of the box, not coming up to speed and/or hitting pylons in the swerve, going too far beyond a certain line in the stop, and going too slowly through the curve.

Blew the box...but knew it was tricky, so didn't let it get to me. A little too slow coming into the swerve, but nailed it on the second try. Only went 4 feet over on the quick-stop, which was good considering the wet pavement. Nailed the curve on technique [getting up to speed, shifting up, judging the approach and slowing while still in 2nd, getting the right outside-inside-outside line], but was 0.24 seconds too slow. The coach who gave me my scores said that if it were up to them, I wouldn't have lost points for the stop or the curve, because I made the exact right decisions for the conditions...but the test doesn't care if it's wet, dry, or covered in peanut butter. She said to hang on to what I did and why I did it, that those were the skills that would serve me on the road...that due caution and being aware were far more important.

And with that, I passed. Not the best in the class, not the worst. Showed myself I could do it, got validation that the instincts are there and the skills just need to be honed with practice, and had fun. Next step is taking the DMV written exam once my course certificate comes, and then I'll be a licensed motorcycle rider.

Now to buy a bike...

i did it

More details later, but a quick 'w00t, go me': I passed the motorcycle safety course this weekend.

cue alanis

How's this for ironic: remember me mentioning that a friend's ex-girlfriend decided he'd been having an affair with me for at least a year? And his other ex was convinced I was a redhead who had been "scamming on him" for months? Well, because of all that drama they caused, we ended up talking a lot more over the past few months...

...and now we are dating.

Seriously, it never would have happened if all that other drama hadn't come up. He had broken up with his girlfriend and had a redhead he was interested in, I had broken up with Brian and wasn't interested in dating at all. We were friends, sometime coffee buddies, and fellow commiserators who bitched about the world to each other...when the accusations first started flying, we rolled our eyes and scoffed. "Pfft! No offense, but puh-lease...you just aren't on my radar." Then the drama continued, and escalated, and we talked more, and slowly it became "hmmm...*would* I date this person? I mean, they are cool and we get along, but would I really go out with them?" Eventually we figured what the heck, it was worth a shot...what's the worst that could happen, right??

So weird how things work out...never would have guessed this one in a million years. See, I told you: life can surprise you.

physics in action

Rain => wet sidewalks

Wet sidewalks => wet shoes

Wet shoes + tile floor + rounding corner too fast = KERTHUMP

Stacey + KERTHUMP = blushing + cursing + bruising + pain

[But on the plus side, I can empirically state that gravity is still in effect, at least in the local area.]

02/23/2009 UPDATE: the bruise on my leg is lovely...very dark purple, about 4" around. Apparently I banged my head, because there is a tender spot on my scalp and my left eye has a faint bruise under it. Ankle and knee are doing better; there is a sharp pain in my left upper arm when I put pressure on my elbow, so I'm keeping an eye on that one.

Needless to say, I am very, very respectful of tile floors now... >.<

1234567890

Happy today...

http://www.1234567890day.com/

huh.

Apparently Ashton Kutcher is going to be hanging here at Facebook this afternoon, to help us celebrate our 5th birthday.

UPDATE: Ah ha...here's why: he's got a new series coming out, and it will be distributed through a Facebook app. Capitalism and self-promotion FTW...

http://adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=134307

...sadness...

Just heard that my uncle Gerald died this morning. Sending love and thoughts to my aunt Christine and the rest of the family...love you.

oh noes...

Sick with my first cold in over a year. Luckily, nothing huge...just some breathing and throat troubles. Only bummer is that I can't stay home from work, since we are in the middle of a huge [HUGE] deadline [the one that I whined about earlier <grin>]. With luck, I'll make the deadline and be able to rest on Saturday...if not, I'll keep medicating, gargling with warm salt water, and trying my best to keep my germs to myself. Go, go, gadget immune system!

[LOL! I crack me up! Just re-read my post from about 8 days ago...man, the gods of irony *were* listening. ]

counting down

quick update

Work: hectic times, huge deadline next week, people in the workflow chain in front me slipped some of their deadlines, but I can't slip because I'm at the end of my part of the chain. Ugh. Plus reviews, peer, manager, and self. Joyfulness...but it's a paycheck, so yay for that.

Health: doing pretty well. Knock on wood, no bouts of bronchitis for over a year now [those of you who know me know how astonishing that is]. Of course, now that I've said it, the gods of irony are going to smack me down...

Life: it goes fairly well, actually. Good times with friends, catching up on movies in the library and making lists of others to add to it, registered for the MSF course at the end of February [my now-traditional year-end treat to myself [previous years included a cartilage piercing and my tattoo]...I would be taking it sooner, but the aforementioned deadline got in the way]. Missing my parents immensely. Missing Lawrence immensely, want to plan a trip to see him and the littles in the near future. Cats are doing well, even if they haven't seen much of me lately. The weather is interesting...we had beautiful sunny 65-70 degree days for the past week or so, and now it's cooling down and raining [but I'm still not going to complain too much, since my parents are dealing with single digits and being snowed in].

So all in all, not too shabby...I have zero complaints. <smile>

four years ago today...

...a pitifully meowing cat came off a plane from Ohio to start a different life in California. Wonder if Pepper misses the cold winters and boiling summers outdoors? <grin>

to sum up

Nice Christmas, good new year. Miss my family, both blood and chosen. Old wounds healing, new drama fading, same old job continues in same old way. Catching up with some folks, saying goodbye to others, finding unexpected connections. Putting hard-earned lessons into real-world use, learning new ones to be used when needed. Finding that human nature remains consistent, which is both good and not-so-good. Finding joy in the moments, using pain as a springboard, slowing down and enjoying the pockets of contentment wherever they might be.

Here's to 2008...it did its best. And here's looking ahead to 2009...