Living In the World, Not on It

I normally love my birthday and I still do... but this was a big one and I thought it would be... bigger. It was a good party, with about 15 guests total. The food was incredible. The room was good. The company was great. There were 25 more people that had been invited but some were unable to make it and many just did not say anything. A small few said they'd come and did not. The best surprise in the world was that Renee and Alex came to the event from Maryland. I was delighted beyond words. And they brought my uncle, who was very sweet and hugged me and said some really wonderful things. I loved having Renee and Alex there the most and we cheered when our really great DJ, Bob Albrecht, played Code Monkey , Chiron Beta Prime , The Presidents and I Feel Fantastic . He also played Barenaked Ladies, Rammstein, Coldplay and tons of other good songs. He played 40s, 50s, 60, minimal 70s, 80s, 90s and current music. (I asked for minimal 70s music. I think that disco was a huge unerasable...

A four-day weekend is always a beautiful thing - too bad they are so few and far between. On the other hand, the fact that they are a rarity is good. It makes me appreciate them so much more. Still. What does one do with the time? Wednesday night we hung out in the house and I cleaned up and moved books downstairs and did laundry and other sundry and assorted things. I was up until nearly midnight with unused energy. I did get a fair amount done, although the book shelf in the eating area (that we never eat in) is still a mess. I need to get it all sorted out before the end of the weekend. I will get it done. The solar folks are coming around the 17th of next month. I can't wait. The ultimate middle finger to the electric company, I would like to think. I really am so pissed at them for laying that last bill on us. (And this is through December, too. What rottenness.) I went to Springfield to pick up a guest for our Thanksgiving dinner and when we returned I brought him over to the...

We did a total 180 from warm, beautiful late-spring weather to my Gods, where did the winter come from? I drove home on Wednesday afternoon with loud but wonderful music, the windows down and the sunroof open. With a normal, lightweight shirt on! It was delightful - so warm, so sunny, no humidity - that ruins the summer here, if the weather was dry life would be better! Anyway, it was a treat after snow, sleet and frigid temperatures to have a day that was actually in the 80s and beautiful outside. On Thursday morning it was 62 F and okay - and by 1400 the temperature had dropped to the high 40s and was grey and ominously cloudy. When I got home, it was just starting to rain... little cold hard pellets hitting the windshield. When we headed out to our call at 2140, it was ice falling from the sky. That was it. We headed to Morristown Memorial and when we returned the ice was still falling. When I went to be around 2330, it was still pounding against the windows. When I finally gave up ...

Bad weather forecast heading our way... After the winterless winter we have been having, the weather gods are eyeing this area with ferocious intent. Not surprising. On the first Saturday of this new year (I guess not so new now) we had a 71°F (19°C) day, complete with golfer lined up at the first tee. I suppose you can't blame them - having seen what a yen for golf can possess a person to do, this is a prime opportunity, not to be missed. This afternoon when I left work, there was a lone person out on the play deck... no, what is that called? The big hill where everyone whacks practice balls? Oh, yes, the Driving Range. Well, there he was - a guy in a parka out there striking little white balls. It was all of 32°F (0°C), and there is someone so badly struck with the golf disease that he'd be out there in frigid weather to do this. That is nuts. Having played nine holes of golf some years ago (Luis practically dragged me out to the course kicking and screaming. Not being a pers...

Okay, I take back all the worrying and complaining I did about the warm winter! It feels like winter now, all -4°C of it. It snowed Thursday night and yesterday. Not enough to really amount to anything but it has been white and pretty and then today... yikes! It has been very cold and very, very windy! Not at all a pleasant day. It is clear, but that is as far as pleasant can go. That is not saying much now. Tomorrow's forecast: clear, then becoming cloudy in the early evening. It may snow overnight but while it won't amount to anything, it may freeze and cause all sorts of problems for the morning commute. Wonderful . Just what we need. Nothing like starting a Monday off on that sort of note! As I have payroll to run and don't want to wait until 0930 to begin, I will have to brave the roads and hope that what is being predicted will not come to pass. I started this posting right before heading over the squadhouse. I am happy to say that we had a good night. Considering we ...