Mid-Week Slump

Part of my finds it hard to believe that it is already Wednesday, and yet the other part is amazed that I got here at all. I have had a myriad of projects come up all at once at work, and the only reason I am not still there is because the people I need to talk to about them have already left. Hopefully I can get at least a few of them wound up by Friday, but we shall see.

I have been getting offers for a new running magazine in my email lately (well, new for me anyway), called Running Times. It is apparently done by the same company that produces Runner's World, but is meant for a little more experienced runners. I'm thinking about getting a subscription, since it is only $10 right now, and I was not planning on renewing several of my other running magazines. If nothing else, it will be something else light to read over the coming months, and I do so love getting magazines in the mail.

That is about all I have to report at the moment. Life is busy but uneventful right now. Perhaps that is for the best.

Another Weekend Passes Too Quickly

My wife and I went with my parents to "The Lovely Bones" today. I honestly have nothing to say about the movie, and bring it up only because of the fact that I have so little to say about it. It was not a bad film, but I would not go so far as to say that it was a good film either. It had a few suspenseful moments, but I would not call it a suspense film by a long shot. It was...a film, a rather artistic film to be certain, but it did not leave me with any lasting impression. I am not even sure I would recommend it to anyone I know, simply because I have no way to explain why I would suggest it. That is the sum of the matter, and about as far as I can drag out a "I have nothing to say about this film" statement.

My wife and I are also slowly working are way through the film "The Godfather: Part Two", which I did not know was over four hours long. It will probably be sometime around next Sunday before we manage to finish watching the entire thing.

Honestly, there were a few other events this weekend, but I am just too tired and not in the right mood to write about them. Hopefully I will be of better cheer by tomorrow morning, otherwise this bodes ill for the week ahead.

A Painful Day Indeed

Work today threw just about every instance of Murphy's Law at me that it could. I had to computers cease working almost simultaneously, there were several troublesome clients that I had to do some hand-holding for, and my boss? Well, actually I really did not get a chance to talk to him much during the day. Hopefully he did not need anything important, because I was running around the office so much the odds are good he missed me completely.

Regardless, between handling everything else I did not leave the office for the final time until 6:30 this evening, which gave me just enough time to come home, eat dinner, shower, write this entry, and go to bed. Fortunately I started a Tortilla Soup in our crock pot this morning, so there wasn't much to do in the way of prep for dinner (my wife actually prepared more of it than I did, really).

Other than tonight, my week actually has not been that busy, and I am doubtful that the next two days will be that bad either, although I do need to go into the office this weekend to format one of the computers. Next week however I already have 55 hours scheduled, and some sixty mapped out for the week after that, which will be increased by any assignments I do not yet know about, or any more computer problems that develop, and I have no doubt that there will be plenty of the latter. It is not that I do not enjoy doing computer work for the office, it is just that I would like one week, one single week where I do not have to fix anybody's computer. Maybe next year, as more of the older computers are phased out and our software is better tuned for running windows 7, that will become a reality. I will not hold my breath on it though.

I am hoping when I tech this computer over the weekend it will give me a chance to finally finish reading the commentaries on the diamond sutra. I simply cannot seem to get around to finishing the last few chapters. After that I need to get back to reading the Discourses, which I have put aside for far too long. Perhaps having taken this amount of time to dwell on it will bring new meaning.

This weekend I think I will try to go out for a short run. It has been far too long since I last went outside for any other purpose than simply trying to get somewhere. It is time that I made the journey itself the purpose again. I have heard myself say these words before though, and it is always so hard to put heart into them.

Regardless, sleep now.

A Busy Weekend and Amazing Movie

Today my wife and I went down to the Grand Cinema to see a movie. We ended up going to see "Young Victoria", since that fit best into our timetable. The movie was amazing, but I will wax more on that in a moment. First I wanted to mention about the recent completion of the Grand's renovations.

Recently the Grand decided to add a fourth screen (see my previous post for a link to their website), as well as reupholster all of the other theatre seats. It just so happened that the movie my wife and I were see seeing was in this new screen. When we first arrived, we noticed that what used to be the main doors are now exit only, and the entrance is the door that used to lead to the art exhibit that was next door. They now have a sloped walkway that provides plenty of indoor space while waiting to buy tickets, as well as not being in the way of people leaving from earlier showings. I very much approve of the new layout.

After getting our tickets we wandered over to the snack bar, since our membership provides us with a free bag of popcorn with our tickets. Sadly their popcorn machine was out of commission due to the renovation. They have pre-bagged popcorn that is being provided by an outside vendor, but it just doesn't have the same deliciousness factor that true Grand popcorn does. I will be very glad to see the old machine back up and running.

The new theatre that they added is almost stadium seating (there is a tiny dip with each row). I think the seats are closer together (meaning less leg room) than in the old theatres, but that might just be my imagination. They have also added the lighted striping on the floor between either side of seats, which is a very nice touch. Other than that I cannot think of too much that was different. The screen seemed to be about the same size at the other three.

As for the movie itself, "Young Victoria" must be decently popular, since we went to a matinee showing and by the time it started there was not an empty seat left in the room. It certainly warranted such popularity, as the story was beautifully told, the actors were all believable and drew you in to the narrative, and the music...oh, the music was enchanting. Anyone who is a classical music lover will certainly appreciate the perfect placement of Schubert, Dvorak, and Sibelius. If you are not familiar with the historical facts surrounding the life of Queen Victoria, do yourself a favor and refrain from reading about her prior to seeing the film. The story and romance of her life are far more enjoyable if you are ignorant to how it will end. The film sets two love interest in perfect juxtaposition to each other as the film progresses, and it was with sheer madness and delight that I awaited so see which one she would choose. The film also features a deep level of court intrigue that is still easy enough for the viewer to follow and comprehend, but still feels like a complex web that Victoria must maneuver. I simply can not say enough good things about this movie.

Well, I have plugged my favorite theatre enough for one night. I think it is time that I do a little reading before bed.

A Post Delayed by Forces Unseen

While tonight's entry has been posted somewhat late, I hope you will believe me when I say that it not from lack of effort on my part. Our internet service has been somewhat temperamental lately, and last night it gave up working entirely. If you are reading this, hopefully it means that everything is back to normal, and I have not simply given in and posted this from work.

I have been testing changes to my morning routine this week, and so far I am very pleased with the results. I have managed to organize my routine so that it takes me exactly thirty minutes from the time that my alarm goes off to when I am out the door walking to work. Since the walk takes another half hour, that means I only have to wake up at 5 in order to be at work on time (this will change to four starting in February). Since I managed to fit a bit of exercise into this time schedule as well, I am satisfied with how everything is working so far. Of course, my half hour of morning preparation has been working well using January as a control, when I am still getting a regular 7 hours of sleep every night. I imagine it will be a little harder to maintain once March gets here. But I will worry about that when the time comes.

If luck holds with me, I should have a report on a movie playing at The Grand Cinema this weekend. I am not sure which one my wife and I will go to see just yet though.

I finally managed to attempt a recipe from the new cookbook that we found while down in Sunriver. It was a dish of Curried Tofu and Peas. Sadly, we were out of frozen peas, so I had to make do with corn instead. I probably should have chosen one of the fancier versions as well, since that was basically the extent of it. I might have an opportunity for something more elaborate this weekend, but right now I am pushing the limits of time that I have for any cooking at all. I suppose I should not complain, since it was still tasty, if not exactly overly flavorful.

I am listening to some Vivaldi while I write this journal entry. It is "Concerto for Guitar in D Major", which I only know because I have the jewel case open in front of me. Vivaldi has an amazing ability to make my day cheerier, no matter how it has been. On the complete other end of the spectrum, "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber is powerful enough to bring me to tears. This actually happened to me today while I was working on a return. I didn't even notice until the song was almost over, but fortunately no one happened to be around to see. I am not even sure what about the song brings it out, since I do not really associate it with anything that I can think of. It is most likely just because of the way it sounds.

Alright, I still need to make up lunch for tomorrow, shower, and do a little bit of reading before I sleep.

Requiem For My Legs (Or, the Six Hour Car Ride)

I have just returned today from the fourth annual trip to Sunriver that my office sponsors. My employers are kind enough to provide extremely nice housing, food, drinks, and entertainment for our entire office plus their significant others (the total number of people this year was 36, which is a lot if you are the one assigned to make dinner).

The great (an only, honestly) downside to this yearly excursion is the fact that to get from Tacoma to Sunriver takes, according to mapquest anyway, five hours 40 minutes, which in reality translates to somewhere more close to six and a half. My wife and I were fortunate enough to hitch a ride down and back with one of my coworkers, but even though I did not have to focus on driving I still had to sit in the car for hours on end. This meant either a) trying to read in a car, b) trying to sleep in a car, or c) trying to make conversation in a car. Given that this was a little four door and we were traveling over 60 most of the time, conversation was basically a game of trying to see who could say "WHAT?" the loudest. Sleeping and reading usually work for me, provided that I am not suffering from the pains of having the whole left side of my body fall asleep, which was the sad state of things most of the trip down. So rather, I tried to focus on the scenery, which mostly entailed trying to see what was different about the landscape since the last time I was down that direction this last summer.

Other than the horror of the 12 or so hours spent in the car (which were not really that bad, admittedly, I just need something to complain about), the rest of the trip was absolute bliss. I finally found the time to read through the commentaries on the Diamond Sutra, and I also had a chance to go for a two and a half hour hike around the town, which was incredibly enjoyable. My wife and I also did some shopping in town, where we managed to find a lovely pair of Fu Dogs, as well as "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian", which has already replaced about a dozen other conventional cookbooks in my kitchen. I am already looking forward to trying recipes of fried plantains, stuck-pot rice, and the myriad of beet recipes I found.

Tomorrow marks the official start of tax season, so I shall begin upping my hours to somewhere between ten and 11 as the week demands, and will probably be working around thirteen by February. I am also hoping to get out at least a half-dozen times on Sundays to do hiking over on the peninsula this year. I found a few resources for day hikes while on our trip, and with a little luck at least one of them will yield results.

Upon Which I Regret All That Caffeine After Lunch

I feel incredibly tired right now, too tired to commit to a proper post. Still, I will give it the best I have got. I am sure most of my fatigue is driven by the larger than normal amount of caffeine I imbibed today, as a result of trying out several new products in preparation for the start of tax season next week. Or perhaps because it is already 10, and I should have showered and been ready for bed by now.

Tomorrow my wife and I leave for Sunriver, Oregon until Sunday afternoon, and it shall be my last break for some time. I am looking forward to getting a bit of reading done, and perhaps some hiking as well. I have not been able to decide if I am sad or pleased about the fact there will be no snow down there. Probably more sad, since I do enjoy hiking through a field of white.

I also need to locate a copy of Teilhard's "Phenomenon of Man", which I was hoping to take on the trip, but which none of the local stores have. I suppose it will just have to wait until I return. I did manage to pick up an album by the Decemberists however, so that makes up for it somewhat.

Well, I am sure there was more to write, but I have forgotten it already. I will have to make up for this with a real post on Sunday. Until then, adieu.

On the Road Again

It seems strange that the two weekends before the start of Tax Season are both extra long (three days and 4 days, respectively), and yet on both I find myself driving extremely long distances, which unfortunately end with me feeling more tired than when I left. For instance, I departed work on New Year's Eve at about 1 PM in order for my wife and I to cross the mountains before sunset, and today we also returned early for much the same reason (also because I had to slip into the office to get some additional work done, but that is neither here nor there). Add into this a trip to and from Spokane into the weekend, and so far it feels like all I've done is read books in a car. I am not exactly complaining, mind you, since I've always enjoyed reading, and being on the road is the perfect excuse to do so, but the whole experience does leave me feeling a little exhausted this evening, which is never where I like to be before beginning another work week. Even if it will only be three days long.

Despite my earlier complaints, I did accomplish a fair bit more than just read over the course of the weekend, including watching several movies with the wife and in-laws, one of which was "Knowing" with Nicholas Cage. I thought the movie itself was rather abysmal, and far too apocalyptic for my tastes, but I did particularly enjoy their beautiful usage of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, second movement. While I used to be enamored with the more popular Ninth Symphony, over time the seventh has grown upon me to a point where few other works can even compare. This is quite the change from the first time I heard it (during the opening scenes of the movie "The Fall", which I highly recommend if you have not seen). At the time I saw the movie I was suffering a rather severe migraine, and even now associate that particular music with them to the point where I tense up upon first hearing it. Even so, it doleful sounds tug at my heart, and I cannot hesitate to listen to it every time I get the opportunity. The Seventh Symphony shall forever remain Beethoven's peak for me.

I almost managed to finish reading "Let the Right One In" over the weekend, so I expect I shall a have a full report in my next post. At this point however I will say that while the book is certainly dark, disturbing, and an immense page turner, the movie still by and large stands out foremost in my mind. Where the book is sometimes straightforward and blunt in explaining some of the stories details, the movie is subtle, dropping just the barest of hints that force the viewer to be totally drawn in and wrapped in the story, if they only let themselves. Yes, I definitely like the film production. I await with dizzying "anticipation" to see what is done with the American version that is currently in production.