| Well, this is an unlooked-for yet still appreciated surprise. AcronymCo, in the effort to promote Work/Life Effectiveness (read: Get more work out of their employees while making it seem like a benefit) is installing a DSL line in my home. This will enable me to dial into AcronymCo's network, participate in late-evening teleconferences ("But you'll be home, so it won't be as bad."), and work on the weekends. Again, at home instead of at work, so it "seems" like there's an improvement to be had. That's not the surprise, though. I knew it was coming. The surprise lies in the fact that I have a free afternoon. Ostensibly its to be here "between noon and five" for the guy to come here and install the line. Since it's for a company-based reason, I'm on the clock! Glee! And at the second that I'm typing this, it's 2:12. "The Guy" was just here, our conversation lasted for thirty seconds, he said the installation would have to be rescheduled because I didn't have the appropriate lines running through my walls. Hmm... go back to work, or take a nap? Decisions decisions... 2:13... Since the family has another therapist appointment at 4:00, and since I have to pick up Marie at 3:15, would it make sense to go back to work? By the time I got there it'd be 2:30, I'd have to leave at 3:00 to get to Marie's school, we'd get home at 3:30, we'd have to leave for our appointment at 3:45... You see how the mind works to justify things? Heh. You know what I did with my free time between noon and 2:00? Well, first I ate lunch. But then I *reorganized our CD collection*. Pure analocity at work here (that's a Laura-ism. Feel free to use it). Actually, it's something I've been meaning to do for quite some time. We have one of those CD players that has a 200-disc carousel. We put in all of the CD's in our collection and I typed up a catalog so we'd know what was where. In the course of general life, the CD's in the carousel get pilfered. Marie wants to listen to "Journey" in her room. Michael wants to nab "AC/DC Live" to listen to in the car. I want "Prince" and "Simon and Garfunkel" and "INXS" for work. Road trip? A dozen CD's in the Suburban console, ranging from "Yanni - Live at the Acropolis" to "Metallica". Bottom line, scattered CD collection. Today I re-gathered as many as I could put my hands on, and went disc by disc, slot by slot in the carousel, re-inserting and figuring out what was missing (about a half-dozen which I can't seem to find). I like our CD collection - it says a lot about us. Heavy Metal? How 'bout Judas Priest and AC/DC. Soundtracks? "Varsity Blues", "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", "St. Elmo's Fire", "Armageddon"... and that doesn't even scratch the surface. We're soundtrack freaks. Country? Not huge fans, but we do have Shanaia and Faith, and I want Garth. Disco? Abba, The BeeGees, and a couple of club mixes. 80's? Madonna, Prince, a bunch of "greatest hits" compilations, Sheena Easton, Lita Ford... Weird stuff? How about "The Royal Philharmonic of London Plays Phil Collins" for ya? Aerosmith, Journey, Phil Collins, Enya, The Chieftains, Van Halen, Yanni, Rammstein, Bit-O-Jane, Collective Soul, The Dave Matthew's Band, Def Leppard, Simon and Garfunkel, Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp, Fleetwood Mac, George Michael, a million others... music for any mood. At high volume (especially disco). We're not a quiet household, oh no. But we're a musical one. Just a quickie entry for today - I have to go pick up Marie. I would like to greet the several new folks who have joined up for my Notify List - welcome! Also, a big hearty "Hello" to whomever it is reading me in New Zealand. Wow. Site Meter is so cool... |
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Your Mission, should you choose to accept it...
Watch a black-and-white movie. Or a musical. Something 1950's and earlier. What spurred this mission was a viewing of "The Wizard of Oz" in its yearly Thanksgiving running last night... there's some good stuff out there! It doesn't all have to be special effects and flashy action sequences. We forget about the compelling, humorous, fun stories that were carried simply by virtue of imagination and talent. Give it a shot, even if you're "Ahnold's" biggest fan. And no eye-rolling.
Results From Yesterday's Mission Our local grocery store has gargantuan cardboard boxes set up for food donations. I added a few non-perishable things to my cart (*not* pickled beets and jars of pearl onions...) and dropped 'em in on my way out. Made me feel good. And sad at the same time, that the only time most people think to be charitable (including, I'm sad to say, myself) is around the holidays. People are hungry all year long... Terri of "The Seventh Sister" fulfilled the mission, in a roundabout way. Read her November 18th entry, but be warned. It's rather... biological. I told her if the Diarist Awards had a nomination for "Grossest Entry", she'd win hands down. ~grin~ I grabbed the design idea for the box thingy from Anna.
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