Wow, Not Even A Month! :D
Going to see if I can get an update in here. Even though I didn't wait the "traditional" two months, it's a pretty busy one.
All right, let's get the basics out of the way. Work? It's busy as ever, more of the same as last time. Frustrating, to say the least, especially since it's only a matter of time before all the work I'm having to put aside from my own queue is going to wind up biting us in the backside if it doesn't get done, but that seems to be the only way that people above me see that it does need to get done, and all this covering-for-everyone-else-feeling-they're-too-busy-to-do-their-own-job crap is screwing us up. When that happens, I've taken to documenting these incidents, and also occasionally checking in to see how certain individuals are utilizing this time to catch up. Hey, it's a government gig. I can play their game.
While I'm ranting about slackers chuckin'-n-duckin' their way through their days, allow me to turn my scornful eye to the idiots at the U.S. Postal Service in Richmond, Virginia. Now, I'm sure there are some nice folks there who actually do their jobs, but I know for a fact that there are at least two there who need to be drawn and quartered.
The first one? Back nearly a month after Mother's Day. I got the card I sent to my mother back in the mail, with a sticker declaring that the address was insufficient. Now, this is the same address I have sent cards to my mother to for, oh, about a decade or so now? I think I know my own mother's address. Thankfully, I took it to my post office next to where I work, and, after enduring questions about if I was sure there wasn't an apartment number I was missing, they carefully removed the sticker, slapped a new stamp on there, and shipped it on its way. Better late than never, I suppose, but at least my mother knows I tried.
Then, three or four weeks ago, I get one of those Express Mail letters in my mailbox. Seems this very nice old lady found the Father's Day card I sent to my grandfather, likely kicked under the mailbox where she lives, looking like it had been dragged through a swamp. Where it was found was in Richmond, but nowhere near where my grandfather lives. Anyway, she sent this poor, abused thing back to me. (Ethel Osterbind of Richmond, Virginia, bless your heart!)
Now, either incident alone was infuriating, but could be written off as "just one of those things that happens in the U.S. Fail". But to manage to screw up BOTH a Mother's and Father's Day card? Especially with my grandfather's health not being the greatest, such that he might not see next Father's Day . . . *snarl* IDIOTS!
*exhale* All right. Bad, angry stuff is out of the way. Now, with the happier stuff. :)
Two weekends ago, it seems the theme was "Doorsteps". (I was going to do a journal to this effect, but, well . . . again, not a lot of time and energy. Sorry!) Saturday, I open the door to run some errands, and I find a loaf of bread sitting on my doorstep. Not your grocery store Wonder bread sort of loaf, but a fresh-baked loaf of bread. I looked around, and saw everyone had one. Seems there is a bakery opening up at the shopping plaza right outside our complex, and this was sort of their way of introducing themselves, as well as getting us hooked on their door-delivered baked goods. Bread, cookies, you name it, you can order it, and they'll drop it off on your door. I thought that was a really cool idea! I don't usually go through a loaf of bread every week -- I just finally got through that loaf yesterday -- but I might just have to give that a try. Maybe order their cookie sampler to get dropped off along with it. Hee! :D
Then came Sunday. I was running late for church, tearing through the apartment to get dressed and ready, open the door, and THWUMP! I stop before I nearly step on this pretty bundle of purple and white flowers. Not sure what kind they were; sort of like purple lilies? There was no card, and it didn't look like it was done by a professional florist, just being bound together with light blue yarn. I was short on time, so I quickly brought them in, grabbed one of those tall cups that has the lids and straws on them out of the cabinet, pulled the top off, filled it partway with water, set the flowers in it, set it in the window, and headed out. Still, it really made my day. I looked at the other doors, and, this time, no one else had anything like it, even the ones that still had loaves of bread in front of them because the people living there hadn't gone out or shown up or whatever. I have no idea who did it, or why. Whomever did, it was really darned nice, and I was thankful for it.
As a side note on the "Doorsteps" theme, that same Sunday, August 10, was the 20th anniversary of my moving away from home, and landing on Jethric's doorstep. I still have the plane ticket, and still remember stopping off at the Lyon's near SFO for dinner before heading off to his and his folks' place in Oakland in that old powder blue Ford Pinto. We lived together for seven years, some of the most difficult -- they would have been far moreso without him there -- and yet best years of my life. Though I wound up moving, he's still a huge part of my life, someone I still love dearly as part of my family. (And, considering that my parents still ask about him and Mhari often, I think that makes it official that he is, whether he wants to be or not. ;) ) Karl, thanks for helping me find my feet, sticking by me all these years, and always being the one I know I can count on to understand me, and accept me for who I am.
And then there was last weekend. Awesome weekend. I got to do some nice volunteer work on Saturday, which is something I enjoy and have been wanting to get back into. Wore myself out, got blisters on my feet, but I grinned huge all day. Well, there were other things that encouraged that, but that's maybe for another day. :) I also found an old iMac 500MHz G3 for $10 at a garage sale! Got it home and working, though the old Airport card in there doesn't seem to want to chat with my wireless network here. I'll get it working, though, and, for now, it runs OS X 10.4.11 just fine! :) OH! And I got to see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I know, it wasn't as good as the first one, and didn't hold true to the book, but it was very much entertaining, and I still love the shot of Lucy facing down the Telmarine army with a dagger and a you-guys-don't-know-just-how-hosed-you-really-are grin. Good movie! Meanwhile, I think Sunday was relatively quiet, after being busy all week and Saturday, too. Think after church I took a nap, then did my around-the-house chores, got online and just gabbed with folks here and there, played a game, and that was about it. Wished for a longer weekend. *chuckle!*
Which brings us to this weekend. Anyone who has been anywhere near Portland has seen the signs everywhere that Portland Cityfest is -- well, now was -- this weekend. It's a big Christian festival happening on Waterfront Park, honoring the various volunteer efforts that have gone on throughout the area, with lots of music and shows. I put out a few feelers to see if other folks in the area wanted to go, but didn't get any response, so I just went myself. I didn't get to go Friday night, since I was exhausted from work, and didn't even get home until late, anyway. Went today, though, and it was just a gorgeous day for a festival! Got some great photo shots of these guys doing BMX tricks that made me wish I had my new camera along -- more on that later -- but I still got some good shots with my old Olympus. Food was overpriced, but I expected that, though their system of buying tickets first, then using the tickets to get your food -- for example, each ticket was a dollar, and four tickets would get you a cheeseburger -- seemed unnecessarily complex to me. I think the intention was that folks would buy too many tickets, then donate the extras to those who couldn't afford food? Meh, again, just seemed excessively complicated.
As far as the music goes, all of it was good, though some just didn't suit my tastes much (sorry, Toby Mac). One band in particular totally rocked, though, some guys out of Toronto called Hawk Nelson. Good sound, and the lead singer was awesome! Ran around half the show "playing" a Guitar Hero guitar -- though, with the way some of the basic synth work seemed synched to it, I have to wonder if maybe he rigged a basic five-tone synthesizer in there somehow? Also was funny when, at one point, he introduced the next song, and there was an awkward bit of tune-up noise for a moment, before he came back and said, "Well, we WERE going to play that, but we already played that one. It was lame, anyway." Just a loose, relaxed band with a good sound to them. Picked up one of their CD's, which doubles as a board game. Definitely will be keeping an eye open for those guys.
As for the festival as a whole, it was a good vibe for the most part, though there are always a couple exceptions and bad attitudes. Only one person made me worry I was going to have to call security, when he kept hassling this woman in rather obsessive stalkerish fashion. Everyone else, though, was really nice and polite. Definitely a good feeling there, and I enjoyed everything. (And, by the way, Brenda, they ARE talking about doing it again here next year! ;) )
A side-tangent here: about a week and a half ago, I managed to glom onto a nice deal on a refurbished Canon Digital Rebel XT, a pair of nice lenses (basic 18-55mm and a nice 28-135mm lens), and a bunch of filters. If you have to ask how much it cost, I'll just say, a.) not enough to cause me financial hardship, b.) more than I probably should have spent for starting out with this, and c.) about a third of what I would have spent on this gear new. Been eyeballing a setup like this for a while now, and this was just too good of a deal to pass up. I like taking pictures, and want to see if I can work beyond just the point-n-shoot Olympus I've been using all these years, though I will most likely still be using that old workhorse quite a bit. Anyway, it arrived a few days ago, and I've been tinkering with it some now. It will definitely be a challenge! Man, going beyond the basics with these DSLR's ain't easy, but you can do some nifty stuff with them! Might have to go out hiking sometime in the next few weeks, get some shots with them that way. If I get something decent, maybe I'll have to start using my Photobucket account again. I will also have to see if I can lug it around next FC. Yes, I will be working again, and the Furry Marketplace will be absolutely hoppin' this year! But, hey, with the theme being that whole surfin' safari beach thing, I think I can fit a lens with a camera attached into my look. *chuckle*
Speaking of which, having trouble coming up with a look for this upcoming year. Just oversized tacky beach shirts? Mmmm . . . We'll see. FC should be fun this year, though! Crowded, but fun!
I think that's all I have to ramble about for now. My folks are doing fine, thankfully, as are the rats (even through I unintentionally zonked out Thursday night after letting them out on the cage, and woke up a couple hours later with Tia licking my ear, Luni in my dirty laundry, and *cough* Maddie chewing on one of the ends of the speaker cable she'd just gnawed through). As for me, I need to get to sleep. Maybe it'll be less than a month to the next episode here again, hm? :)
All right, let's get the basics out of the way. Work? It's busy as ever, more of the same as last time. Frustrating, to say the least, especially since it's only a matter of time before all the work I'm having to put aside from my own queue is going to wind up biting us in the backside if it doesn't get done, but that seems to be the only way that people above me see that it does need to get done, and all this covering-for-everyone-else-feeling-they're-too-busy-to-do-their-own-job crap is screwing us up. When that happens, I've taken to documenting these incidents, and also occasionally checking in to see how certain individuals are utilizing this time to catch up. Hey, it's a government gig. I can play their game.
While I'm ranting about slackers chuckin'-n-duckin' their way through their days, allow me to turn my scornful eye to the idiots at the U.S. Postal Service in Richmond, Virginia. Now, I'm sure there are some nice folks there who actually do their jobs, but I know for a fact that there are at least two there who need to be drawn and quartered.
The first one? Back nearly a month after Mother's Day. I got the card I sent to my mother back in the mail, with a sticker declaring that the address was insufficient. Now, this is the same address I have sent cards to my mother to for, oh, about a decade or so now? I think I know my own mother's address. Thankfully, I took it to my post office next to where I work, and, after enduring questions about if I was sure there wasn't an apartment number I was missing, they carefully removed the sticker, slapped a new stamp on there, and shipped it on its way. Better late than never, I suppose, but at least my mother knows I tried.
Then, three or four weeks ago, I get one of those Express Mail letters in my mailbox. Seems this very nice old lady found the Father's Day card I sent to my grandfather, likely kicked under the mailbox where she lives, looking like it had been dragged through a swamp. Where it was found was in Richmond, but nowhere near where my grandfather lives. Anyway, she sent this poor, abused thing back to me. (Ethel Osterbind of Richmond, Virginia, bless your heart!)
Now, either incident alone was infuriating, but could be written off as "just one of those things that happens in the U.S. Fail". But to manage to screw up BOTH a Mother's and Father's Day card? Especially with my grandfather's health not being the greatest, such that he might not see next Father's Day . . . *snarl* IDIOTS!
*exhale* All right. Bad, angry stuff is out of the way. Now, with the happier stuff. :)
Two weekends ago, it seems the theme was "Doorsteps". (I was going to do a journal to this effect, but, well . . . again, not a lot of time and energy. Sorry!) Saturday, I open the door to run some errands, and I find a loaf of bread sitting on my doorstep. Not your grocery store Wonder bread sort of loaf, but a fresh-baked loaf of bread. I looked around, and saw everyone had one. Seems there is a bakery opening up at the shopping plaza right outside our complex, and this was sort of their way of introducing themselves, as well as getting us hooked on their door-delivered baked goods. Bread, cookies, you name it, you can order it, and they'll drop it off on your door. I thought that was a really cool idea! I don't usually go through a loaf of bread every week -- I just finally got through that loaf yesterday -- but I might just have to give that a try. Maybe order their cookie sampler to get dropped off along with it. Hee! :D
Then came Sunday. I was running late for church, tearing through the apartment to get dressed and ready, open the door, and THWUMP! I stop before I nearly step on this pretty bundle of purple and white flowers. Not sure what kind they were; sort of like purple lilies? There was no card, and it didn't look like it was done by a professional florist, just being bound together with light blue yarn. I was short on time, so I quickly brought them in, grabbed one of those tall cups that has the lids and straws on them out of the cabinet, pulled the top off, filled it partway with water, set the flowers in it, set it in the window, and headed out. Still, it really made my day. I looked at the other doors, and, this time, no one else had anything like it, even the ones that still had loaves of bread in front of them because the people living there hadn't gone out or shown up or whatever. I have no idea who did it, or why. Whomever did, it was really darned nice, and I was thankful for it.
As a side note on the "Doorsteps" theme, that same Sunday, August 10, was the 20th anniversary of my moving away from home, and landing on Jethric's doorstep. I still have the plane ticket, and still remember stopping off at the Lyon's near SFO for dinner before heading off to his and his folks' place in Oakland in that old powder blue Ford Pinto. We lived together for seven years, some of the most difficult -- they would have been far moreso without him there -- and yet best years of my life. Though I wound up moving, he's still a huge part of my life, someone I still love dearly as part of my family. (And, considering that my parents still ask about him and Mhari often, I think that makes it official that he is, whether he wants to be or not. ;) ) Karl, thanks for helping me find my feet, sticking by me all these years, and always being the one I know I can count on to understand me, and accept me for who I am.
And then there was last weekend. Awesome weekend. I got to do some nice volunteer work on Saturday, which is something I enjoy and have been wanting to get back into. Wore myself out, got blisters on my feet, but I grinned huge all day. Well, there were other things that encouraged that, but that's maybe for another day. :) I also found an old iMac 500MHz G3 for $10 at a garage sale! Got it home and working, though the old Airport card in there doesn't seem to want to chat with my wireless network here. I'll get it working, though, and, for now, it runs OS X 10.4.11 just fine! :) OH! And I got to see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I know, it wasn't as good as the first one, and didn't hold true to the book, but it was very much entertaining, and I still love the shot of Lucy facing down the Telmarine army with a dagger and a you-guys-don't-know-just-how-hosed-you-really-are grin. Good movie! Meanwhile, I think Sunday was relatively quiet, after being busy all week and Saturday, too. Think after church I took a nap, then did my around-the-house chores, got online and just gabbed with folks here and there, played a game, and that was about it. Wished for a longer weekend. *chuckle!*
Which brings us to this weekend. Anyone who has been anywhere near Portland has seen the signs everywhere that Portland Cityfest is -- well, now was -- this weekend. It's a big Christian festival happening on Waterfront Park, honoring the various volunteer efforts that have gone on throughout the area, with lots of music and shows. I put out a few feelers to see if other folks in the area wanted to go, but didn't get any response, so I just went myself. I didn't get to go Friday night, since I was exhausted from work, and didn't even get home until late, anyway. Went today, though, and it was just a gorgeous day for a festival! Got some great photo shots of these guys doing BMX tricks that made me wish I had my new camera along -- more on that later -- but I still got some good shots with my old Olympus. Food was overpriced, but I expected that, though their system of buying tickets first, then using the tickets to get your food -- for example, each ticket was a dollar, and four tickets would get you a cheeseburger -- seemed unnecessarily complex to me. I think the intention was that folks would buy too many tickets, then donate the extras to those who couldn't afford food? Meh, again, just seemed excessively complicated.
As far as the music goes, all of it was good, though some just didn't suit my tastes much (sorry, Toby Mac). One band in particular totally rocked, though, some guys out of Toronto called Hawk Nelson. Good sound, and the lead singer was awesome! Ran around half the show "playing" a Guitar Hero guitar -- though, with the way some of the basic synth work seemed synched to it, I have to wonder if maybe he rigged a basic five-tone synthesizer in there somehow? Also was funny when, at one point, he introduced the next song, and there was an awkward bit of tune-up noise for a moment, before he came back and said, "Well, we WERE going to play that, but we already played that one. It was lame, anyway." Just a loose, relaxed band with a good sound to them. Picked up one of their CD's, which doubles as a board game. Definitely will be keeping an eye open for those guys.
As for the festival as a whole, it was a good vibe for the most part, though there are always a couple exceptions and bad attitudes. Only one person made me worry I was going to have to call security, when he kept hassling this woman in rather obsessive stalkerish fashion. Everyone else, though, was really nice and polite. Definitely a good feeling there, and I enjoyed everything. (And, by the way, Brenda, they ARE talking about doing it again here next year! ;) )
A side-tangent here: about a week and a half ago, I managed to glom onto a nice deal on a refurbished Canon Digital Rebel XT, a pair of nice lenses (basic 18-55mm and a nice 28-135mm lens), and a bunch of filters. If you have to ask how much it cost, I'll just say, a.) not enough to cause me financial hardship, b.) more than I probably should have spent for starting out with this, and c.) about a third of what I would have spent on this gear new. Been eyeballing a setup like this for a while now, and this was just too good of a deal to pass up. I like taking pictures, and want to see if I can work beyond just the point-n-shoot Olympus I've been using all these years, though I will most likely still be using that old workhorse quite a bit. Anyway, it arrived a few days ago, and I've been tinkering with it some now. It will definitely be a challenge! Man, going beyond the basics with these DSLR's ain't easy, but you can do some nifty stuff with them! Might have to go out hiking sometime in the next few weeks, get some shots with them that way. If I get something decent, maybe I'll have to start using my Photobucket account again. I will also have to see if I can lug it around next FC. Yes, I will be working again, and the Furry Marketplace will be absolutely hoppin' this year! But, hey, with the theme being that whole surfin' safari beach thing, I think I can fit a lens with a camera attached into my look. *chuckle*
Speaking of which, having trouble coming up with a look for this upcoming year. Just oversized tacky beach shirts? Mmmm . . . We'll see. FC should be fun this year, though! Crowded, but fun!
I think that's all I have to ramble about for now. My folks are doing fine, thankfully, as are the rats (even through I unintentionally zonked out Thursday night after letting them out on the cage, and woke up a couple hours later with Tia licking my ear, Luni in my dirty laundry, and *cough* Maddie chewing on one of the ends of the speaker cable she'd just gnawed through). As for me, I need to get to sleep. Maybe it'll be less than a month to the next episode here again, hm? :)