• Professionally, things are well yet busy.  I would not have it any other day.
• After the end of snow and the coming onslaught of rain, I spent today cleaning my house from top to bottom.  It needed it, and I actually feel like I accomplished something as a result.
• After some research, I decided to purchase a Blu-Ray DVD player.  Specifically, I ordered a Samsung BD-P3600 from TigerDirect.  TigerDirect was having a pretty good deal on the player, so I figured why not.
• Lately, there have been two songs that I have been unable to get out of my head.

• • The Filet-o-Fish Song

• • • Even with a DVR, I cannot get this stupid ad jingle out of my head.

• • Shots, LMFAO featuring Lil Jon

• • • Yet again, the music selection at my gym strikes again.  In this case, as I was wrapping up my workout on Thursday morning, this little ditty became permanently ingrained into my brain.  I have no idea who this other rap group is, but I am all too familiar with Lil Jon, thanks to Dave Chappelle. Damn you, Lil Jon!

• Opening Day 2010 for the Baltimore Orioles will soon be upon us.  I have yet to acquire a ticket, but I will begin that search soon enough.
• In the book-reading department, I finished reading The Quants.  Expect a review of that book sometime this week.  Also, I am almost finished reading SuperFreakonomics.

There you have it—a concise update.

On my way out of work, I had stopped off at Jos. Bank for some additional shirts.  After that, I headed home on my usual route, heading up Conway Street towards Camden Yards.  I was minding my own business, listening to one of my many podcasts I listen to on my iPod.

As I approached the intersection of Conway and Sharp Streets, right near Old Otterbein Church, I saw a woman who had just finished talking to two men.  It looked like she was asking for directions, and the two men did not know where to send the woman.  The woman was a senior citizen, and she reminded me of my grandmother.  I decided to approach her and offer her some help.

She was heading to Highlandtown looking to catch a bus from downtown.  I admitted that I did not know what buses ran where, but I suggested some possible routes the buses could take–Pratt Street or Eastern Avenue came to mind.  She mentioned she was doing a favor for a friend, and she had accompanied another friend downtown to play bingo. I pointed out where Pratt Street was located, but I noticed she did not seem too confident about where it was. I offered to walk with her over to Pratt Street, so we made our way.

She mentioned she used to live downtown on Charles Street, but she was a little lost given where she was.  I offered that the area near Camden Yards has changed a lot in the last few years, and it has probably changed even more from her time living downtown.

We made our way to Pratt Street.  There was now a new problem: where to catch a bus.  The best thing I could think of was to get her to a covered bus stop, where more information on where the buses head would be.  Again, though, that was a four block walk from the intersection of Pratt and Sharp Streets. There was also the problem of bus fare, as she was checking her change, and I was not too confident that bus fare was that inexpensive.  I mentioned hailing a taxicab, but she was not too keen to the idea.

While waiting on Pratt Street, we missed one bus, and a Charm City Circulator came by to the stop we were at.  The Circulator was not going to get this lady to where she was headed.  I decided to hail a taxicab, checking my wallet and seeing that I had $20 in cash.  She offered me some money for helping her–three dollars.  I politely declined.

The woman said that was not necessary, but I opened the door to the taxicab.  I handed the driver my $20, mentioning that she was headed to Highlandtown, making sure the lady mentioned her final destination.  She thanked me and said I did not need to do this, and I replied “It was my pleasure.  Get home safe.”

The most important thing to me was to get her to where she was going safely.  She is someone’s grandmother, and I thought it important she get to where she was going safe.  With that thought, money was no object: I just wanted to make sure this grandmother got home safe, and I was happy to do it.

• Last Wednesday, thanks to my better half, I saw and enjoyed The Rivalry at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC.  If you consider yourself a student of American history, I highly recommend it.  The play is a dramatization of the Lincoln-Douglas debates as both of them vied for the one of the seats for Illinois in the US Senate.  The language used by both Lincoln and Douglas during the debate portions of the play is accurate, while the rest of the play is a dramatization as seen through the eyes of Douglas’ widow, Adele.
• Work has been, as usual of late, extremely busy.
• My taxes are done, and with it, my refunds are now in hand.  I finally splurged on myself, purchasing a long-needed (and desired) HD LCD TV–a Samsung LN46B750–and a new univeral remote–a Logitech Harmony 700.  My splurging is now complete, and I have been able to enjoy programming in HD.  Why did I wait so long?
• The winter weather around here has been to my liking.  I do take exception, though, to the snowfall occurring on weekends as opposed to a weekday.  Enough with the Saturday snowstorms.
• This weekend, I am off to Boston for the Beanpot.  Again, it would appear I will be seeing BU in the Beanpot final after their defeat of Northeastern by a score of 2-1 in the first round last night.

Gonna make yo ass tired with all my tryptophan!

Indeed!

Enjoy the turkey and family today!

Nonetheless, the event raised $1400 for men’s health–specifically, prostate cancer research and the Livestrong Foundation.  Good job, everyone.

Still, the month of Movember still has 8 more days left.  That’s 8 more days where you can contribute to me and my mustachioed brethren.  Go donate (please)!

It’s the only time you will ever see me with a mustache.

There have been lots of things that have conspired against me to keep me away from seeing my family–some good, some bad, and some professional.  Still, I am looking forward to seeing everyone. It has been way too long.  Still, that is a poor excuse for not seeing one’s family.  I will do better.

In my professional life, work has been keeping me busy, for a variety of different reasons.  As one of my staff moved to an internal position, I have had to work with my remaining staff to take on my former charge’s tasks.  I think that change combined with my efforts to fill the position have taken their toll.  Some other organizational change is afoot, and with changes such as this, there are always some growing pains.  I am interested in the outcome.

In my personal life,  a degree of normalcy has been restored.  As of today, I am now the sole resident of my home once again.  My houseguest–my mother–has moved into her place, and I think it is a good move for her (and for me).  I have enjoyed the new-found freedom I have once again in my house.  No more weekend afternoons of NASCAR, weekday evenings of Oriole games, and other televised things.  For all of my complaining, I think this time has done both of us some good.  Still, there is something to be said for having the complete and unfettered use of my home once again.

On other fronts, I am doing quite well.

• Friday Evening
  • A farewell happy hour for a contractor becomes a longer evening of conversation and beverages.  A good time was had, but I wound up staying out much later than expected.
• Saturday
  • Early morning errands following a quick workout.  Groceries from Wegmans, some house-sitting to check in on my friends’ cats, picking up some dry cleaning, and other miscellany.  I am convinced to come out for a CD release party at the 8×10, and I wind up having a nightcap.  While heading to my usual location, I ran into a high school friend of mine I have not seen for some time–near 15 years.  I now have his business card, and I will be getting in touch with him soon.
• Sunday
  • Some local folks I know from the Internets convinced me to participate in a “Sunday Funday” duck tour.  Prior to meeting everyone in Fell’s Point, though, I stop off at the Farmer’s Market beneath the Jones Falls Expressway for some essentials–vegetables and coffee.  It is then that I realize that even 8:30 AM is not early enough to avoid the onslaught of slow-walking and stroller-wielding shoppers.  Clearly, I am not one for large crowds where I shop.

Sunday evening was spent in relative solitude, and I wound up napping on my couch for a little bit before going to bed.  I am, however, looking forward to this holiday-shortened week.  It will also help that I will be taking a couple of days off this week in addition to the company holiday.

In no particular order, here they are for me to work on this weekend.

• Fix squeaking doors–front door, rear door, and bathroom door.
• Fix front door sweep.
• Clean oven.
• Clean refrigerator interior.
• Thoroughly clean home office.
• Perform a purge of magazines.
• Investigate and correct hum that now comes from ceiling fan in master bedroom.

With this list of things, I figure I will strap my toolbelt on this weekend, like Tom Silva, This Old House-style.

A friend of mine from college posted on Facebook some of the funny photos he has accumulated over the years, and he had one similar to this.  I remember the story behind it.

A truck traveling on Rt. 1 near the main entrance to College Park’s campus had swerved and collided with the wall that marked the gate.  If memory serves, this gate had just been remodeled not long before this accident.  The hole in the wall remained there for most of the week.

On my way into work the morning after this prank was pulled, I saw the Kool-Aid Man at the entrance.  I chuckled to myself on the way to work.  Shortly after that, though, the facilities people at campus removed Kool-Aid Man.  At the time, I never did get a photo to commemorate the moment.  Thankfully, someone else did.