The Myth & The Majesty

It is yet another bee-yoo-tiful day out there and I am once again sitting in my windowless fabric-covered box, trying to get something accomplished so I can be gone next week with a clear conscience. Boy, when I word it that way, I'm no longer surprised I'm lacking focus. Wausaunians -- tonight's the second concert on the Square! It'll be a good time! Don't miss it! I get to follow that with a conversation with Mia Sorella (I hope!) and then I need to buckle down and get packing. Lots of work to do in a very short time ... I think the phrase I'm looking for right this moment is "tightly wound." I am definitely tightly wound. Under 48 hours now!

This weekend was surprising in a lot of ways. Friday night was surprisingly amusing -- Saturday was surprisingly interesting (even though weddings are always at least moderately interesting) -- Sunday was surprisingly relaxing. I got to watch a summer storm from BG's house in the middle of a field on Saturday night, and the next day I got to drive home, taking a route along the Mississippi River. Gorgeous. The point behind all of this is that it's a good thing the weekend was unexpectedly refreshing. This week I'm looking at a yoga class, three dance classes, a concert on the Square, gorgeous weather that will rob me of concentration and ambition, and a visiting Admiral (again). Oh, and I have to clean my house and pack for a week of vacation. While trying to put in ample hours so I can still get out of town at a decent time Friday. Oddly enough, instead of just feeling tired, I'm looking forward to all the madness. Maybe it has something to do with the fun th...

Whew. Apologies for yesterday's post -- this is why I probably shouldn't write while annoyed. Of course, it did make me feel better and, well, that was an incredibly honest post. So maybe I'm not that sorry. Today it's ridiculously nice outside, making it that much harder to sit in this half-full office building and concentrate. Add to that the knowledge that in 24 hours I'll be on a highway somewhere, aiming for Iowa, and suddenly I'm virtually useless. The hazards of summer.

[T his falls into the "rant" category. Wholeheartedly.] As an engineer, half of my job description is in making assumptions. Assuming that heat exchangers perform at a certain efficiency or better, assuming that the waste we're treating is at a nearly constant concentration, assuming that I don't lose more heat than "x" amount going through the piping. Ask any engineer. We live and die by assumptions. They are required for us to do our jobs in any form of non-theoretical, logical, timely manner. That being said, there are times and places for assumptions. Now, what's been alarming me lately are the assumptions people are making about me based simply on my marital status. Just to give you an idea, here are a few of the things I've been told in recent history -- not asked, mind you, but told : 1. I must be bored. 2. I must be lonely. 3. I must be looking for a boyfriend. 4. My "talents" are going to waste. (This one was referring ...

This past weekend was so far beyond fabulous that I'm still having a hard time getting back into a normal swing here. Even more irritating is that I really can't fully describe it -- it was just a fantastic weekend. Let me give you the rundown of activities: - There was a Chinese food feast late Friday night, involving homemade fortune cookies with hilariously snarky fortunes. - There were leftovers, including steamed buns with sweet bean paste that were then deep fried for breakfast (and were surprisingly amazing). - There was a trip to IKEA that perhaps went a little long. - There was a bike ride to downtown Minneapolis. - There were four spectacular concerts, including OK Go (which is who I was there to see). - There was a song done entirely on handbells. - There was good beer and pretty darn good carnival food. - There was a night ride back to the Admiral's apartment. - There was a late night of music videos and conversation. - There was ...

Hey, Dad. So on Mother's Day I wrote something for Mom and I really wanted to do the same for Father's Day. However, I realized very quickly that even following the same format, there was absolutely no way it could sound anything like that post did. For good reason -- you and Mom are very different people and have affected me in very different ways. But here's the thing: like Mom, you also rock. You rock for 33+ years of marriage to Mom -- who I know taxes your patience (just as often as you tax hers) -- but for never giving any indication that you'd rather be elsewhere. You two have raised the bar as far as what your three kids expect from a marriage. You rock for showing us a relationship about as close to dead-equal as possible and at the same time not being a pansy-ass. You also rock for raising us in a non-totalitarian regime. There aren't a lot of families out there where the dad isn't either the Feared Voice Of Power or the Henpecked Wuss -- but s...

I'm reading through logic diagrams, the US is about to lose to Slovenia, and I have a headache. Really, really ready for that weekend to start...

After a crazy week, it's just about time for Rock the Garden ! I've been looking forward to this one for some time ... A visit to Minneapolis, a day of rock concerts, and some quality time with the Admiral. Heck, the weather's even supposed to cooperate. It's funny -- after years of only associating it with an aunt and uncle and soccer tournaments, I've  come to really enjoy Minneapolis. Partially because there's some great shopping (even aside from the Mall), Trader Joe's, Surdyk's, a lot more food options ... And partially because there are things like the Sculpture Gardens, the Science Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. This weekend has an added bonus: I'm going with two people who aren't overly familiar with the city. Which means there are places we can go that I generally consider guilty pleasures. Like IKEA. Woot. Yes ... It's going to be a good weekend.

Okay: whining about being busy isn't a valid post. Unfortunately, this one won't be either. Maybe between the two I'll strike "mostly valid" for today. 1. First of all, happy birthday, Mom! Dang, you're old. 2. I'm just kidding. 3. I mean it. Don't make me sleep in my car when I come to visit, okay? 4. But happy birthday anyway. 5. Yeah. 6. A piece of advice: never tell your boss you're bored. I know it's common sense, but we all slip up from time to time -- just don't make that slip. 7. For the first time in, oh, 18 years or so, I seem to be going through a pink phase. I'm not sure what that means, but it's throwing me off. 8. "She's changing her name from Kitty to Karen..." 9. Managers are never found when you're looking for them. And when you really don’t want to see them they'll pop up in your cubicle every half hour. I think it's part of manager training. 10. Or maybe they...

It's distinctly possible I've crossed a strange barrier into having too many hobbies. This occurred to me last night. After nine-plus hours of work, I went to an hour-long yoga class. Dashed home in between to check the mail and change clothes, and then I was off to an hour of swing dancing. And from there, I decided I wanted a beer and some general entertainment so I went to Red Eye. I got home late, but with enough time to finish up Emma Jean's mending (which I left at home this morning ... Sorry, dear) before I crashed for the night. Tonight, I'm having pizza and beer with some friends (while looking over handmade jewelry), then I'll go to tango. After that, who knows. Tomorrow will likely be a long day of work -- and I'll follow it up with waltz. Okay, so maybe it's not too many hobbies so much as a large increase in the amount of time I spend dancing. At least this week. However, this is only because Zumba is currently paused and I'm lac...

Let's see here... The World Cup is starting. (Team USA vs. England tomorrow at 1:30PM CDT, broadcast on ABC ... Just sayin'.) The weather kind of stinks as far as other weekend plans go, but at the same time I'm kind of enjoying the rain. I'm really, really tired today. It's eerily quiet in this office. This is my last "free" weekend till mid-July. I'm okay with that. That's all, really. Yay Friday.

It was time for a change. Something simpler, less thrown-together-looking. More consistent. I think I like it. Not bad for half an hour on a Wednesday night.

Like most people, I occasionally get music stuck in my head. However, I've found it far more perplexing to get movies stuck in my head. Never the whole thing -- just a scene, or a couple of lines. And thankfully they usually don't stick for long (except for those pesky musicals) ... Just long enough to make me want to watch a movie, but not long enough for me to remember what it was by the time I get home. Largely because of that last part, I decided yesterday to try listing them as they appeared. These are the results. The Replacements (seriously woke up with a scene in my head) Mary Poppins (that one was Moonie's fault) Silence of the Lambs Hairspray Ferris Bueller's Day Off (also Moonie's fault) Leap Year Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (that one I blame on the Admiral) Joy Ride Ghostbusters Garden State Singin' In The Rain Casino Royale Last Holiday Brokeback Mountain August Rush The Departed After all th...

Right, so I took a lot of pictures that day. More than any other day I was in Colorado ... largely because I would have felt like a complete tourist if I were snapping pictures in downtown Denver. Doesn't matter. The mountains were prettier anyway. That day, we hiked from Maroon Lake to Crater Lake. Only a couple of miles ... Unfortunately, that's a couple of miles at about 8 times my usual elevation. (Yep. Felt that.) Somewhere near-ish the starting point ... The boys with Mandy (isn't that cute?) ... And Crater Lake, our destination. (And another group of hikers. A very intriguing group of hikers. With a friendly dog. Not that I would ever get distracted by handsome strangers. Ever.)

 I like this, so I'm posting it. The end. (Somewhere in the Aspen/Glenwood Springs area of the Rockies.)

I have over 45 hours of drive time coming up in the next five weeks. This doesn't include the half-hour I spend getting to and from work each day. At least 35 of that will be on my own ... which means I have 35 hours of talking to myself coming up. For someone who doesn't drive for a living (and for that matter, who only lives six miles from work in the first place), that's a significant chunk of time. Particularly since in the next five weeks I'll also be working normal hours during four of them. I'm somewhat relieved that average gas prices in the places I'm going are 10-15 cents cheaper than they are right here. Egads.

Or at least Maroon Bells ...

The remaining hours of my work week just seem to expand in front of me. I don't have a lot going on this weekend. I don't have an endless rundown of plans or a road trip to anticipate. In fact, I have exactly one pre-planned thing going on. One. Next week looks alarmingly quiet as well; half of our department will be gone and there are no major events here. I'm not sure I know what to do with myself. Catch up on sleep, perhaps. Clean my house. Watch a couple movies. Enjoy the weather, assuming it gets nicer after all. What a weird problem.

After a pretty fantastic weekend, a mildly psychotic return trip, and a day of being utterly worthless, I'm starting to feel much more human again. I think there should be a much longer explanation ... But not until I can add at least a couple pictures to the mix. By tomorrow, I should even have my phone back. Right now it's in Memphis, Tennessee. (Thank you, online tracking.) Now, why it had to go through Tennessee is another matter entirely, but at least it's on its way. Anyway, this is really only intended as a "Yes, I'm alive" post. Back to work, I suppose. Have a good day, all.