Special Saturday Report

I am not sure what surprises me more right now- how not tired I feel after just pulling a 65 hour week, or how much I am looking forward to the next 9 or so. At this time last week, I knew I had to crank up my hours, but I was not sure if I would feel burned out after just a week of it or not. I am happy to report that so far I feel no such ill effects. In fact, when I woke up this morning, I was struck by the fact that this would be my last free Saturday until the end of April, which just led me to think of all the extra work I would be able to get done. That was when I realized I had already entered stage two of tax season.

These are actually the five stages of running, but over the years I have adapted them to the overall tax season, since both long runs and long work hours require much the same skill set- that being a great deal of concentration, constitution, and training. The five stages (adrenaline, excitement, focus, grit, and pain) are good indicators your overall health at any given point during the season, but sadly there is not much you can do to counter their effects other than to stop and rest, a luxury which you cannot afford during either a run or a busy March rush.

But enough about work.

I have been developing a taste for a band called Iron & Wine lately, which has led me to develop a great interest in the folk revival movement. I have been eating up the works or Bon Iver, William Fitzsimmons, Horse Feathers, and The Tallest Man on Earth. It is great music for when I am working through a tax return or just relaxing at home reading a book. I might even try running to some of it, though fear of being surprised by a dog will probably keep that from happening.

Speaking of running, I managed a run on Thursday, just a short 2 miler, but still impressive, especially since it was 7 PM after a 13 hour workday when I finally headed out. I thought I might actually fall asleep while I was moving, but fear of hitting a rock in the dark kept me alert. It was actually quite enjoyable when it was said and done, so I may just try it again.

Of LOST, I will say nothing more than I highly enjoyed the first episode of this season, and look forward to more.

Well, I had best be off. I have some things to deal with today, which is why I am not at work, actually. Even though we officially do not start Saturdays until next weekend, I am the only member of my team not in the office today. Of course, I am also the only member who is not a partner or who was not out on audits all week, but there is still plenty I could be getting done. But I will save that for Monday.

Till tomorrow then.

The Beginning of The End

Somehow I entirely forgot about posting an entry on Sunday until sometime on Tuesday. Not entirely sure how that happened, but will make up for it later, perhaps a post on Friday when I am not as tired as I am right now, and very tired I am.

I technically should have been in bed 10 minutes ago, and I still have to pack a lunch, but I wanted to at least pen a short entry. I was informed by my wife that the last season of LOST has officially started airing, which we will, hopefully, be watching on Friday. I have been awaiting this season with equal parts excitement and dread. There was a time when I obsessed overly too much about LOST, but so many other new shows have appeared since then, that it has become more of an old, stable friend. Of course, I have yet to encounter any other show that brings me such enjoyment to watch, or that has that level of surprise and mystery. I hope one day to find another show that measures up to it, but that has not happened yet.

What I am trying to say is that, come what may in this last season, good or ill, it has been a wonderful journey. I first started watching LOST when I was a Sophomore in college, and now find my life completely different at the show's end. So let us see what this last chapter has in store, enjoy both its highs and lows, and in the end we shall dust ourselves off, and see what else is out there in the world.

Did that last sentence make any sense? I cannot tell. Bah, I am going to bed.

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.