Notival

It's Friday afternoon. But as few people are left in the building, you'd think it was well into the weekend, or a holiday afternoon. I'm not sure why apparently only half the workforce made it in today, but that seems to be about the size of it.

Ninsi and I went to dinner last night with her new hire class at a fancy tavern downtown. While we were there, a lot of people started getting up from their table and went to stand by the street. There were a whole lot of motorcycle cops that had blocked the roads and were waiting for something. Helicopters were buzzing around overhead. You'd have thought something actually exciting was going down. Instead, it was just the Dick Cheney motorcade going through. Everyone stopped and watched him go by, preceded and followed by half a dozen other vehicles.

Including an ambulance, just in case he shoots someone else in the face.

So, I had some time after lunch today and stopped by Spirit, the Halloween Store. Today is the last day they are open. I perused through what was left. By and large, it was crap. What struck me though, was the Julie McCoy Halloween costume.

Julie McCoy, from The Love Boat.

wtf?

Today is voting day. Go do it. And remember, if you live in Dallas and are voting on the Trinity River project, the ballot is counter-intuitive. Yes means No, and No means yes. Have fun!

Had something. Forgot it.

Christmas is going to sneak up on us. This I know. I should really start figuring out who gets what, and soon.

Ninsi recently got re-certified for TABC. She is thinking of trying to do bartending at private parties and such. In the meantime, she has decided to learn to make a few new drinks. I get to be the guinea pig. It's not a bad gig, but I can only handle so much. And really, after the first couple of drinks, the taste of the next few is not a real big deal.

I told her last night as I was drinking my 'gimlet' that what she really needed to do was have a cocktail party. Where several people come over, and she just makes a lot of different drinks. They tend to be small, so everyone could get a couple. That way she could knock out a couple dozen drinks in one night and I will still be able to get up the next morning.

So, we may do that in the nearish future. Maybe we'll do it in conjunction with a poker night, since we haven't done that in a while.

I was thinking of getting the 'rents a digital picture frame each for Christmas. And there are some nice ones out there. I just can't figure out why they are as expensive as they are. I mean, I can buy a portable DVD player for less than the cost of a picture frame, so why is just a frame so much? I dont think it is the wood.

Stupid Christmas.

Ninsi and I went out last night. We haven't been out on a Sunday in a long time. But it was a school night. For me at least, as I had to get up for work today. She is technically on vacation for the next week. We went to the club for a little while. Managed to be home before 1 am, so it was not too bad.

Friday night we went out with a friend for her birthday. Saturday we went and had good Indian cuisine at the Clay Pit, but horrible, horrible service. Bad enough that Ninsi went to talk to the manager about the automatic gratuity and have it lowered down. The manager took it off totally, and discounted us an extra 20% for our troubles.

Just trying to get through this week and half of next now. Holidays make it rough because everyone just sloooowssss down.

I have managed to make it to the gym every day so far this week. And I think Ninsi and I are going again this evening. Mostly, I've ridden a bike. Monday I ran 5k and did weights. Which is probably what I will do again tonight. But Tuesday, my knee was bugging me, so I spent the last two nights just riding. If the knee keeps bothering me after a run, I may have to think about investing in a knee brace.

Aging sucks.

In other news, the wife and I are looking into a new bedroom set. We have furniture now, but none matches. So we want a completely matched set. Another friend of ours is wanting to sell his set, so we could buy it, and we may, but we want to look and see what we can find for new, first. Beds are not cheap. And she wants a King size, so we will have to buy new mattresses as well, and those will run us a few hundred dollars more. BTW, can someone explain to me the difference between a King size bed, and a California King?

I can envision the scenario where we buy three pieces of a bedroom set, and come back later in a couple months to buy two or three more pieces. Hopefully they wont discontinue the set after we buy the first part.

Move along. Nothing to see for at least a week.

Thanksgiving is past. A solid month of Holiday season stretches out before us now. I briefly considered going to the stores early on "Black Friday." But the one item I wanted, really would have been a pain in the ass to get back to Dallas. And I think the ad I was looking at was misleading. So, I saved myself some dough. Never a bad thing.

Ninsi started her new job today. I'll hear all about it when I get home. All I know so far is from the few text messages I have received. I dont think it's the most enjoyable of things so far. But that is mostly from them not really being ready for her, and therefore she has nothing to do. And apparently they monitor phones and such fairly closely, so I dont know that I'll talk to her much during the days. Except perhaps on her lunch.

I suppose I should join the rest of America in online shopping today. But that would require having an idea of what Im looking for. I know a couple things, but not enough to bother even hunting down online, yet. Maybe in a couple weeks when it gets to be more of a crunch.

No leftovers at our house. I think it's a grocery store night.

I may have used the same subject recently. I dont care.

Ninsi is not enamored with her new drive. It is much closer to home though, so it doesnt take her as long. It is more annoying. Namely, because in the last two days, she has been rear-ended twice. Yesterday at lunch, and then again this morning on the way in to work. It has left her in an, understandably, poor mood. Both were low-impact collisions, causing only minor bumper damage, but still, twice in two days? That just sucks.

I thought that I was going to get to see a throwdown this morning on my way in to work. After I turned a corner and was slowing to stop behind traffic, I heard a guy in the left lane just screaming out his door. His door was open and he looked about to get out of the car. Mostly he was just screaming and yelling at the Civic in front of him. Then the guy in the Civic got completely out of his car and started yelling back at the first guy. I couldnt understand most of what was said since my windows were up, but I did hear the second guy say something like "You want to be a Big Boy?" and he was not someone that I would want to tussle with. The first guy probably rethought any inclinations he had about getting out of his car when the second guy got out.

Then traffic started moving. It went to one lane and I wound up between the two cars. Once we had two lanes again, the Civic rolled down his window and continued the conversation. I stopped at the light and let them get on with their business.

I would have liked to have seen a smack down though. It would have made for an entertaining morning.