Ahira's Hangar

Today is my day off in between trips. Got back from a week in Hawaii yesterday, and am leaving tomorrow for Colorado. I flew to Hawaii but am driving to Colorado, which means taking different stuff this time. So today is sort of unpack/laundry/repack day.

If I run around doing stuff when I have time off, I feel like I haven't had time off.

--A

So tired today I am barely functional. Have no choice about going in to work this afternoon - they have a scheduled six hour downtiem for the hospital computer system, and as one of the most experienced people on staff I have to go in no matter what.

Well that plain sucks, duchess. Just hope it's not crazy at work for you!

I got a bit luckier than you: I had been asked to give an orientation today to one of our evening/weekend shift guys, who has not yet been to our new building because he's been ill for a while - I have not seen him since December. But at the last minute - literally, I was just rounding the corner to the building - I got a call from his dad saying he had a reaction of some kind and was too sick to come in. Felt sorry for the guy, but happy I was free for the day.

And a beautiful day it is! Sunny and mild. It definitely feels like spring (which officially starts next week anyway). It was warm enough that I felt comfortable with my fleece jacket off! Went and browsed around my favorite used bookstore which was in the area. While there, found an impressive, coffee-table size book called the Science Fiction Encyclopedia. Didn't get it because I'm trying to curb my impulse buying. But if the book is still there tomorrow, I might grab it.

Just had lunch, and now I'm gonna head out to enjoy the weather some more.

I just received and responded to a request to fill out an initial screening survey to become a Nielsen-rating family.
We have neither a DVR nor any any means of watching t.v. other than over the air reception.
And we watch very little t.v., as we fell out of the habit, not having had a digital converter box until my last birthday in January.

I'll be shocked if we proceed any further.
But it was interesting to be considered...

Over the years, I've felt resentment toward all those "Nielsen families" out there who determined the fate of my favorite TV shows.
If the revolution ever comes, I'm going to their homes and taking away all their TVs!

You would hate my family then. We did that for a month a few years ago, and had to keep diaries of everything we watched in 15 minute increments. I do not think that we watched a single network show during that month - Tigers baseball, the History channel, Discovery channel, the weatehr channel and ESPN dominated.

Well, then, yours is the kind of Nielsen family I like! I miss Discovery and History a lot. Not to mention PBS.

But back in the '80s I was a TV junkie and did watch a lot of shows on the Big 3 American networks.
I was thinking primarily of short-lived favorite shows from that era, so that's where most of my resentment comes from.

Had to buy $400 of clothes for my younger son today looking towards his attendance to . Like most seventeen year old boys he lives in jeans, t-shirts, and sweatshirts. But when he goes to Washington he will have to wear suits and/or sports coats every day for over a week. And he is taller and a lot skinnier than either his brother or his father, so he cannot raid their closets because nothing would even approximately fit.

Ah well, the kid has worn hand me downs (and has never complained once about it) for most of his life, up until he got taller than his father and brother.

And he agreed that when we raid his college money for the conference in Washington, we could reimburse ourselves for the clothes, too.

And I have to remind myself that for the $400 he got two nice sports coats, several dress shirts, twenty pairs of dress socks, two nice ties, and several dress trousers. His varsity letterman's coat alone and all by itself cost $300 a couple of years ago...so this is much better value for the money.

Yes, $400 for two quality sports coats already sounds like a fair deal to me (of course I'm thinking in Canadian dollars). Throw in the shirts, socks, ties and trousers, and it sounds even better. Your son will be one sharp-dressed man.

It was still an ouchy.

Yeah, they say they won't even let the parents visit them during the conference, Ali. Not enough time for that!

Sounds like you are staying plenty busy during your work break. Not sure whether to congratulate you or offer condolences.

Ali, I'm beginning to think you're resigned to Czech class to the bitter end. Armageddon could happen, and the next day it'll still be "aliantha drives to Czech class, swerving past the zombies and mutant cockroaches."