Road Apples, #7

The Stitches Come Out! The Stitches Come Out!
Yes, today I get these incredibly annoying stitches out of my mouth. The level of annoyance can best be compared to having a piece of dental floss stuck between your teeth. It's so bad that I don't care what it feels like when they come out...I just want them out. By the way, this will be my lunch today. Joy. Maybe I can start to eat popcorn again.

I Saw A Promo For A Cheech & Chong Tour
Seriously, a current tour for Cheech and Chong. I really was laughing, if only because here are these two are far too old to be running around the country making jokes about smoking pot. Please guys, you did some funny stuff in the 70's (although now when I listen to it I think to myself "but smoking pot really is bad for you"), but it's over.

Oh The Weather Outside Is...
...going to be nasty tomorrow, as a storm is coming that promises something like 8-10" of snow when all is said and done. Quick, get milk and eggs from the store!! Actually I do need cat litter, so I'll stop and get that one the way home from work. I guess this really means that winter is really here, or will be here. Regardless, it's going to snow.

At The Quarterly Meeting Yesterday...
...I got a certificate and letter, both signed by the President, CEO and Chairman of my company, congratulating me on 20 years of service. Among other things, that make me old. It's actually interesting in that these days it's very unusual for someone to stick around as long as I have. That wasn't some grand plan, but rather the simple fact that I've been given some decent jobs to do over the years and, by and large, I've been treated well by my employer. Will I be there for another 20? I hope not. Simply put, I'll be there as long as I'm paid what I think I'm worth (or relative to what the market says I am worth) and as long as they will have me.

Tuition Paid
The first of three tuition payment installments were made yesterday for Kate's Spring Semester. Only about $3000 to go. You know you're a grown-up when you can figure stuff like this out. Does this mean I'm actually a grown-up? Quick, I had better get a Cheech and Chong DVD.

In The Time Off Department
I've got four more days of work for the balance of this year...that includes today, tomorrow, Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. I work the "Eve" days for one simple reason: they really aren't full days of work AND I can get a lot of work done. Today and tomorrow will stink, but I'm hoping to make up for it with the two "Eve" days.

Holiday Cheer?
Still not tree up, still no outside lights strung. I'll get some of that done over the weekend. I promise. I mean it this time. Really. Honest.

Sirius Satellite Radio...
...has a whole channel of music devoted to just ABBA, in conjunction with the release of Mamma Mia on DVD. Now the movie was ok...not great, but ok. I'm a big fan of ABBA, but in all honesty, the cover versions done in the musical (both in the movies and on Broadway...and I did see it there as well) don't really do justice to the music. Unless you actually hear the songs and really, really listen, you miss a lot. The original stuff is really, really well done. Very tightly played and produced, and some of the vocal parts are really incredible. Anyway, it's something to listen to while Howard Stern is busy playing his retrospective stuff next week. I like Stern, but I really don't need hours of his ruminating over how great he is, as I think that runs somewhat counter to what the show is about in the first place. Anyway, Thank You For The Music Sirius (inside ABBA reference there).

In Gastric-Intestinal News
I didn't really suffer any ill effects from the trip this week. Usually I end up getting queasy or something like that from eating too much, the wrong things or too late. I can't usually help the "too late" part, but I did make an effort to do a better job on the too much and wrong things department. It's nice to be able to function without feeling like you are going to hurl at any moment.

Move On
The refrain from an ABBA song I really like...

Like a roller in the ocean
Life is motion
Move on
Like a wind that's always blowing
Life is flowing
Move on
Like the sunrise in the morning
Life is dawning
Move on
How I treasure every minute
Being part of it
Being in it
With the urge to move on