...spending it at the Botanical Gardens, on such a lovely day. I was the only one there, too, other than the two guys emptying the trash cans. Lots of folks across the way, on the trail that runs along the river. Bunch of work going on, too, on the big field across the road from the gardens...dump trucks, a maintainer, some fence put up. Don't know what they werre doing, other than stirring up dust. Reckon I'll find out one of these days, if their funding holds out, that is.
Last day of the year...I told you young'uns about time going by faster the older you get. Surprising how fast this past year went by. I got my tax stuff in the mail yesterday, too. My form and booklet, that is. I've found it's just as fast sending in the form by snail mail as it is doing the electronic thing. But the IRS office is here in Austin, and I do the direct deposit deal, so I get it in about ten days. H&R Block wanted to charge me $23 last year (when it's supposed to be free for under $54K). Screw them. $23 is like a week's worth of groceries for me.
Oooh...maybe the Mighty O will send out a stimulizer check like the Shrub did last year. My New Year's resolution is to have my car paid off by my birthday, so every little bit helps. Spread the wealth, dude! **************************************************************************************************************************** It's now...officially...2009. Happy New Year, y'all!
...we're from the government...we're here to help you. I've been reading all this hoopla about folks not spending money this holiday season. Well, it was evident at the World of Wally yesterday. After four years, it was time for me to replace my socks and get another pair of shoes for work. They only last so long, you know. So, off I go to the WalMart at South Park (yes, that's what it's really called), around 10:30 or so Sunday morning. I figured most folks would be in church, so there wouldn't be too bad of a crowd. Fact was, there was no crowd. I bet there were more people waiting in line to get gas at $1.29 than there were in the store. Circuit City and Office Max were pretty vacant, too. Whataburger had more people in it than those two places. I threw OM a bone and bought some DVD+R discs out of pity.
Everyone seems like they're waiting for Uncle Sugar to throw some money their way, too. Banks, automakers (may the UAW starve at their $33 million "lakeside retreat"), retailers, and now, Minnesota ($6 million for snowmaking?). Great...just bloody great. But I passed the point of caring a long time ago. As Rick would say, "The problems of the world are not in my department."
Well...it's not that I don't care...it's the fact that I...don't...care. I've had my share of trying to change the world, making it a better place. And what did I get in return? Low pay. Long hours. Spat on, cussed at, kicked, scratched, stabbed in the back. I've also made personal changes that have backfired, leaving me more miserable than I was to begin with. My own fault for listening to other folks telling me what they think is for my own good. I think I can figure that out on my own now, thank you very little. Just stay out of my wallet...
...have a safe and happy (insert your favorite holiday term here)! I've had my second cup of coffee and some bacon and eggs. Even the Schnauzer had an early holiday feed. Jewelry Lady brought over some white chocolate chip cookies. My landlady and I exchanged gifts (an illuminated magnifier, jeweler's loupe, and a couple of warm shirts for me; and a framed portrait of her grandaughters for her) yesterday, and cleaned up a bit this morning for company later on. I'll be working this afternoon, of course (for time and a half, of course), so I'll miss all the crowded, noisy Christmas celebrating here at home.
It's cloudy and cool (around 50-something)...I've given up on getting anything resembling an accurate weather forecast (as I've gotten three different forecasts so far, all wrong, of course)...but, it's not real cold, and it's not all foggy and wet, so I'm not gonna complain (too much). Wouldn't do any good if I did. At least the traffic should be light today...
Th' ol' gal remembered... Molasses cookies and fudge. Just what my 52-year-old metabolism needs. But, I reckon need has nothing to do with it...and it's the thought that counts. Oh, btw...the quilt in the picture is a hand-made, 1991 Randall County Fair blue-ribbon winner, a momento from another time.
Plus, I finally got my Vari-power adapter in. And it works like a charm on my D1x and D80. Nearly killed the batteries in my DVD and sat box remotes testing it, but it works. I reckon I better pick up some more Energizers tonight on the way home. And maybe a bag of tortilla chips.
I did up a little something for my landlady for Christmas...one of the pictures I took of her grandaughters a couple of weeks ago. Ran down to Hobby Lobby and picked up a couple of frames (got another project for that gal up north I need to deliver, one of these days), and mounted it in a light green 10" x 13" mat. I'll set it under the tree when I come in from work tomorrow night.
And it's still cold, foggy and wet. Ugh. Weatherman said it was gonna warm up. Liar. Sunny and 71 for Christmas, he said yesterday. Now, he says 63 and rain. I don't mind the rain, though...it's the cold I can't take (and, yes...63 is cold). And soon I'll be fighting traffic again. Well, two more days of it. Then they'll all be back out the day after Christmas, returning the junk they got that they didn't want. Damn, I'm glad this is only once a year...
...and a dollar short. Seems like I was a day early yesterday...today is the winter solstice. Maybe that's why it's cold today. At least it's not foggy.
Four more days 'til Christmas. Yay. Just another day (at time and a half) for me. I don't celebrate (if you can call it that) holidays unless they fall on a weekend. And it's rare that they do...which is fine by me. I've no family up here, so I don't do anything or go anywhere for holidays. Might as well be workin' and get paid for it. I may head north the next weekend, though, if nothng comes up. I don't mind getting out of town every once and a while. And I won't mind too terribly much if it's cold up there. I'm betting the traffic's gonna be bad Sunday, though. I hate traffic.
Ten more days, and this year's shot. My, but how time flies when you're whatever...
...as getting up too early. Ugh. I thought I was going to be clever this morning, and got out of bed by 6:30. I'd let the battery from my D1x go through another refresh overnight, with plans of catching a sunrise from the Big Hill Thing by the Palmer Auditorium, then do a decent shot of the Capitol Christmas tree. First place I went, though, was the Hideout for some coffee and a bite to eat. Neat little place. Pay them a visit if you're ever in the neighborhood.
There ain't no sun when it's foggy. And you can't see the tree when the doors are locked. I think there was some work going on inside the Capitol because DPS never did unlock the doors, so I gave up around 8:10, and headed for Towne Lake (oops...I mean Ladybird Lake).
It's still all foggy and wet, so I didn't hang around too terribly long. Lots of clutter (read: people), too. The rowers were out in full force...kinda wish I'd kept my inflatable kayak now. I'm beginning to think the weatherman's on drugs or something. He's been calling for sun the past four days, and I saw only like ten minutes' worth yesterday. And none today. More cold tonight, too...I hate cold. Give me triple digits any day. Oh, well...this morning was the winter solstice, so I reckon it's gotta get cold sometime. Somewhere else would be nice, though.
Wet. Not from rain, but fog for the last few days. Not that pea-soup, Gulf Coast kinda fog, but heavy just the same. 200 foot visibilty, tops, in places. And muggy. It's like 70 degrees. Stupid weatherman's been saying the sun's gonna shine for three days now. I reckon it's shining somewhere, but not here.
And to top it off, the traffic has been getting really sucky. It's like that, this time of year. 360's backed up from Mopac to Ben White. Christmas shoppers. Don't have enough sense to shop online, and let the stuff come to their house. Nope. Gotta tie up traffic all over town. Transplants mostly, I'll wager. Austin can't support the number of people moving here. Go back home, dammit!
Should be quiet at work through the end of the year...all the cubicle hamsters ought to be gone by the time I get to work. I can get some peace and quiet for the next two weeks. It'd be nicer if the whole town took off for a couple of weeks. Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?
...I've got so much going on, I don't have time to update this thing.
*snort* Yeah, right...
I did run across a decent Vivitar 283 the other day. Since my D1x has no on-camera flash (and the ones on my D80 and D40 are woefully underpowered), I snatched it up and ordered the VP-1 Vari-power adapter to replace the sensor. This thing syncs pretty good up to 1/8000, so I might try some high-speed stuff with it, and see if it'll sync at 1/16,000. I'll have to rig up a sound trigger for that...my reaction speed's not what it used to be. (BTW...if you have any doubts about the ability of Nikon's vibration reduction in their 18-200mm VR lens, this was a full one second, hand-held shot, using what light was coming through the blinds of my window.)
It's been cold and yucky lately, although it's warmed up a bit today (50, as opposed to 33 yesterday). Mid-70s for the rest of the week, and more sun. But still no rain. Everything's all dried up and dead-looking. Oh, well...spring's only a couple of months away. February is usually a wet month, so by March, everything should be green again.
This is the last week of the year for all the cubicle hamsters at work...they get most of the last two weeks December off. Good. The fewer people around, the less headaches for me. Hard to believe this year went by so fast (a little something for you young'uns to ponder...the older you get, the faster the time flies). Only thirteen more payments, and Tia Kia will be all mine! Hopefully, I can keep her in one piece for a few more years. And hopefully I won't get caught up in a budget cut next year...
...there was a change of plans. Seems like the Capitol tree is roped off, in the House Chaambers, to where it's like 25 feet away. Not at all what the Jewelry Lady had in mind, so she blew it off.
I, however, went anyway. And it really wasn't that big of a deal. You seen one Christmas tree, you seen 'em all. So, I wandered about the Capitol grounds for a while, stopped by Whataburger for a bite, then headed off to Towne Lake (oops, I mean, Ladybird Lake). Windy, boy howdy, it was windy. Lots of folks there, too, most with their dogs. I reckon I could have brought the Schnauzer so he could socialize a bit, but I really hadn't planned on going there. I don't plan anything, but I digress. Anyway, I milled about Auditorium Shores and said hey to Stevie, scoped out the Palmer Auditorium and the Long Center, got bored and went home.
So, here I am, sitting about and contemplating hitting the eggnog I got at the liquor store yesterday, but it's early yet. Maybe I'll work on my Blurb book some more...I'd started one about two years ago, trashed the idea, and picked it back up again about a week ago. It's going somewhat better this time around. I may get a copy printed up just to have one...it's nothing that anyone would pay money for. Not what Blurb charges, anyway.
...spending it at the Botanical Gardens, on such a lovely day. I was the only one there, too, other than the two guys emptying the trash cans. Lots of folks across the way, on the trail that runs along the river. Bunch of work going on, too, on the big field across the road from the gardens...dump trucks, a maintainer, some fence put up. Don't know what they werre doing, other than stirring up dust. Reckon I'll find out one of these days, if their funding holds out, that is.
WIDGETIZE