Easing Into The Night

A wonderful conversation with TR last night, a good night sleep, a gentle morning and the day has been very good. I woke at close to my normal time with a wicked calf cramp that jolted me out of bed.  A quick turn through the shower, a cup of hot coffee, a cup of yogurt as a snack, then I settled in and alternated through the morning with a follow up conversation with TR and reading the morning paper (something I do not do often enough). 

Then, I met Tony at the Hickory Pit for breakfast, after which we caught "Stalingrad" at AMC 14.  Lunch at Hawg's Seafood in Campbell, then a stop at Target for mixed shopping before I headed home.  A lazy afternoon watching the bird tribe at the feed on the balcony, watching a bit of DVR - specifically "Vikings" first episode of season 2, then some more reading, and now watching one of my guilty pleasure - "Ancient Aliens".  In short, it has been a nice day - easily spent - relaxing and satisfying,

I am not sure I had any deep thoughts today.  Oh, one or two might have skipped across the surface of my brain, but they were pleasantly easy, all in all.  I am looking forward to just easing into the night, perhaps with a bit more of DVR, perhaps switching over to an entire night reading.

A Quick Step of a Week

Okay, it is a quiet Friday evening and, after dishes and taking the trash out, I am kicked back and watching an episode of Ancient Aliens, one of my guilty pleasures.  Let me catch you up real quick on the things that have been going on.  On the personal side of the house TR is on her journey yet, so I am missing her and enjoying each chance to talk when it occurs.  The folks are doing well in the assisted living community in Winner, SD.  Siblings are doing okay.  Most of my friends are continuing their journey there, so all is pretty much status quo.  At work we rolled out phase one of the project I am working on and we got some much needed direction in terms of future developments in the project and the O&M support model.  The launch was amusing but mostly smooth.  Now, we start work on the second phase this coming week.  In short, a brisk and busy week without a lot of opportunities to write - most of the free time I had went to work, to the process of getting the project launched.  I am looking forward to a solid night of sleep tonight without having to worry about the work project - largely because no one should be working over the weekend.  Tomorrow, I am planning on making it a long, slow and easy day.

I Dream of Stillness

There are days when I dream of stillness.  Then I wake up and realize that I am the dream of stillness. In the quiet heart of each moment is a stillness as vast and powerful as the universe itself, containing all things, being all things.

It is a pretty amazing realization. Today, it came to me as a result of the general swirl of stress around me - so much of it is based on my expectations and desires for this or that outcome.  When I set down those expectations and desires I find that core of peace inside of me.  It is a good place to reside, in the simplicity of the moment.

I have a lot of things moving around me. The work project. The general work environment. Thoughts and concerns around career movement.  My nephews illness.  My step-dad's fall. My parents aging in general. My siblings lives. My Muse's journey.  All of these things and yet, at the core of the them, they are pretty much beyond my ability to influence. They are going to unfold as they unfold.  When these things start weighing too heavy on me, I return to the center - and breathe.

I had an intermittent day mostly - I lingered in bed this morning, reading.  Breakfast was Goodies II with Tony.  After that, I made a run through Target and picked up a handful of odds and ends that I needed.  Home for a two hour planning teleconference.  An easy afternoon watching a couple of musical programs off the DVR (Sade and Civil Wars Unplugged), then a rambling neighborhood walk, a simple dinner and episodes of Ancient Aliens and America Unearthed.  An intermittent day, but a good day.

An Ordinary Day with A Last Stand

A mostly easy day I reckon. An early morning family phone call (no bad news).  Breakfast at the Hickory Pit.  A trip to Fry's. Then, off to see a movie - Tony and I decided to catch "The Last Stand" with Arnold.  It was exactly what it appears to be - an action movie with some snappy (and corny) dialogue. Definitely a popcorn movie and definitely recommended as such.

After the movie we grabbed lunch at Red Robin, then I went for a long walk, initially around the shopping center, then down through San Tomas Aquino park. An afternoon nap, a dinner of left-over pizza, an episode of America Unearthed and an episode of Ancient Aliens, then another walk through the neighborhood in the cool darkness of the winter evening. Somewhere in there I also answered several work email did some prep work for a working session tomorrow, and sorted junk mail.

A Televised Day

It was an easy day today.  I slept late for me, until about 7:30 a.m.. I suspect it is because it is winter, though I may have been running a bit short on sleep during the week before.  Winter is a time for sleeping late.  Breakfast with Tony at Goodies II on Bascom Avenue, then a pleasant morning doing laundry.  After laundry I came home, ironed and folded clothes, and then watched a couple of programs off the DVR.  I watched, in order, Justified, Elementary and Merlin, three enjoyable shows. 

 

Then, a short nap, a bit of reading, pizza for dinner, a wonderful little call with T.R. and then an episode of Ancient Aliens. It was a TV watching day I guess and it must have been what I needed, because I sure enjoyed it.  My plan this evening is an episode of America Unearthed, then back to bed with The King of Thorns.

Another Simple Day

Another simple day.  I slept in,  I woke and read.  I had a simple breakfast, then spent most of the morning just reading and listening to the odd bits of music. I went to the Cheesecake Factory with Tony for lunch, where I had an excellent piece of rib-eye steak. From there, I wandered the mall for a bit while Tony bought a new laptop, then drifted home.  It was a quiet evening with incidental household chores and Ancient Aliens. All in all, it has been a very pleasant day.

Jack Reacher

I woke this morning to the sound of pouring rain, that heavy rush of a winter storm, with the deep and long rumbles of thunder providing a magnificent undercurrent. A wonderfully lazy hour with T.R. to start the day, then breakfast with Tony and Tyrone at the Hickory Pit, followed by a walk-through of Fry's, where I managed to only buy a Vitamin Water Zero and a package of mints.

Then, home for a few hours of  laziness and out to see an afternoon showing of the new Tom Cruise movie "Jack Reacher", with the wonderful Rosamund Pike and an excellent little supporting turn by Robert Duval. I was not enthusiastic about the movie, though Cruise is rarely bad - I had read the book and I just could not reconcile Cruise with the character of Jack Reacher in my head.  Still, I was willing to take a chance on the movie and I am glad I did.

I am happy to report that it was very enjoyable, Cruise was good in the role (was he Jack Reacher, uh, no - but I could accept him as an alternate universe Jack Reacher and ultimately that was good enough), and Rosamund Pike was absolutely luminous. All in all, an entertaining film.

From there, we grabbed a bite Buffalo Wild Wings, then drifted home. Tony stopped by and I helped him do a little research on his installation of dual video cards (sweet!) and then I settled in and watched the most recent episode of Fringe.  Excellent as well.

I am about to fire up the DVR and watch the guilty pleasure of my days that T.R. turned me on too - Ancient Aliens - and wander my way into the night, but I thought I would pause and make a quick entry out here.  I hope the rain pours all night so I can sleep like a baby.

Easing Into The Weekend

I am glad I made it to the weekend.  The workday wasn't too bad - it was Friday, so it was relatively quiet from a customer standpoint, meaning I actually had time to do some regular O&M work.  I took it easy through the day - slept a little late, conversation with T.R., easy drift into the office, then a leisurely lunch.  I came home at the end of the day, stopped to get a haircut, took a shower, had pizza for dinner, and am now alternately reading and watching "Ancient Aliens" into the night.