Ups and Downs of the week.

 TGIF – First week back after a break is always tough.

   Celtics – Serious slump. From a near perfect season to second place in a week. Yikes.

  Trader Joe’s Cranberry Stollen – Man, is this stuff good.

  Winter – Single digits and below coming next week. I am so ready for spring.

  Blago about to be impeached – Six months late, but better than never.

   Amazon.com’s shipping – Used to be the best in the business. now it’s just pathetic. Up to two weeks to get some items. I ordered a very small handheld CB radio on Dec. 31. It may arrive on Monday, nearly two weeks later. It shipped from Hazelwood, MO which is less than a hundred miles from here. I guess the Pony Express still lives, although even a horse could be here quicker. Used to be you’d get the item you bought in a few days, now it’s a few weeks. Amazon made their fortune off instant gratification and now they’re abandoning the very thing that made them famous and successful.

Update: My CB arrived today (Saturday), so 10 days after ordering. Not as bad, especially considering the 1st was a holiday. Still, from an hour-and-a-half away…

I turned 50 today. Yep, Elvis and I share the same birthday. I don’t feel 50. I still feel like I haven’t even settled into a career yet, like that is all still to come. I do feel like it’s time to start living out some dreams I’ve always had, like owning a decent sports car and traveling to places like Hawaii and Prague and so on.

I also need to get in better shape, or I won’t be feeling as well by the time I hit 60. It’s much harder to lose weight now than it used to be, but sadly much easier to gain it. Maybe I need another year-long stint at UPS. During the year I worked for them I lost 60 pounds. Who needs a gym membership when your job keeps you fit? There’s a reason you don’t see any overweight UPS drivers. 🙂

Ups and Downs of the week.

 Home again – Be it ever so humble, there’s no place as comfortable as home.

  Blago and Burris – What a pair of losers.

  Feeling healthy again – Whatever it was that had me feeling lousy over the holidays is gone now. ‘Bout time.

 Celtics and Bruins – Both teams still smoking along and on top of their game.

Today we made our semi-annual pilgrimage to the Book Barn in Niantic, CT. It’s a fascinating place for book hounds and cat lovers. Books and cats everywhere scattered over an acre of houses, barns, sheds, tents, and hovels. Many of the books are quite recent releases, but there are also loads of very old books. The cats are all the mellowest critters you’ll find anywhere and the folks who run the place are friendly and helpful. We never miss a chance to stop here when we come back east.

Ups and Downs of the week.

   Getting sick over the holidays – I spent Christmas Day and the next day in the cardiac unit at UCONN medical center. We were visiting Sarah’s parents for the holidays and I had been feeling quite ill for a few days. On Christmas Day it was bad enough for me to have Sarah’s father take me to the ER. They thought my symptoms could be indicative of a heart problem, so they insisted I stay overnight and they ran a bunch of tests. Turns out it isn’t my heart, but the problem is still not completely gone. I’ll follow up with my regular doctor later this week.  

  Great doctors – While I wasn’t happy about spending two days in the hospital, I was very glad to have the great docs at UCONN medical center working on me. They were very attentive and left no stone unturned in making sure I was not going to suffer a heart attack. Glad to know my heart is in such good shape. They could have given me a quick once-over and told me to take an antacid and sent me home, but they were very concerned and it showed. Much thanks to the doctors, nurses, and technicians at UCONN who gave up their Christmas to help folks like me.

  Thanks also to Sarah’s parents, who were understanding and supportive throughout the ordeal. The fact that I dampened their Christmas doesn’t faze them in the least. They’re good people. No surprise considering how special their daughter is.

  New England Patriots – Ok, so they’re out of the playoffs. They still played way above everyone’s expectations and only because of the division they’re in are they not playing into the post-season with an 11-5 record. Major kudos to Matt Cassel. He deserves a big, fat paycheck and a starting job next year.

…I’ve been in watching the Patriots dismantle the Cards and messing around a bit with the camera. Caught some deer eating the bird food I threw out. Also caught one of my cats in her favorite spot.

Ups and Downs of the week.

  Done with my courses – Thank God. And none in the spring, either.

   Our lying governor – He really is a sociopath. How he can stand there in front of the whole country and deny doing anything wrong is beyond me.

  Weather – It’s already been a crappy winter and it’s not even Christmas yet. We’re heading out to New England on Sunday or Monday *if* the weather permits. At least we’re driving, so no hanging out in airports for hours like last year.

 Boston Celtics – 16 wins in a row. Going for #17 tonight. UPDATE: 17 it is.

 Bruins – Still kicking butt. Serious goal production from the offense.

Ups and Downs of the week.

   Gas prices this week – Yesterday morning regular was $1.48. It had been going down, so I decided to wait to fill up on the way home. That afternoon, when I was just about out of gas, the price had jumped to $1.65, so it cost me $3.40 more to fill up than it would have that morning. Today it’s back down to $1.59, so I could have saved $1.20 if I had been able to wait. Now I know this is all bus fare as far as money goes, and I’m very glad I’m paying only $30 or so to fill up, but the constant up and down drives me nuts. It’s like they just decide that Thursday will be ripoff day and jack up the price for a day.

   Our esteemed governor – He and his trash-mouth wife are a pair of self-serving, cold-hearted crooks. And he even has the gall to deny doing anything wrong despite tapes recording his despicable behavior.  Unbelievable.

  End of the semester – I need this break.

  Mount Washington Observatory (MWOBS) vest – Thin, light, and very warm. Best buy I’ve made in a long time. Had to buy one for Sarah because she kept stealing mine.

 Boston Celtics – 14 wins in a row. Incredible. This team could even surpass last year’s dominators.

 Bruins – Also looking good this year. Finally.

Ups and Downs of the week.

  Gadgets - I love technology. It lets you spy on kitties in your shed. 

   Icy roads – That time of year again. 

  New router and wireless AP – Suddenly everything is faster. 

   Medical bugaboos - Dad is back in ICU. The poor guy can’t catch a break. 

  Critters - Storing up for winter.

  Christkindlesmarkt – This place is great at Christmas. I used to love to wander around through the stalls while enjoying a bratwurst and some glühwein. In past years you could pan and zoom the camera, but now it’s a fixed webcam. Not as much fun to people-watch now.