Monthly Archives: May 2009

Mischief, Silliness, Stories

Pillowtalk

1 Comment

More Grocery Store Mischief!

I had to make a mid-evening run to the grocery store or else breakfast was going to be nothing but toast. (Now I’ll be able to have a pear. Plus, lunch won’t have to come from the deli.)

Going through the checkout, the cashier was making small talk and asked, “Any big plans for the evening?”

Since it was already past 9:00, I just shook my head and answered, “No, just this, and then I have a heavy date with my pillow.”

The woman behind me in line overheard this and added, “I have one too.”
I turned to her and in my most surprised voice exclaimed, “With my pillow?! I’m going to have to have a word with that pillow! It’s really getting around!”

A few minutes later as I paid for the groceries, gathered my bags, and started to walk away, the woman called after me, “Give my regards to the pillow!”

Photos, Work

Scenes from a Parking Lot

1 Comment

About a month ago, the facilities people at my office set up some cones in the parking lot, blocking access to three spaces. Surface parking is always kind of tight there, so on the one hand, I was a bit mystified as to why they would do this. On the other hand, our parking lot is currently in the midst of its annual occupation by a group of Canada Geese, and I wouldn’t want to be parking at the surface level anyhow, lest I have to clean some nasty goose stuff off the car. (And anything like that gets on your car, you need to wash it right away. Otherwise you’re gonna need a new paint job.)
Two weeks ago, I was heading out to my car at lunch time, and I discovered why those spots had been blocked off — Mama Goose had moved in and set up a nest on the traffic island!
Mama Goose on her nest.
Late last week, I happened to walk by while Mama Goose was standing up to stretch and count the eggs. I didn’t want to get any closer for fear of disturbing her, but still managed to snap this shot. If you look closely, you can see about a half-dozen eggs between her feet.
Mama Goose and her eggs.

Fandom

So Much for Keeping a Low Profile

4 Comments

I’m generally pretty low key about my involvement in Science Fiction fandom. When folks ask, I don’t deny being a fan. But on the other hand, it’s not exactly the first thing I bring up in a conversation. (Being a computer geek pays a lot better than it did 20 years ago, but “Star Trek geek” doesn’t seem to be particularly high on the list of attributes most girls are looking for.)
Two weeks ago, thanks to my involvement with the Farpoint and Shore Leave conventions, I was invited to an advance screening of the new Star Trek movie.
On Monday, I was contacted by a reporter from the Baltimore Sun who was doing a story about how the existing fan base (he was quite diligent about using the word “Trekkers”) was reacting to the new film.
The article appeared in today’s Baltimore Sun on page one of the Entertainment section.
So much for keeping a low profile….

Photos, Stories, Wylie's Tale

Bad Birdy!

3 Comments

I have a child safety gate sitting in the hallway at the top of the stairs. The general idea is that if I put the gate across the top of the stairs, Wylie will stay upstairs while I’m away at work. Of course, it’s really just one more thing I have to deal with every morning and again in the evening. Wylie is so well behaved that there would really be no harm in just getting rid of it.

Take today for example. After a somewhat unusual start to the day, I forgot to put the gate up before leaving for work.

Not to worry though! When I came home in the evening, Wylie was still sitting on the bed. Oh, to be certain, he was ready to spring into action if there had been any sort of trouble – flood, fire, break-in, ol’ Wylie was prepared. But mostly he was just sitting on the bed, patiently awaiting his master’s return. Wylie is a good boy after all.

Wylie, patiently awaiting his master's return.

Clearly it was that dirty, rotten Terry Dactyl who tore a hole in the sofa cushion.

Torn sofa cushion in front of the bird cage.
Assorted Ramblings, Dancing

A Very Long Day

4 Comments

I woke up this morning around 4:30 or 5:00; long before the alarm clock’s scheduled cacophony. That happens now and again; usually I just drift back to sleep. Not today.
This morning as I lay in bed, my mind started drifting. First to a British sitcom I’ve recently encountered called Coupling. It’s meant to be a British version of Friends. The bare handful of episodes I’ve seen have been entertaining. (Who needs a TV when you have video streaming?)
Somehow my mind next drifted to dancing.
First to Blues dance. I’ve just finished two months of lessons and although I enjoy the dancing, it can be frustrating at times. Partly because I expect myself to be a lot better with it by now, partly because I’m having trouble “getting” the music (which makes it hard to dance to), and partly because I’m having trouble finding time to practice – either at home or at a dance. They have a Blues dance almost every Thursday at Glen Echo — Back Room Blues, but Thursday just seems to be a tough night to get away. There’s one on Sunday in the bumper car pavilion; perhaps I’ll make it to that one.
My mind wandered back and forth from Blues dance to Swing. It’s been somewhere around a year-and-a-half since the first time I tried Swing. I just took another month of classes on that one too as a sort of “refresher course.” I’ve known the basics of Charleston since last summer and now I have a handle on the mechanics of the turn-back variation. There’s a bit of frustration here too from the lack of finding (making?) time to practice. Plus I’ve come to realize that my leading can be a bit sloppy at times. I know the answer to that one at least: Practice, practice, practice. (Do they have dancing at Carnegie Hall? What about the Kennedy Center? Not that I’m nearly comfortable enough to dance for an audience of more than one.)
A little before 6:00 I decided that since my mind had already been racing around for a while, I might as well get up and get the day started.
It’s going to be a long one.

Pointless Posts, Silliness

Swine Flu

3 Comments

As a public service, I’d like to present the following list of Swine Flu symptoms (aka H1N1). The CDC provides a far more comprehensive repository of Swine Flu information.

Swine Flu Symptoms

  • High fever (100 degrees).
  • Body aches.
  • Lack of appetite.
  • Nausea.
  • Vomiting.
  • Diarrhea.
  • Strong urge to roll in the mud.*

*The urge to roll in mud may also be a sign that you’re overly involved in politics. Medical supervision is strongly recommended.

Silliness

Time to Invest

1 Comment

Starting on Monday, it will cost 44¢ to send a letter. So just like last time, this is a good time to stock up on Forever stamps (also like before, Costco is selling 100 stamps for $41.75).
This time around, the price increase is 2¢, putting the return on investment at 4.5%. Better yet, the Forever stamps I’m currently using were purchased at the 41¢ rate, meaning that I’m saving 6.8%.
But I’m going to need a lot of stamps to make up for what my 401(k) has been doing lately.