I went to Target this morning to get some jumbo Rubbermaid containers for the Christmas tree (yeah, still up; hey, it's not February, yet), and I got a few other things. It was amazingly cold outside -- the car reluctantly started; glad I got a new battery last year (or the year before? Can't remember). Still, the car was like "Say what?" when I turned it on. It was so cold, the liquid crystal display on the stereo was slow to respond. Spousette wiped out her liquid crystal watch yesterday, when it got exposed to the cold weather -- the thing just went blank. Maybe the cold leached the power from it, or something. No idea. She's the Luddite's Luddite -- the body count has kept piling up (her old iPod, then my iPod, two printers, and now a wristwatch I'd gotten her for her birthday).
Speaking of tech and Luddites...
Chessica: 7
Dave: 3
Sigh. Still, the matches have been good, even though Chessica keeps winning. I'm out of practice, so this'll help my aging neurons.
I bought a few others needed things at Target, then piled it in the tubs I'd bought, and then carted that indoors. I was out early enough, and it was cold enough, that I managed to get our good parking spot back, which never happens when I set out on a weekend jaunt.
So very glad to have tomorrow off. I really need that.
Showing posts with label Weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weather. Show all posts
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Who'll stop the rain?
Damnable rain caught me, soaked me. And then, from Navy Pier to Oak Street Beach, 20+ mph headwinds brought me almost to a halt, forcing me to soldier on at a heart attack-inducing pace (fortunately, I have a strong heart), while Johnny Knoxville Junior (hipster guy with silver aviators, Plebe-plaid shirt, jeans) pedaled nearby, dismayed that I'd passed him, then passing me again as I fixed a slipped bike chain. Then I passed him again, then he passed me again, standing on his bike pedals to get that extra leverage he needed to make headway in the unrelenting wind tunnel. Tough ride, yesterday. If I hadn't been biking all summer, I'd not have been able to do that one. Nasty stuff. I don't remember seeing anything about rain in the weather report.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Sun and sweat
Pretty good ride in this morning, although damn is it humid! And I kept hitting little clouds of teenaged mosquitoes or midges or something that would stick to me. What a nightmare! Ptht! (me spitting out bugs)
Six more days until the trip to California. It's a wedge driven in my summer schedule -- an interruption. I'm sure my folks will love seeing the kids, and the kids ought to have fun, but the trip'll be kinda hellish, I imagine, although hopefully the novelty of it will inspire the boys to behave!
But I'm hell-bent on getting the book pitched to agents, and this week-long hiatus is an interruption for me, kind of breaks my stride.
I'm making some additional changes to the story, for a stronger ending. Nothing wholesale, just some more tweaks and tightenings of it. I decided I'm going to kill a major character in the story; normally, I avoid that, since I think it's kind of lame, like "Ohhh, somebody has to die" -- but I thought that him surviving the story sort of weakened it, weirdly enough, whereas his death would positively impact several other character groups -- like if he died, he'd provide strong motivations to three other major characters, and would propel the story forward into another realm. It just works better that way, I think. It raises the stakes of the story, and I like that.
Otherwise, if everybody survives, it's like the end of a sitcom, where they freeze-frame it with everybody smiling and laughing, and the music and credits come up. And I hate that. So, I think he will likely perish!
This quote reminds me of many people I work with...
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." — Robert E. Howard, The Tower of the Elephant
I'm an honorable savage in a dishonorable time!
Six more days until the trip to California. It's a wedge driven in my summer schedule -- an interruption. I'm sure my folks will love seeing the kids, and the kids ought to have fun, but the trip'll be kinda hellish, I imagine, although hopefully the novelty of it will inspire the boys to behave!
But I'm hell-bent on getting the book pitched to agents, and this week-long hiatus is an interruption for me, kind of breaks my stride.
I'm making some additional changes to the story, for a stronger ending. Nothing wholesale, just some more tweaks and tightenings of it. I decided I'm going to kill a major character in the story; normally, I avoid that, since I think it's kind of lame, like "Ohhh, somebody has to die" -- but I thought that him surviving the story sort of weakened it, weirdly enough, whereas his death would positively impact several other character groups -- like if he died, he'd provide strong motivations to three other major characters, and would propel the story forward into another realm. It just works better that way, I think. It raises the stakes of the story, and I like that.
Otherwise, if everybody survives, it's like the end of a sitcom, where they freeze-frame it with everybody smiling and laughing, and the music and credits come up. And I hate that. So, I think he will likely perish!
This quote reminds me of many people I work with...
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." — Robert E. Howard, The Tower of the Elephant
I'm an honorable savage in a dishonorable time!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Stormy Weathers
The sky looks pink this morning; it's all very overcast, but with the sun coming up (somewhere), it's making it look pink, almost periwinkle, or something.
Wow, was that ever a load of stormage last night. It was like a strobelight (or strobe light? Hmm) outside our window, and yet, I managed to sleep. I think I can sleep through almost anything.
3-D is out all week; I'm so glad for that. I hate his George Costanzian presence. His very existence offends me.
I kind of can't believe it's Thursday already. The week has managed to drag and pass quickly at the same time, some kind of temporal warp or something.
My project for the week has been reloading the lost music on my iTunes (I'd bitched about that before, elsewhere, so no need to rehash it -- suffice to say my work iTunes lost about 1,500 songs, maybe more). So, I've been busy bringing files to work in bundles; I've added about 700 since Monday, and after today, should have about 900 restored. By the time I'm done, I should have around 5,000 or more songs on at work. Yes, you can see where my priorities are on the job!
I've made good social inroads with Crabcakes, one of the production people (the other Em, the one who wasn't Snausage, Homegrrl) -- she's the one nice and/or decent person in that group. I always think it's useful know one production person, since they get scoop more often than we do. She's commented about how crazy Bizarroworld is, how nobody talks, how much that sucks. I feel her pain; everybody goes through that reaction when they join the madhouse.
I'm perennially amused that the Raj gave us luggage tags with the Bizarroworld logo on it as some kind of bonus. It's like "Hmmm, are we...uh...going someplace?" Yeah, out the f*cking door!
So, I'm about 3/4 of the way through the fantasy novel, copy editing it. I hope the fucking editors who eventually (hopefully) get this book appreciate all the front-end editing I've done on it. I'm sure some BVHD asshats will scoff at it, like "Ahuh, well, this section's a little weak, we need more plu perfect tense!" but I edited the bejeezus out of this book. After the edits are done, I'm going through it ONE LAST GODDAMNED TIME to add sparkle, as I put it -- a final coat of sparkle and then varnish. The sparkle will be just adding to description and such, where needed.
The glow is gone, the sky is cloudy-blue again. I guess that rosy glow was the sun rising behind the clouds. Neat.
Anyway, it'll be fully and finally done; once we're back from the trip to California, then the pimp-a-palooza begins, with me crafting the all-important query letter, and trying to get somebody to take this book. I can see it now: "It's like Beowulf meets A Game of Thrones!"
Wow, was that ever a load of stormage last night. It was like a strobelight (or strobe light? Hmm) outside our window, and yet, I managed to sleep. I think I can sleep through almost anything.
3-D is out all week; I'm so glad for that. I hate his George Costanzian presence. His very existence offends me.
I kind of can't believe it's Thursday already. The week has managed to drag and pass quickly at the same time, some kind of temporal warp or something.
My project for the week has been reloading the lost music on my iTunes (I'd bitched about that before, elsewhere, so no need to rehash it -- suffice to say my work iTunes lost about 1,500 songs, maybe more). So, I've been busy bringing files to work in bundles; I've added about 700 since Monday, and after today, should have about 900 restored. By the time I'm done, I should have around 5,000 or more songs on at work. Yes, you can see where my priorities are on the job!
I've made good social inroads with Crabcakes, one of the production people (the other Em, the one who wasn't Snausage, Homegrrl) -- she's the one nice and/or decent person in that group. I always think it's useful know one production person, since they get scoop more often than we do. She's commented about how crazy Bizarroworld is, how nobody talks, how much that sucks. I feel her pain; everybody goes through that reaction when they join the madhouse.
I'm perennially amused that the Raj gave us luggage tags with the Bizarroworld logo on it as some kind of bonus. It's like "Hmmm, are we...uh...going someplace?" Yeah, out the f*cking door!
So, I'm about 3/4 of the way through the fantasy novel, copy editing it. I hope the fucking editors who eventually (hopefully) get this book appreciate all the front-end editing I've done on it. I'm sure some BVHD asshats will scoff at it, like "Ahuh, well, this section's a little weak, we need more plu perfect tense!" but I edited the bejeezus out of this book. After the edits are done, I'm going through it ONE LAST GODDAMNED TIME to add sparkle, as I put it -- a final coat of sparkle and then varnish. The sparkle will be just adding to description and such, where needed.
The glow is gone, the sky is cloudy-blue again. I guess that rosy glow was the sun rising behind the clouds. Neat.
Anyway, it'll be fully and finally done; once we're back from the trip to California, then the pimp-a-palooza begins, with me crafting the all-important query letter, and trying to get somebody to take this book. I can see it now: "It's like Beowulf meets A Game of Thrones!"
Friday, July 13, 2007
Lucky Strikes
Hey, today's Friday the 13th! Woooo!
Yesterday was gorgeous. Amazing clouds in the sky, like mountains. I took several pictures of them, they were so lovely. The wind was really strong, made the bike ride home hellishly slow, wore me out near to breaking! One neat thing as I went along the piers across from Buckingham Fountain -- the wind was so strong, it was taking lines and rigging on the masts of all of the sailing boats and thrumming it against the masts, making a wind chime kind of symphony out of the masts, all different tones. I wished I'd had some audio recording equipment handy to catch it; it would've been a good addition for NPR's "Lost and Found Sound" -- I don't know if they're still doing that, but it was really neat.
We went to the lakeshore, near the breakwater, past the "Castaways" fake ship. It was fun to see all the stuff going on: the volleyball; the dodgeball/bombardment; a hippy chick doing hula hoop on the beach, entirely in her own world; some kids playing with giant orange frisbees (they were as big as trash can lids; all the bikers, joggers, people on the dating prowl, while the City began to light up as the sun went down, the land breeze cool and pleasant, the lake softly surging. It was really pleasant, although as the sun went down, I couldn't help but think of "The Lost Boys" -- the press of people everywhere, the carnival atmosphere, all of that.
I'm glad it's Friday; we're doing stuff with friends on Sunday, and I think we'll go downtown Saturday, show B1 the globes they've got lined up all over the park. He'd love that, I think.
Yesterday was gorgeous. Amazing clouds in the sky, like mountains. I took several pictures of them, they were so lovely. The wind was really strong, made the bike ride home hellishly slow, wore me out near to breaking! One neat thing as I went along the piers across from Buckingham Fountain -- the wind was so strong, it was taking lines and rigging on the masts of all of the sailing boats and thrumming it against the masts, making a wind chime kind of symphony out of the masts, all different tones. I wished I'd had some audio recording equipment handy to catch it; it would've been a good addition for NPR's "Lost and Found Sound" -- I don't know if they're still doing that, but it was really neat.
We went to the lakeshore, near the breakwater, past the "Castaways" fake ship. It was fun to see all the stuff going on: the volleyball; the dodgeball/bombardment; a hippy chick doing hula hoop on the beach, entirely in her own world; some kids playing with giant orange frisbees (they were as big as trash can lids; all the bikers, joggers, people on the dating prowl, while the City began to light up as the sun went down, the land breeze cool and pleasant, the lake softly surging. It was really pleasant, although as the sun went down, I couldn't help but think of "The Lost Boys" -- the press of people everywhere, the carnival atmosphere, all of that.
I'm glad it's Friday; we're doing stuff with friends on Sunday, and I think we'll go downtown Saturday, show B1 the globes they've got lined up all over the park. He'd love that, I think.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Silverfishin'
I think I shall not bike today, given the likelihood of the obligatory late-afternoon Chicago thunderstorms. Gruh. But the rest of the week looks to be mostly clear, so I'll bike then.
Got those silverfish traps, and deployed them in our bathroom. They've caught some of the pesky little bastards, but not nearly enough -- my foot remains the best silverfish trap. I hate those things.
Really don't want to go to work today. Today's TB's last day, before her exodus. I overheard Costy talking on the phone about tying editors' salaries to the page counts of the publications they work on, although I didn't hear all of that -- but it does fit his more = better quantitative ethos.
So annoying -- I've still got a bit of a sunburn on my left arm; an archetypal trucker's burn! I was so careful over vacation to not get burned, paleface that I am, and then on the drive home, I cooked my left arm. Stooopid.
I watched "Hell's Kitchen" last night, wanted to do a happy dance when drowned rat Melissa was axed from the show. That was great. That bossy, bullying bag of rags needed to be dumped the week before, but I was glad she got what was coming to her.
As for who I'm rooting for, it's tougher this year, no real stars. I like Julia, just as an underdog -- her personality's kinda not-there, and I think she has no chance of winning, given her limits as a chef (she's a solid short-order cook, works well in the kitchen, but seems way out of her league, otherwise). I think Rock will be the one to win, because he combines culinary imagination with hard work and good kitchen skills. He's the likeliest to win, I think. The other guys are dopes; they've got no chance. Brooke the nanny has some talent, but isn't up to the task, and Jen the cipher, nah (although she handled her position in the kitchen very well last night). She's a possible dark horse, although I doubt it.
Got those silverfish traps, and deployed them in our bathroom. They've caught some of the pesky little bastards, but not nearly enough -- my foot remains the best silverfish trap. I hate those things.
Really don't want to go to work today. Today's TB's last day, before her exodus. I overheard Costy talking on the phone about tying editors' salaries to the page counts of the publications they work on, although I didn't hear all of that -- but it does fit his more = better quantitative ethos.
So annoying -- I've still got a bit of a sunburn on my left arm; an archetypal trucker's burn! I was so careful over vacation to not get burned, paleface that I am, and then on the drive home, I cooked my left arm. Stooopid.
I watched "Hell's Kitchen" last night, wanted to do a happy dance when drowned rat Melissa was axed from the show. That was great. That bossy, bullying bag of rags needed to be dumped the week before, but I was glad she got what was coming to her.
As for who I'm rooting for, it's tougher this year, no real stars. I like Julia, just as an underdog -- her personality's kinda not-there, and I think she has no chance of winning, given her limits as a chef (she's a solid short-order cook, works well in the kitchen, but seems way out of her league, otherwise). I think Rock will be the one to win, because he combines culinary imagination with hard work and good kitchen skills. He's the likeliest to win, I think. The other guys are dopes; they've got no chance. Brooke the nanny has some talent, but isn't up to the task, and Jen the cipher, nah (although she handled her position in the kitchen very well last night). She's a possible dark horse, although I doubt it.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Rain O'er Me
Yesterday, I got soaked on the ride home. I'd made it as far as Navy Pier before the ominous stormage nailed me. And it got me, alright! I was worn out after the ride home, since the rain added some drag, weighed me down that much more with water. But I made it, anyway.
Today, I've got to get through my workstack, and once again clue JTOC and Tsarina about my being gone next week on vacation, so they can continue to fail to plan accordingly. What a bunch of tools! But I'll have done my part. I told Postal to just let the work pile up if they fail to account for my absence, and I'll just deal with it on my return. Maybe my absence will demonstrate the value of my work. Hah. I got a ton of writing done this morning, and am very, very close to finishing the fantasy novel I'd jumped back into two or three weeks ago. Stoked about that, since it's a solid piece of work; I'm very happy with it, sure hope I can get the interest of some agents.
Tonight, most of the Lunch Bunch are gathering at a watering hole for some firewater-fueled frolic. That should be fun, the crew back together, since we all seem to enjoy each others' company. It'll be fun, a good way of breaking in the vacation.
Tomorrow, B1's got his summer daycamp in the morning, and we'll pack and get ready to go, and then make our trek to Ohio, first for a wedding on Saturday, and then going camping Sunday through Tuesday (and also visiting our alma mater, which is in the area). Then a 4th of July celebration, and then homeward-bound on the 5th.
Today, I've got to get through my workstack, and once again clue JTOC and Tsarina about my being gone next week on vacation, so they can continue to fail to plan accordingly. What a bunch of tools! But I'll have done my part. I told Postal to just let the work pile up if they fail to account for my absence, and I'll just deal with it on my return. Maybe my absence will demonstrate the value of my work. Hah. I got a ton of writing done this morning, and am very, very close to finishing the fantasy novel I'd jumped back into two or three weeks ago. Stoked about that, since it's a solid piece of work; I'm very happy with it, sure hope I can get the interest of some agents.
Tonight, most of the Lunch Bunch are gathering at a watering hole for some firewater-fueled frolic. That should be fun, the crew back together, since we all seem to enjoy each others' company. It'll be fun, a good way of breaking in the vacation.
Tomorrow, B1's got his summer daycamp in the morning, and we'll pack and get ready to go, and then make our trek to Ohio, first for a wedding on Saturday, and then going camping Sunday through Tuesday (and also visiting our alma mater, which is in the area). Then a 4th of July celebration, and then homeward-bound on the 5th.
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