Category: Life 2013
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All the lonely offices
In February I will celebrate my tenth year of working at my agency. As I near that milestone, it’s hard not to see that a lot has changed. Some things have not changed at all. My building is still the same. The view out my window of the parking lot and (on clear days) the…
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Interview with a porn star
I am a sinner, apparently. I am making money from porn. Granted I am not producing porn. Viewing the stuff is not that interesting either, mostly because so little of it is actually worth viewing. You might say I am tangentially facilitating porn. For extra income and to keep one toe out of IT management…
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A short walk on Fairfax County’s Cross-County Trail
I live in Fairfax County, Virginia. It’s known for having a million people, being nestled up to the capital beltway (and partly inside it), beltway bandits, clean industries, great schools and well-moneyed people. One thing that doesn’t come to mind when you think about Fairfax County is nature. It’s not that nature is wholly absent,…
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Furlough Diary, Day 13
I’m running out of places inside my house to paint and patch. The lower level is now completely repainted. I finished that project last week when I repainted the back of one door that I had neglected in the spring. The walls consisting of our master bedroom closets and vanity have been repainted. The master…
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Furlough Diary, Day 3
Our bathtub is looking real nice after its caulking yesterday. With time to spare and prohibited from even touching a government-owned device, this currently “non-excepted” i.e. furloughed federal employee has time to play Tooltime Tim. Unfortunately, I’m not terribly skilled at home improvement, given how I messed up my last three attempts to caulk our…
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Ducks in a row
The government may be shutting down on Tuesday, but this near retiree is still not too panicked. Shutdowns don’t last forever, although this latest group of Tea Party Republicans doesn’t seem very amenable to reason, so it could last weeks or longer. I’m not too panicked because not only is retirement on the horizon, my…
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Leap of faith
This blog scratches my writing itch, but most of us writers would rather be published than place our writings in a blog. Being published still means something. Today it means one or more authorities singled you out as worthy of being published, usually on paper. Publishers are not in the business of wasting money. They…
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In a comic frame of mind
Since retirement is on my mind, what to do next is also on my mind. Here’s what I won’t be doing: Playing golf. I never tried, but it’s expensive and since it requires agility then I am likely to do as well at it as I dance. (I have little sense of rhythm or balance.)…
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Planning for the best time in life
New retirees seem to be flocking to cheap retirement communities like rednecks to a Waffle House. For a long time retirees moved to Florida, but not so much anymore. The Sunshine State has a malodorous stench to it these days. Something is broken in Florida and government seems clueless on how to fix it, but…
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Keeping off the weight
I officially start the maintenance phase of my diet tomorrow. Thirty pounds of my body has been converted, principally from fat to energy. Curiously, in the process of losing those thirty pounds, I have avoided regular exercise. Whereas, when I was gaining weight I was in the gym three times a week or so doing…
Occam's Razor 