A Vignette of Life, Lived In An Old Cabin, In Another Time

On the piece of land where I lived back in SD there was an old cabin that predated my purchasing the house and moving into the place. The place was a small ranch with multiple buildings - a house, a three car garage, a chicken coop, a woodshed, a barn and the old cabin.  The old cabin was a small one room place, nothing fancy, maybe 12 feet by 20.  It was a classic one room cabin and empty.

I dreamed that I lived in that cabin, slept on an old wrought iron bed, cooked on an old wood stuff, sat on a wooden chair, washed with a picture and a basin. There wasn't really a plot to the dream, no narrative, no story - just a vignette of life, lived in an old cabin, in another time.

(The photo is of Indian Creek Cabin in the Kenai, not the actual cabin on my old place, but certainly representative of the style.)

12 Hours Later - Punch Drunk

It was a twelve hour workday today. I spent the vast majority of the day testing the configuration of one aspect of the new project.  It's a monster.  My portion alone is - 107 items in 2 templates in 4 user roles. Can you say 856 distinct items to check?  I made it a little over halfway through - and then I started getting punch drunk and I couldn't tell if what I was seeing were actual errors - or just my brain frying from checking too many items that were too similar. I voted for the last and called in a night, punch drunk.  I get to go it all again tomorrow morning - and weave through meetings. (This whole exercise just demonstrates the importance of having well documented test cases, then make the whole test process easier.)

Ah, but there was a bright and shining light at the end of the day and that was a great little conversation with T.R. early in the evening. It definitely made my day. So, it is chasing 8:30 now, I have the slight edge of a headache, it is hot and humid outside, and I need to take a cool shower and then head to bed - curl up and spend a little time reading, and then fall asleep.  Then, I get to do it all again tomorrow.

Dreams of Water

My trend toward dreaming of water continued last night. I dreamed that I was walking along a seedy waterfront when someone threw a man, wrapped and tied in a canvas sheet, over the side of a tramp freighter.

The water was only about fifteen feet deep, so I was able to dive in and swim to the bottom and rescue him. From there, we stole a jet ski and went zooming through the harbor, weaving in and out of boats, ships, and other obstacles, until we reached another ship across the bay.

I dropped him off and then headed into the shore, where I beached the jet ski and woke up. I wonder what my trend toward dreams of water and rescuing people from the water means on a psychological level, since it is a persistent theme.
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A Mostly Ordinary Monday

As Monday's go it was a pretty good one.  The meeting schedule was light at work and I spent most of the day doing a focuses review of some system changes.  There was a moment during the afternoon when we figured out we were working off the wrong version of the requirements document, but only minor differences were present.  It will necessitate a bit of rework tomorrow when I compare any change items on the subsequent document.  Process control has been a real challenge in this project.

Don and I went up to Black Angus for lunch and I had an excellent rib-eye (their monthly special).  Dinner was a simple salad, followed by a nap and a hot bath. I've been moody lately, so I've been slipping into bed earlier than usual or just spending time staring at the wall and contemplating. I contemplated overlong in the tub tonight and the water turned cool, which is always a thrill in its own right.

I've decided to wind out the evening watching the Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo".  I enjoy it for what it is, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original. Noomi Rapace owned the character of Lisbeth Salander. However, that doesn't really detract from the American version which is also an excellent - if different movie.  So, a little of Lisbeth, perhaps a bit of work related writing, and then an early night of reading. I've got a heavy meeting schedule tomorrow and a couple of objectives that I would like to get nailed down, so I might do a spot of work tonight.  Then again, I may not.

Kitchen Table

My kitchen table, today. A simple day of errands and walking, of breakfast and a movie, of laundry and mopping. There was a good quote in the movie I saw today that I shared with T.R. and I thought I would share with you all.

"You are exactly where you are supposed to be. You are exactly who you should be. Today is exactly as it is supposed to be."

Powerful words coming from a romantic comedy starring Dax Shepard and the ever charming Kristen Bell. "Hit and Run" is also an amusing movie with more than a few laugh out loud moments, so I would recommend it if you need some good escapism time.

Here at the end of the day I am kind of in a mood of some sort. I want to tackled some cleaning in my spare bedroom, but for some reason I am doing a much better job of procrastinating. I think I need to decide what I am going to do and then just get busy doing it.
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Pleasantly Ordinary

It has been a quiet morning so far.  I woke up about 5:30 AM, then lingered in bed for a while reading. When I rolled out, I splashed my way through the morning shower, then made the bed, then loaded up a load of laundry for the day.  (I actually haven't decided if I am going to go it yet, but I thought I would throw it in the car in case the mood strikes me.)  I sent a few morning texts, to T.R. and to a brother and a sister. From there, I settled in an cleaned the desktop area of my laptop and organized some of the bookmarks in my browser. I was getting loaded down with sites I rarely went too, so I created a set of sub-folders and nestled them away. A bowl of Special K and a hot cup of coffee have been my constant companions so far.  I am supposed to meet Bob and Tony for breakfast in about an hour and then, maybe, I will pop out and catch a movie, or head over and do some laundry, or both.  I need to stop by the grocery store today to stock up on some of the basics.  Well, in a nutshell, that has been my morning. Nothing exciting. Pleasantly ordinary.

Two Days In One

Friday was a day mostly dedicated to a single errand.  I dropped my car off at Midas to get a complete 50,000 mile service work-over.  Tony picked me up at the garage and we had breakfast at Goodies II, then he dropped me off.

I spent most of the morning watching the DVR and doing a complete scrub and clean of the kitchen, including stripping and waxing the floor and some minor re-arrangement. I had a work meeting from 12:30 to 1:30, then walked the mile plus down to the garage in the heat of the afternoon. I picked up the car and ran a couple of errands, then came home for the evening. 

During the evening I watched "The Hunger Games" (I am a huge Jennifer Lawrence fan since seeing "Winters Bone"). Then, the best part of the evening - T.R. was back in NC, so we had a wonderful conversation at the end of the night.

Saturday, I started with a second call with T.R., and then we spent about two hours surfing the web, Stumbling and Tumbling and looking at The Verge and other favorite web sites.

Then, breakfast with the guys and a day of assorted errands, conversations, and heat dodging. I got home about six thirty, and hoped for another conversation with T.R., but I suspect she was tucked into bed and sound asleep.

So now, I am winding up the night, casually slipping into the evening. I actually thought about going to sleep about 7:00 PM, but I thought that probably wasn't a bright idea!  So, I have been watching incidental programs on my DVR, writing, and reading.  A good Saturday all in all.

I Dream of a Flood

Let me start with the dream. Last night I dreamed of a flood.  I dreamed that I was walking down a city street when I got caught in rapidly rising flood waters.  They swept me off my feet and carried me down the flooded street (tip - if you ever get caught in fast moving water, adjust your body so your feet are leading the way downstream), then into a deeper flow of water. Once I was in the deeper flow of water, I was able to swim free (swim with the current, at an angle toward the shore). When I was on the shore I helped pull over people out of the water as they went by.  Some of the people lived in a nearby building and offered me a place to come and warm up, but I decided to keep going on my original journey.  It was an interesting and vivid dream.

Last night, I went to be early, about 7:00 PM. I'm not sure why. Maybe allergies. Maybe tired. Maybe even a bit of just general depression. Whatever the cause, I crawled into bed with Odd Apocalypse, read for a bit, then fell asleep early.  I woke up about two in the morning, dreaming of work. (I keep insisting that I need a charge number from work for my dreams). I finished reading Odd Apocalypse - excellent addition to the Odd Thomas series.  I won't say much more, since I don't want to accidentally let any spoilers slip, but I always jokingly tell my friends that I want to be Odd Thomas when I grow up.

Then, up and off to the office.  It was a day of meetings, but they were actually pretty productive for a change. The day passed quickly enough and then I slipped home for the evening.  Tonight I watched SYTYCD (the dance to "Bang Bang, She Shot Me Down" was outstanding), and now I am sliding into the evening with a bit of writing and a bit of reflection. I think I may make a family call or two tonight.

Colors Upon A Wall

A splash of color that I saw on one of my morning walks in the vicinity of my office today. Vibrant contrasts show the simple beauty of nature$
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What Choices Will I Make Today

Dawn was cool and gray, if not the hint of fall in the air, then certainly the hint of the hint of fall. Dawn is slowly rolling back to later in the day. As much as I love late summer, my true love is the turning of fall, even here in California, in the Bay Area, where there is no dramatic turn of the season. It is still there, that seasonal change, just more subtle and graceful.

I've got a relatively free schedule here at work today, but I am struggling to stay motivated. It doesn't really have anything to do with work - it has more to do with the weather I think. It is was a dawn made for staying curled tightly in bed, a dawn for laziness and lingering. I just finished up making an action item list for the day, since I suspect that is the only way I am going to accomplish anything.

It may turn into a day of minimal work, a day of introspection and reflection. Perhaps a day of reading. Who knows. One of the things that I love about each day is that each day has the potential to become something...almost anything...depending on the choices we make through the day. So, as I sit here, just past the threshold of this day, I wonder what choices I am going to make today?
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Perception and the Day

Another good day, basically.  At work they're still deep in reschedule (and should finish up this week I hope), so the overall meeting load has been mercifully light and I've had time to focus on the technical tasks at hand, which has been good.  This week I was focused on doing some research and analysis, which is the part of the job that I love the most, that peeling back of the curtain to glimpse the wizard that makes the world work. There is a lesson in there for me - when it comes to "following your bliss". Definitely something to spark further thought and meditation.

I got home tonight, went for a long walk, had dinner, took a nap, and ended up reading Odd Apocalypse some more.  Then, up, and now starting the evening with an entry here, a text with my sister, a text to T.R. and a simple plan for the evening - watch a few programs off the DVR and read through the four magazines I've got stacked up.

I am watching Perception on the DVR, which I personally find enjoyable, but I am not really sure if it is going to make it as a television series.  I like it - good cast, good chemistry, amusing and entertaining story lines.

 

The magazines I am going to work my way through are The National Geographic, Science Illustrated, Writers Digest and Sci Fi.  Not necessarily in that order.

Luminous

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The Last Rebel Angel - A Poem

The machine-god, staccato
Command line compulsions
Hurls from the olympus of
Consumption, mall-god mad,
So many orders some slip
Through, entering us all seduction
And rough lover, demanding
Credit card obedience and licking
The tears escaping from our
Perfection eyes, sunglass blind,
Cornflower blue, there in the
Darkness abandoned, we
Softly whisper
the song
of the last rebel angel
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Odd Apocalypse Quote

"To keep the sorrow from overwhelming me, I remain focused on the beauty of this world, which is everywhere to be seen in rich variety, from the smallest wildflowers and the iridescent hummingbird that feeds on them to the night sky diamonded with fiery stars." -Odd Thomas (Dean Koontz, Odd Apocalypse)
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The Colors of the Day

It was an interesting day.  I slept well last night.  If I dreamed I do not recall what those dreams were. I woke about 5:30 AM and lingered in bed for a while, just listening to the birds and watching the dawn unfold into the day.  I got out of bed, took a nice hot shower, texted T.R., and then a sister and a brother. I sorted laundry for the day and did some incidental household cleaning.

From there, I drove over to the Hickory Pit to meet Bob, Ty, and Tony.  Breakfast was biscuits and gravy with a bowl of oatmeal and conversation. After breakfast I headed over the laundry and got my clothes in, then wandered around the neighborhood, admiring the sights.  There are plenty of blooming flowers and contributed to the colors of the day.  The three pictures in this entry are from that walk.

After laundry finished up, I circled back home for a short while, long enough to put my clothes away and put some incidental purchases away.  I had a nice long conversation with my step-dad. I circled back out, going to the gym, then stopping at the office supply store for printer cartridges, and then at the kitchen store seeking an egg poaching pan.  I had not been able to find one, so I think I am going to go up on Amazon tonight to see if I can find one there.

When I got home from that cycle of errand running, I took an hour nap, and then headed back out to meet Tony for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, which was a very tasty choice.  After we ate, we walked over the Target so Tony could pick up some odds and ends.  It was a total zoo inside, which is one of the reasons I tend to avoid shopping on weekends.

Now, I am home, in a melancholy mood, watching "Five Fingers", with Ryan Phillipe and Lawrence Fishburn.  It was recommended by D.J. at the Hickory Pit and so far has been an excellent book.  So, the weekend is sliding to a close, I am lazy and easy and missing T.R., half engulfed in my melancholy mood, contemplating writing.

A Saturday with Team Banzai

An enjoyable Saturday.  I left home about 8:30 AM and spent the entire day wandering. It was extremely nice, if a bit on the warm side.  I got home tonight and decided to watch a classic movie that I'd captured on my DVR.  The movie?

"The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai across the 8th Dimension".  Ahhhh, a true classic cult Science Fiction movie.  How can you possibly go wrong with Team Banzai? If you've never seen it - find it, settle in with popcorn and your favorite beverage and enjoy.  I personally have no idea how many times I've scene it over the years. Most important to me, I remember when I saw it the first time.

It was the summer of 1984 at the Winner Drive In, east of Winner SD. A hot summer night, with good company, sitting on the white benches in front of the concession stand, in that timeless time when the world was young.  So, from that summer night to this summer night, I still love Buckaroo Banzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers.

Two Dreams and Clint Eastwood

I had two dreams last night and I thought I would take the time this morning to write them down.

Dream One: David

It was a pretty simple dream.  I was in the small town near where I grew up (and where many of my cousins live).  I went to what used to be an uncles house, knocked on the door, and my cousin David answered.  He was dressed in a simple blue security guard uniform. He told me that he was on his way to work at the Church, where he was the night watchman.  We had a brief and pleasant conversation and then he set out walking through town toward the church, which is about three blocks from my uncle's house.  (David died of cancer three years ago. He was one year older than me).

Dream Two: Deception

The second dreams was more of a movie style dream. In the dream I was an investigator/agent and I was tracking a criminal of some sort (think James Bond style evil mastermind).  In the dream he thought he'd paralyzed the organization I was working for by killing several of the agents, but what he didn't realize was that one of them had not been killed, so we had a chess piece in motion that he thought was off the board, which I felt gave us a decisive advantage.

It was a beautiful morning when I woke up - there are high broken clouds and the sunlight painted them equal shades of gray and gold.  Breakfast was a bowl of cereal and cup a coffee, then a few texts, then a show on the History Channel as I ate about the real Hatfields and McCoys.  That was pretty interesting.  Right now, as I finish up the last of my coffee, I am watching the first part of Clint Eastwood's "Pale Rider", an excellent old western.

Lunch at the Del Monte

A quiet evening here.  I had a great lunch at the Del Monte Restaurant on Murphy in Sunnyvale - the pictured chicken parmigiana in the entry below.  I've been there to lunch twice and both times the food was outstanding. I spent most of the day at work doing deep research, which provided me with some insights that I will be able to fold into the project I am working on.  I will do some additional deep research this weekend as well.

T.R. is back in Charleston, having traveled most of the day, so I am excited for her.  Her relocation to Charleston is the culmination of a long dream, a dream she has had as long as I've known her, so that is just pretty cool.

I spent the evening watching four episodes of the third season of Deadwood and I will probably finish it off over the weekend.  I also made sure that all the patches and updates were applied to my laptop, so that was a pretty time consuming processing.  In a short while I am going to slip off to bed and wind the night down reading some more of "Odd Apocalypse".  All in all it was a good Friday. I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Lunch at the Del Monte Restaurant

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Iced Decaf Coffee & SYTYCD

It was a pretty good day today.  I woke on a beautiful and quiet morning, had a breakfast of cereal and coffee, then commuted to work.  I spent the first two hours reviewing email for hidden requirements. Then, a four hour meeting cycle. Followed by a brief break for lunch, then another hour of work and a final hour of work, then home.

Here at home I had dinner (a chicken quesadilla) and am making an iced decaf coffee - all the while I am watching the SYTYCD episode that is dedicated to the amazing choreographer Mia Michael's. An outstanding episode and definitely it is going to be a keeper - that is, it is going to reside on my DVR until I get tired of watching it - over and over. SYTYCD is my favorite guilty pleasure.  It is an astounding show with some incredible talents in a world I know very little about - but am thoroughly enthralled by.

In the other parts of my life, things are going well enough.  T.R. is temporarily back home, so we've had some wonderful conversations and spent last night tumbling and stumbling. Mi Familia is still locked in their feud and the battle lines seemed to have temporarily hardened, but I am sure, in time, they will get over it.  There are wounds, but mostly wounds of pride.  I am starting to think that all families should go to counseling to learn how to communicate. In the case of my family, the root cause could have, perhaps, been avoided or minimized if both of the parties at the core of the fight had been able to communicate their wants and desires better.  But, both of them are strong willed and talked past each other.

Hunger

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White Flowers

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The Territory of Our Imagination

I had a very rich, vivid, and sensual dream last night, striking in imagery, scent, color and texture. It's rare that I dream so vividly across all the senses. Most dreams seem to highlight one or two senses. I often wonder about dreams. I wonder what triggers them, what informs them, what gives them shape and substance?

The territory of our imagination is a pretty amazing place. In our imagination we have the ability to create entire worlds that are as real as anything we experience. Indeed, from this imaginary worlds we can draw real life lessons, just as we would draw from real experiences. It calls into question the very nature of the real and the unreal.

The territory of our imagination is running through my thoughts today, as August spins it way through the purple membrane that I find myself in. This has been a very unexpected year in a lot of ways and I am, at times, still trying to make sense of it. However it seems to be pointing me further along the road of simplicity and minimalism.

I feel that, if I can clear away all the clutter that blinds my senses, I can find a place of greater purity and clarity. It's a very existential place to be. Part of me rebels against it, part of me pulls back from it. I often ask myself if there is something there that I am afraid of, but if there is, I can't seem to see it, can't define it. If I had to describe it, I would say it's more like I am in a maze, and I've got to work my way through it by a process of stop and start, back and forth. My approach is one more of curiosity than concern.
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Sometimes They Are Written In Us

Tonight, I needed comfort, so I turned in a direction I often turn in - a classic movie. The choice was from my DVR - John Wayne and Sophia Loren in "Legend of the Lost".  It is one of my favorites, in large part because of the incredible beauty that is Sophia Loren as Dita.

It was a strange day.  Work was basically quiet - the larger team is still locked deep in the reschedule of the project, which buys us lesser beings some time to study and contemplate. Upper management is going to be in a three day meeting (from which I am sure nothing good will come), but it will also contribute to keeping it a quiet week.  I had a lot of operational things stacked up and so I spent most of the day working on them.  Another day and that portion of my slate should be clear.

In my personal life I have been swaying back and forth on strong but hidden currents.  Those currents finally revealed themselves as an ebb tide and I've been swept out to sea. Many years ago I was asked to not expose something on the internet, so I haven't, except in the vaguest senses.  I am a person who is very good at keeping secrets, professionally and personally. It is a blessing and a curse.  As this particular ship takes to sea I am torn by all the emotions that come with such a departure.  Loss and excitement in equal parts. Life is an incredible journey and I think that, sometimes, the best thing we can do is go along with the journey.  Let the sea take us where it will.

Out of curiosity and melancholy during the day I glanced by at this log in August 2008 (five years ago), just to see what the month was like.  I was fairly creative and articulate during that August, all those years ago.  It was an interesting journey.  In that synchronicity that moves inside the secret weave of the universe, I had this entry there.

Requiem for a Comet

Five years later, I could have written the exact same entry - today. We cannot predict where life is going to take us, but the surest predictor of future events are past events and so it often seems that life is wrapping around itself.  I think there are lessons there for us to learn that keep repeating themselves until we learn them.  Sometimes those lessons are written in people. Sometimes they are written in us.

Lost Cathedrals Carved From Stone

It's actual a faux wall with bell inside of El Burro at the Pruneyard. Excellent Mexican food.
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Ending With Odd Apocalypse

It was a pretty good day. I spent most of it just wandering in the summer sun, walking and enjoying nature.  Though, I might have an internal debate on the wisdom of walking a lot on a day when it was sunny and 85, it was still a very enjoyable day.  I am going to wrap it up shortly and spend the evening reading Koontz's "Odd Apocalypse".  Ahhhh, what a way to end the day.

Possessing Nothing

It was quiet and gray when I woke up this morning.  I had dreamed the night before, but I don't recall the contents of the dream, only the memory that I dreamed.  Outside, the sky was fog-shrouded, with the promise of heat later in the day. I stood by the window for a while and watched the dawn unfolding on the street below, then padded barefoot into the kitchen and started the morning coffee.

The saying "possessing nothing, we are possessed by nothing" is running through my mind this morning. My sister had sent me an early morning text that commented on the lonesome feeling that comes with the dawn. I happen to like that feeling.  Dawn has long been on of my favorite times of the day and what I love about it is that sense of lonesomeness, that sense of quiet and stillness.

Then, as the day unfolds, that feeling usually slips away and we slide into the normal hurly-burly of the day, the things that have to be done, the tasks and the errands, surrounding in the clutter of noise and sight that make up modern life.  Somewhere, in between those two points, we find a balance. Possessing nothing, we are possessed by nothing.

My music choice this morning this morning is Flogging Molly's "Laura".

"I could have danced on the sun,
but my world came undone..."

Salt and Pizza

It's been an easy kind of day.  I slept in until about 7:00 AM, then had a telephone conversation with my step-dad, then met Tony for breakfast at Goodies II, then popped out and got a car wash, then, finally, stopped at Target and picked up a towel and a pack of underwear.  From there, I came home, finished reading "Earth Unaware", took a short nap, talked to my mother, napped again, a bit longer, and then woke up a short while ago.  I called in a pizza order and I've settled in with a stack of magazines and the movie "Salt" on DVR.  So, the afternoon is going to be an afternoon of Salt and Pizza.  My thoughts today, though lazy, have been thoughts of transformation and transition, in part inspired by my other favorite TR, T.R.  It's been a good day so far and I am looking forward to a quiet evening.

Beautiful Summer Evening Unfolding

We're deep in the re-planning and re-scheduling phase at work. Today was basically seven meetings, all marginally interrelated. Progress was made, both toward the goal and toward the clarity that the project needs. I have my fingers crossed that we are going to pull something a bit more civilized out of it.

It has been one beautiful summer day after another here. I am especially fond of the mornings.  I woke this morning to the calls of wild geese in the hour before dawn.  I slipped out of bed and stood at the open window and watched them winging through the sky.  From there trajectory I think they were circling to land at Starbird Park about a half mile away.  The scent of dawn, a soft breeze, the call of geese - beauty unfolded within beauty.

Dinner tonight was chicken and coleslaw, a good choice on a warm summer eve.  I spend most of the evening watching a part of guilty pleasures off the DVR - "Haunted Highway" and "Destination Truth", both from the SyFy channel.  I love it when the casts manage to scare themselves silly.

I am not sure what I am going to do tonight - I am deep in reading Orson Scott Card's new novel - "Earth Unaware (Formic Wars)".  I am about halfway through and it is quite enjoyable. I have Dean Koontz' "Odd Apocalypse" stacked up after it.  Good reading all in all. I love this time of year.

Trixie Owned Deadwood

Paula Malcomson, the actress who portrayed the prostitute Trixie in HBO's "Deadwood" owned the series.  She was a well-written character played by a brilliant actress.  I had forgotten how good the series is - truly excellent.

Paula Malcomson on IMDB

One Life - To Go

I had a good weekend. It was nice, slow and easy. I slept well, I slept deeply and I dreamed strangely. All in all though the sum was a nice and relaxed weekend.

Today's been a typical Monday, having started the day with a four hour meeting block, then a quick lunch of salad and a walk to try, largely unsuccessfully, to overcome the effects of that long meeting block on a Monday morning. I've got a timer set here at work to get me up and moving every 30 minutes of the remaining hour and a half of the working day.

I noticed how relaxed I was over the weekend when I went out to play some pool on Sunday afternoon. I shot very well. (5 wins, 2 loses) with only three or four missed shots that I should have made. There were other shots I missed of course, but they tended to be shots I never really had a chance at making anyway. You can't feel to bad about missing those shots!

(This is the strange way the universe works - it was quiet here when I started writing this, but in just a few minutes I've gotten hit was a dozen work related email. It is like everyone waited until they could sense with their psychic powers that I was otherwise engaged.)

So, on that note I am going to return to work and spin my way toward the end of the day. After work I will pick up my dinner order - one life, to go.


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Friday and HBO's Deadwood

Today the Kitten Posse went to the Spa on the Island, which pretty much consumed my imagination.  It was a good day at work - nice, quiet, easy, productive.  Don and I had lunch at Black Angus in Milpitas, then I wandered home a little early.

I'd ordered a pair of cross-trainers through Amazon, since none of the local stores had my size (11 Wide) in the brand of New Balance cross-trainers that I wanted.  They arrived today and they fit well. I tried them on and spent most of the evening walking around in them to test them out.

For the last couple of weeks I've been wanting to re-watch an HBO classic - "Deadwood".  I started this afternoon and am working my way through the first three DVD's this evening.  That is an excellent series.  We'll see if I can get all the way through the set this weekend - or perhaps Season 1 this weekend and Season 2 the next.

I am looking forward to the weekend, hoping it is going to be slow and easy, like this evening is.

The Breath of Life and Suzie Lightning

I think I would share with you a link to the two songs I just listened to as I settle into the evening.

The first was "Breath of Life" by Florence and the Machine (from Snow White and the Huntsmen).

Breath of Life by Florence and the Machine

The second is a classic, what I consider to be a truly great love song by Warren Zevon - Suzie Lightning.

Suzie Lightning by Warren Zevon

I've been a fan of Zevon for a very long time, since the early eighties and "Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School".  T.R. pointed me toward Florence and the Machine with their first album and I count myself a huge fan there as well.  Florence Welch has the most astounding voice.

It was a nice day, quiet, easy going, reflective.  Work was a little meeting heavy, but they went smoothly enough and I eased into the evening. Had Italian with Tony at Mama Mia's, then home where I watched Selma Blair on Craig Ferguson.  That takes me to this very minute, where I am going to spend a quiet evening straightening the spare bedroom.  Life is good.

An Unusual Office Day

Today is an unusual day here at the office. I have two meetings scheduled, both of them routine. I am not really sure what to do with the day. I mean besides enjoy it. I plan on trying to get some study/contemplation time in. One of the things about a harried meeting is you often can't just think about the problems confronting you.
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Herzog on the Ocean

"What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams." Werner Herzog
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