Last weekend was The Michigan Wedding in.. Michigan for my college roommate. (I was the Best Man.)
Thursday, I arrived in Ann Arbor for the Bachelor Party (BP). The BP consisted of dinner at a bar with the groom (my college roommate), another groomsman (fellow trumpet player from college), the groom's sister's boyfriend, and the impromptu groomsman (more on that later). Afterwards, the impromptu groomsman left the 4 of us as we proceeded on to drink the night away. I'm talking a carbomb, a weird blue shot (blue caracao + sapphire + ???), a house tequila (yecch!!!) and a few beers. The night ended relatively early, possibly partly due to a lack of enthusiasm on my part owing to my early day and traveling.
Friday, the groom was not feeling well. My stock line: I'm not sure if the BP was a success or a failure. Success: The groom was not feeling well the next day. Failure: See success. (I apologized to the bride.) The good news was that even though we left 1.5 hours later than planned, by the time we made it to the wedding location from Ann Arbor (5-hour trip), the groom was feeling pretty good.
The site for the service was a gorgeous house on Crystal Lake. Absolutely huge, nicely furnished, beautiful backyard with a trellis-y thing to get married under. I counted 7 bedrooms. Our hosts were incredibly nice and pleasant. Fantastic people. I shared a room with the trumpet groomsman. Really cool to see him again - great guy.
This wedding was more hands-on than I anticipated. A lot of setup work, a lot of detail work. The rehearsal on Friday eve was good - things were planned and the couple was receptive to polite suggestions (from anyone present) concerning things like traffic flow, etc. Worked very well.
Rehearsal dinner was pasta with sauces and garlic bread and salad. Very good. I gave 2 toasts. Not sure if there were "good" per se. In fact, I feel a little bad for the first one. I think I wished them "a wonderful wedding." I claim.. ummm... I was on drugs. Yeah. No. No, wait, ummm.. Mental illness? *shrug*
Saturday was lots more prep work and setup. Then the wedding. Very nice service. I think things went according to plan. I may have been standing a little too close, though it was where I stood for the rehearsal.
I may have been obsessing over the wedding and my part therein, incidentally.
Afterwards, photos. Appetizers. Speeches. Ugh, speeches. Maid of Honor went first - she told a funny story. I went second. I briefly related my meeting Matt and such, my meeting Rachel, "They are a perfect match", "May you have a wonderful life together", "Cheers!" Some other bits too. It's on video somewhere, I'm sure. I think (hope?) it was received well. Only comment I got was from the minister's wife when I met her - she said "it seemed to come from your heart." Not sure if that was an honest compliment or her not having much else to say - I'm gonna go with the former.
Good food - meat on sticks. Dancing in the ball room. Good tunes. Everyone not staying at the house (i.e., everyone except for the bridal party) left by 8-9pm since there were no shuttles anywhere. We danced 'til 10-10:30. Called it a night. The happy couple went off to a motel. The rest of us said goodnight and went up to bed.
Next day was breakfast and take-down (lots of heavy lifting) and a 6-hour trip back to Ann Arbor/Detroit (included a 1-hour lunch stop) which had me nearly-missing my flight to NYC (got to the airport just 1 hour in advance). Fortunately, security only took 10 min. Got slice of pizza, got on plane, smooth sailing/flying.
Fun time. Very glad I could be there. INCIDENTALLY, the impromptu groomsman was a stand-in for the third in our trio (groom, me, missing guy). So I was informed right before I left for the wedding, someone at missing guy's work had quit and boss wasn't letting missing guy take the days off. If it were me, I would have said "Too bad. I'm taking the days and I'll be back on Monday. If I'm not welcome, so be it." Missing guy (eventually) told the groom he couldn't be there. Bad form, imo. Going to be hard not to lay into missing guy when I finally see him again. (Haven't seen him in about 5 years now, the bastard.)
Excellent wedding. Worked out well. Very happy for my old roommate, the groom. Bride was absolutely radiant. Bridesmaids looked very nice. Groomsmen were stylin'. (How else could I describe us/them?) Great time. Very fun. Very glad I could be there for my friend and very honored to serve as his best man.
I wish them nothing but the best! May their life together be filled with happiness and joy. Cheers!
ADDENDUM: Changed title. Fixed a miswording. Added the following:
Forgot to mention my related health issues. This wedding injured me some. (Seriously.) To wit:
I spent the 5-hour ride on Friday crammed into two-thirds of a backseat (the car was full of "stuff", I sat behind the passenger, crammed between the door and various boxes). The backseat was molded and, thus, pressed against my back in an uneven fashion. The ill-distributed pressure against my back caused some amount of strain and resulting pain.
Prior to departing the wedding location on Sunday, a fair amount of lifting and some heavy lifting was involved (Clavinova, furniture, chairs, boxes, misc. things). This resulted in a fair amount of fatigue and pain the following days.
The ride back to Ann Arbor/Detroit on Sunday had me crammed into two-thirds of a backseat (passenger-side) due to a car of 5 people full of lots of things. This too strained my back.
Needless to say, I was in occasional pain for the following 3.5 days (no pain from halfway through the following Thursday). Very not good but not too awful as it was temporary. Even so, I still feel as though I should get a massage for my lower back or go see a chiropractor (*shiver of apprehension*). I suspect my lower back still isn't quite right.
Notwithstanding the above, great wedding! [5:18pm, Oct. 8, 2007]
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
The Michigan Wedding
Tomorrow morning I depart for Michigan, fame and fortune. Well, one of the three at any rate. It's my college roommate's wedding in which I am the Best Man. Thursday night is the bachelor party. Friday is traveling up to the location of the ceremony (approx. 4 hours North of Detroit/Ann Arbor) and the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Saturday is a wedding. Sunday is brunch and a flight back East.
I'm not packed yet. I don't have my speech ready. I do have my tux and it fits. I don't know what's going on with one of the groomsmen. I do know what's going on with one of the groomsmen. I don't have any plans for the bachelor party other than "steak house" and "bars." I do think this is going to be a fun time.
[8:28pm, 9/26/07]
And now it's too early in the morning after too little sleep. I am or shortly will be packing. Leave at 4:15-4:20am to catch a 4:40am ride into the city. Ugh.
[2:11am, 9/27/07]
I'm not packed yet. I don't have my speech ready. I do have my tux and it fits. I don't know what's going on with one of the groomsmen. I do know what's going on with one of the groomsmen. I don't have any plans for the bachelor party other than "steak house" and "bars." I do think this is going to be a fun time.
[8:28pm, 9/26/07]
And now it's too early in the morning after too little sleep. I am or shortly will be packing. Leave at 4:15-4:20am to catch a 4:40am ride into the city. Ugh.
[2:11am, 9/27/07]
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Sometimes, I think...
...that I'm actually very good at what I do. I just came up with a "good" claim (i.e., one my boss likes) for an invention within about 10-15 min. Yay me.
[From 1:45pm]
[From 1:45pm]
Living Situation Update
As you may (or may not) be aware, I am currently living at home with my mom and the two dogs. (My dad passed away in 2001.) I'm living at home because initially (i.e., right after law school) I did not have a job and, after I found a job, I help mom pay the mortgage.
Recently, as in the past month or two or three-ish, my mom started planning to sell the house in the Springtime and move into a condo. She doesn't want the upkeep and maintenance (and concomitant expenses) the house requires. Plus, it's a bit big for only 1-2 of us.
So she's having the exterior repainted. New shutters are going up. Parts of the interior will be repainted or repapered. Etc. Incidentally, this also entails me cleaning up all my crap in the house. This is far from a small undertaking and scares the bejeebus out of me on some level.
She has also begun looking at condos in Fairfield County. One of the requirements for the condo she moves into is that it have a second bedroom for me. She's promised that I will always have a room, which is rather a nice, kind-hearted gesture that I appreciate. (The parents of a cousin of mine turned his bedroom into an exercise room when he moved out.)
Last night she was telling me about the various condos she saw on Sunday when she went out condo-hunting with a realtor-friend. Somewhere in there, I dropped the apparent bomb that when we move out of the house I'm planning on getting a place of my own (an apartment).
My mom's reaction: "Why?"
I'll take 'Signs That You've Lived At Home For Too Long' for $200, Alex. "WHY?" I believe my answer was: "Because I want a place of my own." Never mind the incredulity of telling people you live at home. Never mind the fact that I don't feel comfortable bringing friends home, let alone dates. Never mind the fact that my life tends to be ruled not by me but by my mom and the dogs. No, I really do want to be on my own. Isn't it about time?!???
So come Springtime, I will be looking for an apartment to move into. My tentative plan/idea is to move to New Haven, seeing as there are places to go and things to do up there. Trumbull is suburbia. It is dead. I'd rather live in a younger, more lively place. If that place happens to be closer to my friends in Hartford, works for me.
Recently, as in the past month or two or three-ish, my mom started planning to sell the house in the Springtime and move into a condo. She doesn't want the upkeep and maintenance (and concomitant expenses) the house requires. Plus, it's a bit big for only 1-2 of us.
So she's having the exterior repainted. New shutters are going up. Parts of the interior will be repainted or repapered. Etc. Incidentally, this also entails me cleaning up all my crap in the house. This is far from a small undertaking and scares the bejeebus out of me on some level.
She has also begun looking at condos in Fairfield County. One of the requirements for the condo she moves into is that it have a second bedroom for me. She's promised that I will always have a room, which is rather a nice, kind-hearted gesture that I appreciate. (The parents of a cousin of mine turned his bedroom into an exercise room when he moved out.)
Last night she was telling me about the various condos she saw on Sunday when she went out condo-hunting with a realtor-friend. Somewhere in there, I dropped the apparent bomb that when we move out of the house I'm planning on getting a place of my own (an apartment).
My mom's reaction: "Why?"
I'll take 'Signs That You've Lived At Home For Too Long' for $200, Alex. "WHY?" I believe my answer was: "Because I want a place of my own." Never mind the incredulity of telling people you live at home. Never mind the fact that I don't feel comfortable bringing friends home, let alone dates. Never mind the fact that my life tends to be ruled not by me but by my mom and the dogs. No, I really do want to be on my own. Isn't it about time?!???
So come Springtime, I will be looking for an apartment to move into. My tentative plan/idea is to move to New Haven, seeing as there are places to go and things to do up there. Trumbull is suburbia. It is dead. I'd rather live in a younger, more lively place. If that place happens to be closer to my friends in Hartford, works for me.
Montreal
Very quick recap.
Went to Montreal this weekend with movie.girl just for fun, no real plan per se. Though the trip was billed (by her) as a 5-5.5 hour trip, each way took 6-6.5 hours not including food time. Rather long trip for a weekend jaunt. I learned that I don't think I like movie.girl's driving "style." That is, I needed dramamine to survive the trips.
Got in late on Friday night, around midnight. Got a drink and snack. Though neither of us really slept in on Saturday, it was certainly a lazy day/slow start. Walked around the city. Coffee, etc. Went to a fantastic restaurant for dinner - Europea. I highly recommend the 7 or 9-course meal, whichever the big one is. Got a drink after that.
On Sunday, I got up around 11am-ish. Movie.girl slept in 'til 1:15pm-ish. Needless to say, after some food and shopping, we left around 6pm. Late, in my opinion. So we didn't hit Hartford until 1:20am and I didn't hit Trumbull until 2:05am. Ugh.
Montreal itself is an interesting city. It's quasi-European. French and English are spoken and the city has a distinctly foreign feel to it. I'd love to go back for more than 1 day. It's not a good weekend destination due to the travel time. 14 hours spent in a car and probably only around 15-16 hours spent in the city (though sleeping in doesn't help the matter). Fun trip and totally worth it because of movie.girl and seeing something new.
Went to Montreal this weekend with movie.girl just for fun, no real plan per se. Though the trip was billed (by her) as a 5-5.5 hour trip, each way took 6-6.5 hours not including food time. Rather long trip for a weekend jaunt. I learned that I don't think I like movie.girl's driving "style." That is, I needed dramamine to survive the trips.
Got in late on Friday night, around midnight. Got a drink and snack. Though neither of us really slept in on Saturday, it was certainly a lazy day/slow start. Walked around the city. Coffee, etc. Went to a fantastic restaurant for dinner - Europea. I highly recommend the 7 or 9-course meal, whichever the big one is. Got a drink after that.
On Sunday, I got up around 11am-ish. Movie.girl slept in 'til 1:15pm-ish. Needless to say, after some food and shopping, we left around 6pm. Late, in my opinion. So we didn't hit Hartford until 1:20am and I didn't hit Trumbull until 2:05am. Ugh.
Montreal itself is an interesting city. It's quasi-European. French and English are spoken and the city has a distinctly foreign feel to it. I'd love to go back for more than 1 day. It's not a good weekend destination due to the travel time. 14 hours spent in a car and probably only around 15-16 hours spent in the city (though sleeping in doesn't help the matter). Fun trip and totally worth it because of movie.girl and seeing something new.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day!
ARRRR!!! AVAST, ME MATEYS! HEAVE HO AND PREPARE TO BOARD! ARRRRR!!!!!
/me brandishes cutlass in an almost-threatening manner
Incidentally, I wish I had a macaw sitting on my shoulder right now.
Some pirates prefer to be called Buccaneer-Americans.
In other news, the Rosh Hashanah visit with aunt, uncle, grandparents and cousins went well enough.
In other other news, my (first) cousin is pregnant! Yay for her!!!
In other other other news, movie.girl and I are heading up to Montreal this weekend. Just a quick jaunt to Canada for fun and profit (or at least fun). I haven't been to Canada before.
Tuesday-night Hebrew class with movie.girl goes swimmingly. Thus far, we precede or follow the class with Doctor Who. We also follow it with a beer. The big downside is that Tuesday nights are rotten for hanging out. I got home at 1:20am last night. 6 hours of sleep = getting in to work late, fewer billables and less done for the day. Ugh.
Also working on a trip to England next Fall with movie.girl to see David Tennant in Hamlet in Stratford Upon Avon (among additional traveling, to be sure). I am now a Full Member (Overseas) of the RSC. Tomorrow I buy tickets. The following day, I take over the world. Note to self: Must buy milk.
/me brandishes cutlass in an almost-threatening manner
Incidentally, I wish I had a macaw sitting on my shoulder right now.
Some pirates prefer to be called Buccaneer-Americans.
In other news, the Rosh Hashanah visit with aunt, uncle, grandparents and cousins went well enough.
In other other news, my (first) cousin is pregnant! Yay for her!!!
In other other other news, movie.girl and I are heading up to Montreal this weekend. Just a quick jaunt to Canada for fun and profit (or at least fun). I haven't been to Canada before.
Tuesday-night Hebrew class with movie.girl goes swimmingly. Thus far, we precede or follow the class with Doctor Who. We also follow it with a beer. The big downside is that Tuesday nights are rotten for hanging out. I got home at 1:20am last night. 6 hours of sleep = getting in to work late, fewer billables and less done for the day. Ugh.
Also working on a trip to England next Fall with movie.girl to see David Tennant in Hamlet in Stratford Upon Avon (among additional traveling, to be sure). I am now a Full Member (Overseas) of the RSC. Tomorrow I buy tickets. The following day, I take over the world. Note to self: Must buy milk.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Hebrew Class
This Fall I'm taking (well, auditing really) a Hebrew class at the University of Hartford. It's movie.girl's fault. She wanted to take one since her mother has an apartment in Israel and movie.girl will be visiting her. Me, I just said I'd gladly take the class with her. And so there we are.
We're not the only non-college students in the class. It feels very weird. It's been a long time since I was in college and law school was very different. Still, I like languages and this one I have an excellent background for. Should be fun!
We're not the only non-college students in the class. It feels very weird. It's been a long time since I was in college and law school was very different. Still, I like languages and this one I have an excellent background for. Should be fun!
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Weekend Report
Busy weekend (almost).
The Friday night Fairfield County Board Games meetup was a lot of fun! I'll definitely go to one of those again though unfortunately I cannot attend the next one.
Saturday was hanging out with movie.girl and watching copious amounts of Doctor Who. We finished Season 1 (Christopher Eccelston) and saw the first episode of Season 2 (David Tennant), measured from the new series. Good stuff and very enjoyable. Always fun hanging out with her.
Was going to try and get into work this morning. Didn't quite happen and, now that I'm at work and past the useless phase, I'm kind of tired and really don't want to be here right now. May poke at some things then flee.
I was supposed to meet up with The Lawyer tonight for movie (Balls of Fury) & dinner, however she called me on my cell 30-60 min. ago and canceled. She's helping her friend move and it's taking longer than anticipated, due to a leaky toilet bowl from an upstairs neighbor in the new flat, said leaky toilet bowl reducing their move-in time yesterday.
I'm not sure how I feel about her canceling again. On the phone I said it was alright and I understand, but this is something like the second or third time she's canceled something on me.
I really strive to be punctual. If I say I'm going to meet someone somewhere at sometime, I do everything I can to be there on time (or early) or substantially close thereto (no more than 5 min. late). Exclusions include parties and soft invites (e.g., "come over when you're done with x"). If I'm running really late or something, I feel very bad about it. Also, I don't break plans. If I commit to something, I will be there no matter what (barring emergencies but very little else).
This is getting kind of annoying.
Two more thoughts. One, my schedule is such that I have no time to schedule a replacement dinner/movie thing in the next week, and all my September weekends are gone. Two, once again I am going to wait for her to send me an e-mail. If it were me and I had broken a planned rendezvous, I would call or send an e-mail (preferably call) within the next day or two, tops. Took her 3-4 days last time to send me an e-mail. *shrug*
What can I say, occasionally I'm a bit vindictive.
In the meantime, today, I'll either go see Shoot 'Em Up (though I'm currently a little tired and should get something done at work) or just go home and watch the U.S. Open finals (Federer and Djokovic), which promise to not be very exciting. (I predict Federer in straight sets.)
As Vonnegut wrote/said: So it goes.
The Friday night Fairfield County Board Games meetup was a lot of fun! I'll definitely go to one of those again though unfortunately I cannot attend the next one.
Saturday was hanging out with movie.girl and watching copious amounts of Doctor Who. We finished Season 1 (Christopher Eccelston) and saw the first episode of Season 2 (David Tennant), measured from the new series. Good stuff and very enjoyable. Always fun hanging out with her.
Was going to try and get into work this morning. Didn't quite happen and, now that I'm at work and past the useless phase, I'm kind of tired and really don't want to be here right now. May poke at some things then flee.
I was supposed to meet up with The Lawyer tonight for movie (Balls of Fury) & dinner, however she called me on my cell 30-60 min. ago and canceled. She's helping her friend move and it's taking longer than anticipated, due to a leaky toilet bowl from an upstairs neighbor in the new flat, said leaky toilet bowl reducing their move-in time yesterday.
I'm not sure how I feel about her canceling again. On the phone I said it was alright and I understand, but this is something like the second or third time she's canceled something on me.
I really strive to be punctual. If I say I'm going to meet someone somewhere at sometime, I do everything I can to be there on time (or early) or substantially close thereto (no more than 5 min. late). Exclusions include parties and soft invites (e.g., "come over when you're done with x"). If I'm running really late or something, I feel very bad about it. Also, I don't break plans. If I commit to something, I will be there no matter what (barring emergencies but very little else).
This is getting kind of annoying.
Two more thoughts. One, my schedule is such that I have no time to schedule a replacement dinner/movie thing in the next week, and all my September weekends are gone. Two, once again I am going to wait for her to send me an e-mail. If it were me and I had broken a planned rendezvous, I would call or send an e-mail (preferably call) within the next day or two, tops. Took her 3-4 days last time to send me an e-mail. *shrug*
What can I say, occasionally I'm a bit vindictive.
In the meantime, today, I'll either go see Shoot 'Em Up (though I'm currently a little tired and should get something done at work) or just go home and watch the U.S. Open finals (Federer and Djokovic), which promise to not be very exciting. (I predict Federer in straight sets.)
As Vonnegut wrote/said: So it goes.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
"Hello, I love you, Won't you tell me your name?"
"Hello, I love you, Let me jump in your game."
A lot has happened since previous posts. Here's the Cliff's Notes version:
August 11: Friend of the family's wedding. Attended by myself. Sat with friends of my mom's. Very nice wedding though I didn't have a particularly good time. No one there I knew other than the bride, her parents and her sister.
August 25: Wedding of The Lawless One & co. *Very* nice wedding. I was a groomsman. Except for Saturday being a bit too hot, wonderful event. I had a great time, thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thereafter I pledged to drink a bit less at the next two weddings. Increased alcohol consumption does not equate to more fun at wedding.
I've been hanging out with movie.girl on more-or-less of a weekly basis. We're currently half way through Season 1 (Christopher Eccelson) of the new Doctor Who's. (A repeat viewing for her though she is a David Tennant and, thus, Doctor Who fanatic.)
I finally had a third meet-up with The Lawyer last night (I'm too lazy to link to the old posts on her). We had dinner and saw Hair Spray. I really should be dating this woman. We make each other laugh. We have a great time together. It's only been two dates and one not-date, but, well.. we understand each other (I think). *shrug* Time will tell, as it always does.
Tomorrow night I'm going to a gamer meet-up in Norwalk. Co-worker of mine clued me in. He's been to a couple of these before. Should be fun.
Saturday I'm meeting up with movie.girl. We will finish Season 1 of said Doctor Who. We have 3 seasons in total to watch, all of the new Doctor Who's. Eventually, I am sure we will get to the old Doctor Who's (and I will buy some).
Sunday I'm meeting up with The Lawyer to see Balls of Fury. Time TBD. Probably should send her an e-mail asap.
My car is currently in the shop. Whole host of ailments. The damage will likely be in excess of $3k, particularly if one includes the $20/day rental charge. The rental is a Chrysler 300. Nice enough car but a few intractable problems mean I would never buy one. Kicking around the idea of getting a Mustang come next Spring. We shall see.
Been playing too much Magic: The Gathering Online of late. This is bad since I then concomitantly spend more money on it. Uggh.
Also been working more hours. I'm already behind for the month.
Meeting up with the friend ex-coworker tomorrow for lunch.
Accidentally spammed my entire friend's list. If you got an invite from me for Quechup.com... Well, if you didn't join yet, DON'T. And if you did, mea culpa! ¡Lo siento!
Big PTO patent rule procedural changes came down. Effective Nov. 1. Not good. Rather evil, really. Hoping preliminary injunctive in lawsuit upheld.
One other item for a quick follow up post and that's all for now!
A lot has happened since previous posts. Here's the Cliff's Notes version:
August 11: Friend of the family's wedding. Attended by myself. Sat with friends of my mom's. Very nice wedding though I didn't have a particularly good time. No one there I knew other than the bride, her parents and her sister.
August 25: Wedding of The Lawless One & co. *Very* nice wedding. I was a groomsman. Except for Saturday being a bit too hot, wonderful event. I had a great time, thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thereafter I pledged to drink a bit less at the next two weddings. Increased alcohol consumption does not equate to more fun at wedding.
I've been hanging out with movie.girl on more-or-less of a weekly basis. We're currently half way through Season 1 (Christopher Eccelson) of the new Doctor Who's. (A repeat viewing for her though she is a David Tennant and, thus, Doctor Who fanatic.)
I finally had a third meet-up with The Lawyer last night (I'm too lazy to link to the old posts on her). We had dinner and saw Hair Spray. I really should be dating this woman. We make each other laugh. We have a great time together. It's only been two dates and one not-date, but, well.. we understand each other (I think). *shrug* Time will tell, as it always does.
Tomorrow night I'm going to a gamer meet-up in Norwalk. Co-worker of mine clued me in. He's been to a couple of these before. Should be fun.
Saturday I'm meeting up with movie.girl. We will finish Season 1 of said Doctor Who. We have 3 seasons in total to watch, all of the new Doctor Who's. Eventually, I am sure we will get to the old Doctor Who's (and I will buy some).
Sunday I'm meeting up with The Lawyer to see Balls of Fury. Time TBD. Probably should send her an e-mail asap.
My car is currently in the shop. Whole host of ailments. The damage will likely be in excess of $3k, particularly if one includes the $20/day rental charge. The rental is a Chrysler 300. Nice enough car but a few intractable problems mean I would never buy one. Kicking around the idea of getting a Mustang come next Spring. We shall see.
Been playing too much Magic: The Gathering Online of late. This is bad since I then concomitantly spend more money on it. Uggh.
Also been working more hours. I'm already behind for the month.
Meeting up with the friend ex-coworker tomorrow for lunch.
Accidentally spammed my entire friend's list. If you got an invite from me for Quechup.com... Well, if you didn't join yet, DON'T. And if you did, mea culpa! ¡Lo siento!
Big PTO patent rule procedural changes came down. Effective Nov. 1. Not good. Rather evil, really. Hoping preliminary injunctive in lawsuit upheld.
One other item for a quick follow up post and that's all for now!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Ah hah! BoingBoing ahoy!
I got a quick byline to a comment on a BoingBoing post (Homer Simpson, Drunk Astronaut Pioneer). Woot!
Score
Alan: 1
Internet: 1 billion
If anyone happened to click through from BoingBoing, welcome to the deranged ramblings I pass off as my blog! Feel free to poke around. These days the updates are slow and moderately nonsensical and/or relatively personal. Popular posts include my review of Rock Toxin and my take on the patent bar. I also recommend clicking through to learn about The Dreamfather and a bunch of random Top Ten Lists.
If you feel like it, drop me a line. Otherwise I hope you enjoy your stay! Cheers!~
Score
Alan: 1
Internet: 1 billion
If anyone happened to click through from BoingBoing, welcome to the deranged ramblings I pass off as my blog! Feel free to poke around. These days the updates are slow and moderately nonsensical and/or relatively personal. Popular posts include my review of Rock Toxin and my take on the patent bar. I also recommend clicking through to learn about The Dreamfather and a bunch of random Top Ten Lists.
If you feel like it, drop me a line. Otherwise I hope you enjoy your stay! Cheers!~
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Weird Week
It's been a strange one.
My mom was originally scheduled to go in for surgery on Friday, but they moved it up to Wednesday. So yesterday my mom had a hysterectomy. Surgery went fine, the cyst or sample or whatnot was benign. (Yay!) Only issue was with her eye as they didn't tape it properly, leading to a post-surgical eye that was dry and painful. Not good. Fortunately this did not last long.
Unbeknownst to us, and unforewarned as we were, this procedure customarily includes a one-night stay in the hospital. Thus, my mom was discharged today. She's doing fine. Worn out, little pain, doing well.
What this meant for my week was no work on Wednesday or Thursday and a part-time day on Friday. What this also meant was 2 critical applications that have yet to be done and a one-month extension for an Office Action Response, due primarily to my reduced office-time this week.
So yeah, lots to do and.. why am I writing this post? At some point (soon) I'll get down to business.. just not yet.
Incidentally, the new Harry Potter books kicks ass. Great read. I'm on p. 500-something out of 800-something. It will be finished by the end of this weekend.
Also, I finished rereading Stardust in anticipation of the movie release on Aug. 10. I forgot how unsatisfying the end of the book is. I wonder how true the movie will remain.
I've been spending time (and money) in Second Life of late. (Not since midday Wednesday, but "of late.") I'm liking it. It's almost fun to go chill at a rave club. Weird.
My mom was originally scheduled to go in for surgery on Friday, but they moved it up to Wednesday. So yesterday my mom had a hysterectomy. Surgery went fine, the cyst or sample or whatnot was benign. (Yay!) Only issue was with her eye as they didn't tape it properly, leading to a post-surgical eye that was dry and painful. Not good. Fortunately this did not last long.
Unbeknownst to us, and unforewarned as we were, this procedure customarily includes a one-night stay in the hospital. Thus, my mom was discharged today. She's doing fine. Worn out, little pain, doing well.
What this meant for my week was no work on Wednesday or Thursday and a part-time day on Friday. What this also meant was 2 critical applications that have yet to be done and a one-month extension for an Office Action Response, due primarily to my reduced office-time this week.
So yeah, lots to do and.. why am I writing this post? At some point (soon) I'll get down to business.. just not yet.
Incidentally, the new Harry Potter books kicks ass. Great read. I'm on p. 500-something out of 800-something. It will be finished by the end of this weekend.
Also, I finished rereading Stardust in anticipation of the movie release on Aug. 10. I forgot how unsatisfying the end of the book is. I wonder how true the movie will remain.
I've been spending time (and money) in Second Life of late. (Not since midday Wednesday, but "of late.") I'm liking it. It's almost fun to go chill at a rave club. Weird.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Many Things Quickly
As quick as I can because I have a dog urine to clean and a floor to vacuum before I sleep. (I do this to myself, really.)
Friday night I went a-Pottering with movie.girl. We hit up Borders and Barnes & Noble before going to Stew Leonard's. An interim detour for a pint and darts (I kicked her ass) before we snagged book 7 at midnight. Was a good night, fun.
I completely wasted Saturday, or near enough at least.
Today I went to the christening of Captain Kate & Señor Pete's daughter. Food afterwards. Nice to see relatives of theirs who I rarely see.
I'm wasting time and money in Second Life. I find it fun. We'll see how long this lasts.
I feel a little guilty about not going into work this weekend. I'm taking Friday off for my mom's outpatient surgery and I have a shit-ton of work today. Literally, a metric shit-ton.
Finished reading Y: The Last Man through Vol. 9 (i.e., to current for the trades). Good stuff. Wonder how many more volumes there will be. The story is running out of gas though it is still excellent.
I'm only up to Chapter 3 with book 7 of Harry Potter. I realize my lack of progress is sacrilegious but I figure I can do some good damage on Friday while I wait.
Must go. Not going to get enough sleep as it is. Gonna be a long four day-week.
Friday night I went a-Pottering with movie.girl. We hit up Borders and Barnes & Noble before going to Stew Leonard's. An interim detour for a pint and darts (I kicked her ass) before we snagged book 7 at midnight. Was a good night, fun.
I completely wasted Saturday, or near enough at least.
Today I went to the christening of Captain Kate & Señor Pete's daughter. Food afterwards. Nice to see relatives of theirs who I rarely see.
I'm wasting time and money in Second Life. I find it fun. We'll see how long this lasts.
I feel a little guilty about not going into work this weekend. I'm taking Friday off for my mom's outpatient surgery and I have a shit-ton of work today. Literally, a metric shit-ton.
Finished reading Y: The Last Man through Vol. 9 (i.e., to current for the trades). Good stuff. Wonder how many more volumes there will be. The story is running out of gas though it is still excellent.
I'm only up to Chapter 3 with book 7 of Harry Potter. I realize my lack of progress is sacrilegious but I figure I can do some good damage on Friday while I wait.
Must go. Not going to get enough sleep as it is. Gonna be a long four day-week.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Briefly
Interview went fine yesterday. Nice place. Would require more billables but not obscene. Won't hear back on it for 1-2 weeks or so. I was only the second person interviewed for the position, though the recruiter told me that the interviewing partner liked me.
Not sure if I'm going to participate in the Harry Potter madness this weekend, though I will most certainly get my paws on a copy of the book. I must. So it is decreed.
My mom's birthday is today. Yay mom!
I am both tired and awake at the same time. This is not inherently contradictory though it is.
I've played a bit of Second Life lately. Not entirely sure why. Not entirely sure what I'll do with it, if anything.
Coffee is glorious, as is my iPod.
Got lots of new music recently - 6 CD's-worth. Some of it is insanely cool. More on that another time.
For now I must work. More.
Not sure if I'm going to participate in the Harry Potter madness this weekend, though I will most certainly get my paws on a copy of the book. I must. So it is decreed.
My mom's birthday is today. Yay mom!
I am both tired and awake at the same time. This is not inherently contradictory though it is.
I've played a bit of Second Life lately. Not entirely sure why. Not entirely sure what I'll do with it, if anything.
Coffee is glorious, as is my iPod.
Got lots of new music recently - 6 CD's-worth. Some of it is insanely cool. More on that another time.
For now I must work. More.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
A Fun Night
Last night was The Lawless One's bachelor party in NYC. It was a lot of fun. "The code" prevents me from saying much more than that we hit up at least 3 bars and did the usual bachelor party thing. We started at 6pm and partied hard through 4/4:30am. Excellent time. Plus someone had the forethought to have us drink big bottles of Gatorade at 4am so the hangover wasn't bad at all.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Another Day, Another Something
Let's see...
The Lawless One's bachelor party is tomorrow in NYC. Should be an excellent time, plus one of our old law school friends (who I haven't seen in two years) will be there. There will be drinking. There will be frivolity. There will be strip clubs. Hopefully there won't be any arrests. Much fun will be had by all. Oh yes, much fun.
Forgive my lack of outright enthusiasm. I'm a little tired and hazy. A good night's sleep will cure this.
This past week, I spoke with a legal recruiter who called me (one of his people got my name from the PTO website?). There's a position for a firm in Stamford that he's trying to place. I have an interview on Wednesday morning. If it works out, it could mean a nice pay increase. However, I'm a little hesitant because: (a) I haven't been at my current firm for even two years; (b) my current firm trained me into the lean, mean, patent-writing machine I am; and (c) my current firm is short-staffed at the moment. We're down at least two patent agents/attorneys and we're overburdened by the work.
We'll see what comes of this. Honestly, I can go either way. If it works out, great. If not, no big deal.
The Lawless One's bachelor party is tomorrow in NYC. Should be an excellent time, plus one of our old law school friends (who I haven't seen in two years) will be there. There will be drinking. There will be frivolity. There will be strip clubs. Hopefully there won't be any arrests. Much fun will be had by all. Oh yes, much fun.
Forgive my lack of outright enthusiasm. I'm a little tired and hazy. A good night's sleep will cure this.
This past week, I spoke with a legal recruiter who called me (one of his people got my name from the PTO website?). There's a position for a firm in Stamford that he's trying to place. I have an interview on Wednesday morning. If it works out, it could mean a nice pay increase. However, I'm a little hesitant because: (a) I haven't been at my current firm for even two years; (b) my current firm trained me into the lean, mean, patent-writing machine I am; and (c) my current firm is short-staffed at the moment. We're down at least two patent agents/attorneys and we're overburdened by the work.
We'll see what comes of this. Honestly, I can go either way. If it works out, great. If not, no big deal.
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