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change of plans

I should be in Oregon right now, gallivanting around under the pretense of “work” at the big manager summit at the mountain lodge resort.  But, I’m not.

‘Round about 3pm yesterday my stomach began knotting, and soon I was leaving my desk to head for the restroom.  And then again; and then again.  By the time I was home, lying prone in bed was the only effective way to stave off the nausea.  It worked, but only for a time.  The remainder of the night was awful.

Around midnight, my head in my hands in a then familiar posture as I sat on the throne, I mentally called off the trip.  After shuffling back to bed, I grabbed the iPhone from the windowsill and poked out an e-mail to my boss saying I was not going.  I called Southwest around 5am and canceled my flight, and later in the day called my Mom and broke the bad news that we’d not be there for the weekend.  She was bummed, but seemed to understand.

I feel a mite better now that the day has progressed.  Sharaun had volleyball tonight so I agreed to get out of bed for an hour and watch some Backyardigans with Keaton.  It’s OK, we’re watching “A Giant Problem,” which is my absolute favorite episode, because of the super-catchy 80s-themed soundtrack (well, right behind “Tale of the Mighty Knights,” which is a full-length prog-rock opera).  No, seriously folks, I’ve written about my appreciation for the music on this show before… I can seriously watch and enjoy them.

OK folks, I’m sleepy again.  Goodnight.

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it’s cool y’all

‘Round 9pm and Sharaun’s out (more on that later).  I’m listening to the iPod on shuffle, just switched from some late 50s free-jazz to Radiohead’s “Stop Whispering” to James Brown live at the Apollo.  I love shuffle.

Just another Friday here in America.  You know, no closure on our government’s taxpayer-backed $700B Wall Street bailout; the largest bank seizure ever with Washington Mutual being commandeered by the FDIC before it can crumble on it’s own, then later sold piecemeal to JP Morgan; even China won’t lend us money anymore…

It’s cool y’all.  Don’t worry.  Oh!  Did you see the new Real Rules Road World challenge!?  I totally almost choked on my Grilled Stuffed Chalupa when that one gay dude was making out with that inflatable sex doll in Vatican Square!  It was, like, so hilarious, I had to put down my People magazine and full-on got Fire Sauce all over the picture of Brad Pitt’s newest and blackest baby.

What a mess; what a mess.

We can get past this.  Let’s write…

At work, I usually run the MSN instant messaging client in the background on my laptop.  We have our own internal-only sawmill IM client, but I use the MSN one to talk to people outside of work.  Typically this is limited to Sharaun, and maybe on or two other friends who don’t happen to work at the same sawmill or live in the same state/country as me.  It’s useful for quick communication with Sharaun though, particularly if I’m tied up in a meeting – as I can type out a quick answer to things like, “Hey, can you pick up some milk on the way home?” and the like.

Sometimes though, IM just doesn’t cut it.  That delay between reading and writing can really gum up the gears of a conversation.  Take, for example, this exchange between Sharaun and I this morning.  She was at home, presumably eating bon-bons and doing her toenails, and I was at work, winning bread or some such.  Marvel:

sharaun says:
oh
tonight
you know color me mine
that pottery painting place by the bounce place

dave knows all your secrets says:
i don’t really know it, why?

sharaun says:
I wanted to go if that was ok with you

Straight-forward enough.  At this point, I think I understand what’s going.  There’s some paint-your-own pottery place around here (apparently next to the bounce place we sometimes take Keaton) and she wants to go.  I’m not sure, however if she’s asking if I want to go with her, or if she’s asking if she can go with a friend (meaning she’s actually asking me if I’m OK with Keaton for the evening).   So, I proceed to inquire down this path:

dave knows all your secrets says:
are you asking me to go?

sharaun says:
yes
that’s what “I wanted to go if that was ok with you” means

OK, makes sense now.  She’s asking if we all want to go, as a family, to the paint-your-own pottery place over by the bouncy place we sometimes take Keaton.  Glad I asked.  At this point, I’m already typing up the explanation of why I misunderstood her the first time.  See, I want to explain that I was just unsure if she was asking me to go, or asking if she could go with a friend.  But, right before I hit send on that message, she replies again:

sharaun says:
anyway, there is a MOPS moms night out there tonight at 6:30

And, seconds later, I hit “enter” on the sentence I’d been typing”

dave knows all your secrets says:
i thought you might be asking if it’s OK if you go w/liz and spend money or something.  when?
you want to go tonight?

On her end, confusion blooms:

sharaun says:
I said 6:30
MOPS
not Liz
are you reading what I type at all?

Man, I hate it when this happens.  Now we’re exactly one thought out of sync.  I try to type a little faster and make my seemingly misplaced explanation a little more clear:

dave knows all your secrets says:
when you asked me if it was OK, i didn’t know if you were asking me to go or asking if you could go w/someone else (assumed liz)

There, that’s totally clear, right?  I just misunderstood her.

sharaun says:
no. It’s tonight at 6:30. Do you mind?
I can have dinner ready beforehand

OK, now I’m getting confused.  It’s the phrase “Do you mind?” that out of place here to me.  I need some further clarification, and attempt to get it:

dave knows all your secrets says:
do you normally ask someone if they “mind” when you’re trying to invite them somewhere?  sounds like you’re wondering if i “mind” you going w/o me?
how long would we be there?

See, the whole “Do you mind” thing really makes it seem like she’s asking if I mind her going… it just seemed like an odd way to ask me to join my own family at the paint-your-own pottery place up by the bouncy place we sometimes take Keaton to.  I mean, she clearly told me above that she was asking me to go with her… right?  Her response:

sharaun says:
I am asking if you mind watching K
no

Oh, wait… what?  Now she is asking if I mind her going and leaving Keaton with me.  By now, I am royally confused, and have decided we are having two totally different conversations.  I let her know this as tactfully as I can:

dave knows all your secrets says:
good god you make no sense

There.  That should do it.

sharaun says:
MOM’S NIGHT OUT
what about that makes you think you are invited?

Ouch.

dave knows all your secrets says:
you never said that

Whoops, my first mistake.  I was spotless up until here.  I should’ve been reading a bit closer back there I suppose.

sharaun says:
sharaun  says:
anyway, there is a MOPS moms night out there tonight at 6:30

Oh, I see.  She copied her own sentence from a few lines above.

dave knows all your secrets says:
lol

sharaun says:
really
I never said that?

OK.  Whatever.  This conversations is almost over.

dave knows all your secrets says:
i’m going to punch off your face

sharaun says:
not if yours is already laying on the ground and you can’t see me

dave knows all your secrets says:
no sure, that’s fine.
i don’t mind.
i like watching her

sharaun says:
ok

dave knows all your secrets says:
plus i get to listen to music when you’re gone.

sharaun says:
I’ll make you a pretty piece of pottery

dave knows all your secrets says:
OK, make a bong so i can smoke tons of weed…
and then maybe you’ll make sense

sharaun says:
hahah

dave knows all your secrets says:
love you.  sorry i don’t read right.

A flawed technology, I tell you… flawed.

Well, Sharaun’s car decided to crap out on the side of the road today.  I went to rescue her (and Keaton) and the thing was towed off to the local shop.  No word yet on the damages, but I suspect some kind of transmission problem (because, as you know, I’m an expert in all things car).  So, we’re doing the one vehicle thing with her taking me to work (which also means she has to take me by the donut place beforehand tomorrow – can’t come empty handed on my turn for the rotating managers-bring-donuts Friday). It’s cool, two cars is overrated.

Hey, Bill put up some pictures from our “extended lunch” the other day when we drove downtown to meet Sharaun and Susie at the circus.  Since I haven’t posted pictures of Keaton in ages, you should go check out what she looks like with her new retro bob and black dye-job.  Man… I think Bill’s camera needs an adjustment, I look globular.

Goodnight friends, have a good weekend and I’ll holla at you Monday.

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america’s smarter than a dancer

Wednesday night.  Still have to take the trash out; will probably wait until like midnight-thirty like I always do.

Almost through one wall-to-wall listen of the new Of Montreal record (again).  I’ve gone from a curious interest to pure infatuation with this record; and, through repeat listenings, have gained enough appreciation for it that I feel safe lauding it.  We see them live in the city the week before Thanksgiving, looking forward to a splashy glam fantastic show.

Sharaun’s watching that awful awful dancing show on TV.  No, I don’t know which one… they are all so horrible, and there seems to be so many of them.  Dancing With This, Dancing Around That, America’s Got Dancers, CSI Dancing… whatever.  I’ll just stay here hunched over my laptop, reading and writing and surfing the internet while I try not to listen…

Watched George address us this evening; he deserves some credit for offering a sound and concise explanation of the current situation – hopefully it works to raise the general awareness.  Also give him points for citing a desire for 1) low taxpayer risk, 2) no golden-parachutes for failed CEOs, and 3) bipartisan oversight and process transparency as critical aspects of a successful plan.  Overall, I thought it was a well-delivered and timely address to the nation.  Credit where credit is due.  I still have strong feelings over the whole thing, and don’t desire one bit to see my investments continue in their downward spiral, but I suppose us thirty-somethings are in it for the long-haul at this point.  It’s that, or win the lottery…

OK internet – as Keaton says to me, “I’ll see you in the morning when I wake up!”  Goodnight.

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no one’s down with a sick baby

Aha, greetings, fair Tuesday.  What’s that you say?  Yeah, I saw Monday yesterday.  She was still dragging from the weekend, and was acting a right bitch.  I’m thinking about calling Wednesday today and see if he wants to hang out with Friday and I; it’s always a good time when Friday’s there.  Alright man, take it easy – say “what’s up” to Thursday if you see his sorry ass before I do.

Let’s get started.

Somewhat related to yesterday’s rant, and the last I’ll talk about it, I think, I stumbled on the full draft text of the Fed’s 700 billion dollar bailout plan online (I’d missed this before, or I’d have linked it yesterday).  In the article I was reading that linked to the text, the author stressed the following language from Section 8:

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

Holy crap what?  So… the details of this $700,000,000,000 expenditure will be done behind closed-doors, the taxpayers will get no accounting of how the deal goes down, and no single entity on earth can review, question, challenge, or even see the details of the bailout.  A $700,000,000,000 “blank check.”  No one has to say how the money was used, no one has to account for the money achieving the intended purpose, heck no one can even inquire about what that exact purpose actually is beyond generality.

Your money: No longer your business.  Our tax dollars just got Patriot Acted.

Late-breaking edit: Found this article just before midnight.  It will apparently run in tomorrow’s (today, as you read) Wall Street Journal.  Seems the Treasury has decided, under pressure, that they will indeed have to allow some oversight into the whole process.  Man, and I just wrote all that…

Now, before leaving the topic, I wanted to pass along just a few more pieces of required reading for those who are interested in learning more about the bailout.  You can skip the next paragraph if you hate this stuff.

Slate’s finance-centric site has a good article called, Henry Paulson, Socialist, which does a much better job saying some of the things I was attempting to sputter here yesterday.  The NY Times has an interesting piece about how lobbyists (sorry Kristi, like you need more bad press) are already preparing to ask for additional aide on top of the $700B plan.  Fantastic.  And, for those looking to “send a letter” or “make a call” to ease their conscience in lieu of taking pitchforks and torches to the Lawn, check out the all-senators one-click e-mail link over at Mish’s site.  You can do it all in one feel swoop and use their pre-written text (if you’d like) or write your own.

OK enough; moving on…

The second day of this fair week brings a deepening sickness unto our little Keaton, who is new beset with a wet, hacking cough and faucet of a nose.  When she gets sick, the wheezing thing we dealt with a ways back tends to plague her again, so Sharaun busted out her nebulizer and gave her a “treatment.”  It still breaks my heart to see her wearing that noisy thing.  It really does seem to help her tho (I guess a steroid to the lungs would, however), so I’m not 100% against it I suppose.  Anyway, we’re hoping her wellness returns soon, as no one’s down with a sick baby.

And, randomly…

Fishing for a deal, I called our internet provider the other day and told them I was considering switching to a new faster and cheaper provider, hoping they’d offer me some faster and cheaper deal to stick with them.  Luck was with me, and they ended up bumping up me to the 6 MB up / 760 Kbps down package for $17 less per month than I had been paying.  Today the workerman came to hook up the new “filter” at the house and grant us our new speeds.  And, after running a speed test tonight – I think he may have messed up.  I’m getting unnatural speeds, testing consistently around 15-20MB down and 1.5 MB down.  I didn’t even know this connection was capable of those speeds.  I know they probably haven’t yet turned on some filter back at ISP-central, or haven’t re-provisioned my modem or something… but I don’t want the speed to end.  Bummer.

That’s it folks, goodnight and until tomorrow – Dave luh da kids.

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millions for execs, not one penny for chemo

Happy Monday people.  It’s around 9pm on Sunday night as I’m finishing up writing this thing.  I’ll do a quick weekend catch-up before diving into my sole topic for the day.

Keaton’s come down with a cold and is coughing and snotting all over the place, I always feel so bad for her when she’s not well.  Saturday night we went to the Oktoberfest celebration at Pat’s church, and drank beer with the parishioners and clergy – fantastic.  Sunday I spent a good part of the day working on Halloween props in the garage.  I got a lot done: rebuilt the ghost, rewired the dropper and the coffin, and did some planning for the new wire-track prop.  And now, I’m busily trying not to listen to the TV Sharaun’s watching while I write (it’s distracting, you know).

OK then, politics and the economy.

I know this point has like already been made (and probably more eloquently and better-researched) elsewhere online, but the thought came to me almost independently, so I’ll go ahead and write up my own thoughts.

A lot of folks, namely my GOP brethren, tend to scoff at Democratic plans to “socialize” the nation’s medical care. I can actually understand this, and will grant that there are several legitimate concerns with any plan to make it happen.   However, with the recent goings-down in our fine nation, I can’t help but see a plank in some of these folks’ eyes.  Why?  Oh, so glad you asked.  (See, I wrote all this crap, and I really needed a reason to post it.)

You see, despite the GOP doomsayers’ collective recoil at the prospect of national healthcare, the current Republican administration has effectively authorized the “socialization” of much of the country’s financial institutions’ failures.  Doing some quick math, the Fed is proffering a near one trillion dollars in taxpayer-funded loans for floundering institutions. This (very roughly) works out to around $10,000 per tax-paying citizen.  Their debt, their fault, your money.

I know, I know, if I only understood the complex world of the global financial markets, I’d realize the Fed is only throwing this “hail Mary” to nip a potential total meltdown in the bud.  Thing is, I do understand this; in the very same fundamental way I understand the unpleasant necessity of amputating a gangrenous limb.  In this way, the government (and ultimately, the taxpayers) must come to the rescue of the festering giants whose mortgage-backed securities are now worthless, and inject them with some “real” money to keep the whole thing from imploding.  At it’s most basic level, I believe I understand both the mechanics and “virtues” of the federal bailouts.

However, I’m not getting any closer to making my point.  So, I’ll make it quickly now and do so being as incendiary as I can:  What the administration seems to be telling me is that it’s OK to socialize the debt of private industries which are failing, but it would be a bad idea to do the same for the cost of providing private citizens access to health care.  To make it more exclamatory: Our money is perfectly suited for providing some AIG CEO with a two-million dollar “severance payout,” but we’d be flirting with Marxist evils were we to propose using those same funds to give your grandmother the drugs she can’t afford.

Sure, that’s oversimplified and pregnant with hyperbole – but it’s the kind of stuff that pops into my head when I think about a one trillion dollar bailout.

Ahh yes, folks, I know… you desperately want to get back to the whole concept of a temporary “necessary evil” versus wanton and unnecessary permanent socialization.  Oh and yes, I know the “administration” I refer to above makes no moves without our illustrious 110th (Democratic) Congress at its hip.  And yeah, I know that bailouts could technically be structured as loans and not handouts, and would then theoretically be paid back (with interest) after time, and a national health plan would be an ongoing expense.  I also realize folks may say it’s something of a reach to say the bailouts “socializing” private debt.

It’s OK, you don’t have to point these things out to me – I know them already and understand.  It doesn’t change the fact that I still feel like the above healthcare vs. bailout thing is an incongruity worth pondering.  I mean, it’s a trillion dollars.  Think of what could be done…

Hope I didn’t lose you, you know I love all of you… goodnight.

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before the blessed weekend

Friday.  Yahoo.

I took the day “off” today.  Too bad that doesn’t really mean anything in the context of the modern-day e-worker; I’m still sitting on my butt (just on the couch instead of my well-worn swivel chair in my dreary cubicle) doing e-mail, sick or not.  It’s OK, I suppose… afterall my brain doesn’t seem to be suffering; just my sinuses.  Anyway, my morning thus far has consisted of working while vetting the “street” version of the new Of Montreal album today and am busy listening ot that a high-volume as the pile of used tissue grows next to me (yes, I’m writing at midday today, since I’m home and have the opportunity).

At my appointment with the doctor, I saw the nurse practitioner.  (Does anyone get to see a real Ph.D’d doctor anymore at the general practitioner these days?  I think I’ve seen the guy whose name’s on the building all of one time.)  It was a different NP than I’m used to seeing, and I ended up really liking her.  I’ve never really gone to the doctor looking for assistance with any kind of medical mystery, and I’ve usually already self-diagnosed myself and am just looking for confirmation and the almighty Rx to get me back on-track, so I’m usually pretty ambivalent to the “care” I get.  Maybe that’ll change as I get older and start to develop some more obscure infirmities, but for now I typically only need a doctor for their prescription pad.

The NP I saw today though was completely different than the drug-pushers I normally deal with.  Instead of going right to the pad and pushing me out the door with a scrawled script for antibiotics, she instead recommended an “easier on the body” (as she put it) nasal spray first (although she ultimately did prescribe an antibiotic in case that course of action failed to work).  In fact, she actually reviewed with me the two prescriptions I currently take regularly, suggesting potential ways I could eliminate them from my routine.  I liked this for some reason, maybe it’s her bedside manner or whatever but it worked to inspire trust with me.  Kind of a strange notion to have a doctor unprescribing things… but a welcome change in my opinion.

Tomorrow it’s back to work, feel like I’ve been away from my little desk for too long now (although, I did manage to get an impressive amount of work done today from the couch).  One day of work before the blessed weekend.  Saturday we’re going to Pat’s Catholic church to drink beer and eat pork at their annual Oktoberfest celebration (we had a blast last year).  Can you imagine a protestant church having a celebration which is essentially centered around drinking beer, in the house of worship?!  My hat’s off to those progressive folks, and I can’t wait to dance to some oompah with Keaton.  Sunday I work on Halloween.

Until Monday, goodnight.

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everybody is different kinds of smart

Here I am on Wednesday night suffering miserably from what I’m positive is a sinus infection, something that’s been killing me now for about four days – and that is finally dragging me stubbornly to the doctor tomorrow.  Enough is enough, I tell this foreign species trying to make me its host.

My two days across the state were long, sniffly, and uncomfortable because of this stupid sickness.  As I sat in line waiting to board the company jet bound homeward, sniffling and hacking and blowing my nose, the guy next to me pulled a bottle of that Airborne snakeoil from his bag and popped one.  I couldn’t blame him…

Where I work I’m surrounded by smart people.  I interact daily with people who have gobs more brainpower than I do, so intelligence is something I feel like I’ve come to take a bit for granted.  Because of this, when I meet someone who stands out above the normal din of firing synapses I encounter daily, it’s something I take note of.  Over the past couple days, I met a guy like that.  Not an engineer, but a finance guy.  Talked miles above me, talked about things that made no sense to me, “betas to the market,” and “the earnings ratios of S&P500 companies,” and how the treasury and federal reserve and interest rates and securities work.  It’s like the guy stepped right out of a Bohemian Club weekend for a few days to rub elbows with the serfs.

I like meeting people like that.  It’s humbling.  And, while this guy likely wasn’t trying to, he had me walking the tightrope at the edge of my conversancy.  I was hanging on by my fingernails, jumping in when I thought I could make a comment that wouldn’t immediately illuminate my comparative ignorance.  The beers and lobster helped; I can talk about beer and lobster.  I can wax about the Dow dropping forty points over the course of my waffle at breakfast.  I can tell you how many takes it took the Beatles to record “Hey Jude,” and from which of those recordings the version you know from the radio was assembled.  I can tell you my best-known-method for calming down a seemingly inconsolable two and a half year old girl who wants to play “for a couple more minutes” before taking her nap.

I guess everybody is different kinds of smart.

Goodnight.