Weekend!
Dunno about you but it’s been a crazy week over here. School’s back in session, last-minute projects at work turning into last-minute projects getting completed, and the vet had to come over to look at Cecilia’s paw (he removed her middle digit on her right hand… poor baby).
As such, I’m of the opinion that this weekend can’t get here fast enough.
Of course, tomorrow, we’ve got THE MEETING FROM HELL and that’s going to slow down everything for a good couple of hours.
But, tonight? I’m going to saunter over to the local watering hole and see what’s happening with the foosball game. I understand that there’s bad blood and it’ll come down to whomever wants it more.
This weekend proper will otherwise be occupied with the triumphant return to Costco, the monthly trip to the Pet Store to buy a couple hundred pounds of litter, and the myriad little places that you have to go to periodically that, for some reason, have all turned into places I need to go *THIS* weekend. Sigh.
So… what’s on your docket?
I planned on attending the annual dove shoot on Saturday. Instead I was told we will be working at 6am to dig out of a hole we have found ourselves in. Ugh. That means a very early wake up call and no hunting. I will go in and mutter curses about my employer under my breath the entire time. Home for a nap and then attempt to salvage the evening with a nice dinner and maybe a movie.
Sunday we were invited to a polo match. Very foo-foo. The ladies of the house are excited to dress up and re-enact the scene from Pretty Woman. I will eat lots of delicious free food and try not to sweat too much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5u6iH0Um4cReport
Fixing loose shingles on my mom’s roof tomorrow, hope to finish painting the NW wall of my house Sat/Sun? There are people who have time to watch football on the weekends?Report
Bachelor party.
Nuf said.Report
Thirteen days without a cigarette. I’m not sure I’m going to make it to twenty, but it’s all going better than expected.
This is the last weekend before Clancy goes back to work. The state medical board only meets once every two months, which was the cause for the delay.
Clancy’s sister may be visiting us. Which means I guess I gotta look around and figure out how I am going to organize the rest of the house, since I don’t think Clancy will be able to do anymore. My computer crashed three times today and I told myself I couldn’t order the new one until everything was packed away. Motivation.
Also, college football.Report
Thirteen days without a cigarette.
Woot woot, as the kids say.
Hopin’ you make it to 20.Report
Good job. I hope you can keep it up. I keep falling off the wagon; mostly in times of stress. But I know I can get through it, now.
I started as a teenager, and it seems to be hooked into my pleasure centers. I’m grateful it’s a bit more difficult for children to access tobacco, now. I suspect trying it after 21, after the brain’s developed, makes it easier to quit later on.Report
There’s some science beyond the before/after 21 thing. Which makes me feel better, since I was 22.
Have you tried ecigarettes?Report
No.
I just try not to smoke, and not to be around smokers when the stress level’s are soaring. Chocolate, at those times, is my good friend.Report
@will-truman I started young as well. I made it a month on ecigs last year but got a burn on my tongue and roof of my mouth. In hindsight, still better than the hack I’m currently working on. Ecigs didn’t quite solve my cravings but I need to try and get back to them.Report
I gave up chewing tobacco after 5 years in my late teens/early 20’s. The first five days, you’re dealing with withdrawl. The next couple of weeks, you’re dealing with psychological stuff. After that, it’s just keeping yourself out of the habit (which is harder than you’d think, but it’s nothing compared to the first five days).
If your computer crashed three times today and you’re still mentally fit enough to write coherent sentences with punctuation and everything, you’re out of the woods. Congratulations. Now, define yourself as an ex-smoker who hates smokers (including your old self). The self-loathing will give you a new persona. Yeah, it’s not the most sane advice, but it does help.Report
Thinking vaguely about seeing the Giants, who just got back home. The Panda had three homers last night, for the first time since the World Series, and tonight he hit a triple, which, given his bulk, is even less likely.Report
Work. And school. But mostly work.Report
I plan to do a lot of reading this weekend. I have about 400 pages left in War and Peace, and I want to get through all of them.
I will probably squeeze in a little bit of Freaks and Geeks, and possibly get in some video games, but most of my non-chore time will be spent in a book.Report
Celebrating my 53 birthday.
New job for my sweetie; he’ll be prepping to teach classes at Berklee, and he has gigs tonight, Saturday night, and Sunday night.
Finalizing the details in a design portfolio I’ve been working on for a while, now. Should be ready to go by Monday.Report
Happy Birthday, zic!Report
Happy Birthday!Report
Dude! Happy birthday!Report
I remember, one year ago, correcting you (I won’t now, I know you better and so know better then to say no better) that it was ‘dudette’. The point of remembering being more then 1 year of active commenting here.
That’s nice.
Thank you for marking the revolution.Report
Recovering from the flu & packing for a week in Stuttgart, Germany (I am doing some work for Daimler). Also getting the new security system installed in the house.Report
Yesterday I finally decided to quit soccer and find a drum instructor. My youngest son’s guitar instructor recommended the drum instructor down the hall who just so happened to have a slot open right before my son’s guitar lesson. Tonight after work, I’ll head to the local music school/store to purchase a set of 2B sticks and a pad of manuscript paper. Excited! (Also hoping that I’ll prove to be a better drummer than I ever was a soccer player (that’s a very low bar)).
0800 soccer game for the aforementioned boy on Saturday, followed by hanging out with friends that afternoon. Sunday might be football…but that depends on how much care I can muster. My interest has seriously waned over the past few years, but it’s an excuse to go sit in a sports bar with friends and have a few beers while eating bad food, so…Report
Sweet.
Just remember the secret of success at mastering a new instrument: repetitive practice. Better to practice 15 min. a day every day than two hours one day a week. Helps you better build up the muscle memory!Report
Though nothing is less-wanted than unwanted advice, if you’re going to take up drumming, rather than go with just a practice pad, get a set of electronic drums. They’re not hard to build and have the advantage of portability. A good set of samples and you’re off and running.
Good luck…Report
This is excellent advice. I’d add a good set of studio headphones, too. This allows you to play along with your music collection, without bugging anyone, except for the percussive thumping from the sticks on pads; which can be transported through an apartment floor quite loudly. Good padding underneath, a rug over a thick pad, helps.Report
There’s another practical advantage: if your drum rig is connected to a computer, many things become possible. Click tracks, recording, overdubs, revoicing, the possibilities are damned near endless. MIDI files are small, powerful and portable.Report
Thanks, guys.
Reading all of your recommendations made me smile, because I’ve already got a nice Roland TD-4 kit down in the basement connected to a PC running Ubuntu which I built out of spare parts. This allows me to play along with mp3’s. No studio-quality headset, though. I’ve been a dabbler for a few years but now I’m hoping to learn how to actually _play_ the darn things! Good tip on the practice schedule, zic. I’m hoping to get at least 3-4 practice sessions in a week in the sliver of time between dinner and the kid’s bedtime.Report
@Dudette Happy Birthday! 😉
Another weekend, another sporting event in Whistler (GranFondo), another weekend of heavy traffic and road closures. I’ll be staying home mowing the lawn, working on the garage a bit, getting it ready for waxing season.Report
Driving up US-395 to Lake Tahoe. Fresh Sierra air, high altitude. Kayaks. Grilled salmon. Starlight.Report
@burt-likko I’m envious. We used to take 395 to Mammoth. Got one of my worst speeding tickets on that highway. Still, it’s beautiful, enjoy.Report
Yeah, hopefully the smoke from the Rim Fire has died down or drifted to a different direction than our destination.Report
I was MC at the New Zealand Skeptics Conference all weekend.Report
Pull the other one.Report