Ice to rain, blech. Icy pools in back yard are kind of neat, I guess.

Sleepy, chilly.

Snow's changed to ice, L.'s made cookies, listening to sleet's rustle, watching Dr. Who.

Would like to fall asleep & wake to lots more weekend.

Snow, snow, snow!

Just went back & forth to work in the snow, snow, snow, not particularly slick, people driving like idiots, salt trucks out.

Supposed to warm up later, will try to enjoy while it lasts.

Feel so much dumber than when I was a kid, frustrating.

From across the street, "Bye!" "Bye, I love you!" Closing car doors.

Peretz & Pickles had a mildly violent dispute over food.

Should go do work.

L. got coffee, lovely woman.

All sorts of fun doings out & about, foot hurts too much.

Need coffee, foot hurts too much.

Took a hot bath & some ibuprofen, helped a bit.

Finally went to check out Countrypie in Ashfield, crust only passable but very nice in all other respects, though my colleagues objected to the cleanliness of the tables & the parmesan baked on the pies (not the quality of the cheese but its simple presence. Learned of another new pizza option in Colrain while there, will have to check that out at some point.

Foot's back to hurting, fuck, fuck, fuck.

Smoked sausages are en route to us by post.

Was settling in for a quiet evening when a sudden splash alerted me that something was amiss. Appalled wife relayed the information that Peretz was vomiting from her once cozy perch by the fire. Quite voluminous, bit of a bear to clean up, found the chunky, fuzzy bits by the dog bed particularly upsetting.

Anyway, all better now, I hope.

Finally have clean clothes, washed myself in celebration.

L. made a rum cake.

Came home from work, picked turkey carcass fairly clean, had turkey sandwiches. Meant to write that down hours ago, too spacey.

Brought in more wood, watching Everest documentary.

Odd cold symptoms, after leaving me largely alone while making & enjoying holiday supper, returned while I slept, kept waking up coughing. A little more work, then nap, I think.

It's sleeting.

Made a pretty lavish Thanksgiving spread, fairly substantial company ended up trickling in, some brought scotch, happy days.

We're all watching Star Trek futuristically streamed to our TV over modern computer networks.

Want some pie, still too full.

Macy's Parade, Macy's Parade.

Saw Snoopy, where's Underdog?

Left work early, came home & took a nap. Got up around 4 & started cleaning the kitchen, preparing sweet potatoes for pie & squash for roasting, L. got home, made enchiladas & cookies, then I made pie.

Cooking made me feel somewhat better, generally does.

Went to see some music in Turner's, talked to a bunch of people, got tired & came home.

Lying down, realized how shitty I feel. Fucking cold.

Coming down with something, coughing my head off at desk. Was feeling a little unusually woozy & sleepy last night, guess that's why.

Want some soup.

Strange, disrupted sleep.

Was going to make sweet potato pies last night, was too sleepy & lazy.

Dreamt of things without number, mostly mechanical. Kept waking to warm dogs.

Feel like I'm at the bottom of a well.

Could use a soda, maybe I'll get a soda.

Usually comforting machine hum oppressive today.

Rainy, rainy morning = trouble getting up.

Finally struggled upstairs to the wife with coffee, watched "Rainy Days & Mondays", other Carpenters videos for a bit, skipped the shower, walked dogs in the rain.

Last night, while trying to sleep, found mind veering off in unpleasant directions, needed to put on anime to quieten it. After that, had the usual wacky cartoon dreams.

First it's really cold for a few days, then it rains. That's the way it plays in Tennessee.

So, Massachusetts has gone south.

Work is so dismal lately, nothing much going on there other than stupidity & layoffs. The stupid people are almost never the ones to leave.

We have very little food in the house apart from stuff for Thanksgiving. Despite that, made what I think was a pretty passable vegetable curry.

After that, sat around watching TV & drinking whisky & ginger ales.

Job is giving me a stomach ache. More of that to come, I'd guess. Got to love being the guy who deletes people's user accounts in a recession. Ick.

Banana pudding went over pretty well, pretty much like I remembered it, though it would've been nice to let it sit longer.

Warmer today, but a damp chill in the air.

Slept late, went to brunch with the wife & kid, delightful brunch got comped as a result of L.'s social networking activities on their behalf. Nice.

Took kid down to Smith to meet his ride home, then went Thanksgiving shopping, also got stuff to make desserts for multiperson birthday party later. I made an enormous banana pudding, like old times. L.'s making double chocolate cookies.

Not quite as cold today.

Sal's out for a visit for the first time in ages, we just watched The Evil Dead, try to be a good influence.

Shocking cold continues, should probably take the dogs for a walk.

Fell asleep by the fire, kept waking in awkward positions with a dog wedged between me & the couch.

This morning, tried to get warm donuts from Adams, but they had already stopped making them, got some nonwarm donuts, still delightful.

First morning it's been so cold my car's steering was stiff.

Just back from lunch with Henry, Nancy & Alice en route to Portland, ME. Kid's getting pretty hefty, cool to see her packing away meatloaf clubs & the like though the rest of us could also have used some lunch.

One extremely taxing workweek down, one to go. Lying in a pile with dogs.

Thinking about how communicating on the Internet tends to make people seem like cartoon characters. Or maybe it pulls back the veil, revealing them to be such.

More inclined to believe the latter, that the naturalism of everyday life is more a product of awkward physicality than anything in anyone's mind.

Thinking about how terrible most people are at improvised performance, how everything is improvised performance.

Should probably avoid getting up early.

Woke early, around six, tried to check email, Internet connection was down, fixed it.

Went out back with dogs, very cold, thought about Hawaii, now my fingers hurt.

Returned home from another excessively busy day, made gorgonzola tortellini with cognac cream sauce & roasted butternut squash with maple & butter that I'd been meaning to make all week.

Walked dogs through the crisp air spewing gibberish countrified similes all the while.

Going to watch Dirty Harry.

Kraut dogs & butterscotch pudding for lunch, sometimes it seems the world was designed for my pleasure.

Thinking about people not knowing their own minds.

Been talking about amusingly broken ad server.

Morning dog fracas a bit more extreme than is usual.

Some day this week is going to end.

Just back from deluxe three course dinner largely courtesy of absurd Little Red Riding Hood outfit. Pistachio crusted salmon with mango hollandaise & the like, hurray!

Work continues busy, time flies when you're having fun.

L. went to glower at the D.A. for being a racist pig for a bit, good work, sweepea.

Sleepy day, would rather be sleeping.

Last night, really lovely dinner at the H & O, then straight to bed.

Enjoying the briskness.

Frosty morn, front steps were slippery.

Inability to get head around work coming to the fore sooner than usual before a vacation, oh well. Probably going to be busy with user support that requires no thought most of the time anyway.

Hands hurt.

Headache comes & goes, back again, pretty unbearable.

Cold, cold night. Low, yellow half moon.

Today as I went to & fro, little bursts of snow. Nice.

Stopped for some slices on the way home.

About half an hour after arriving at work, headache was back in full force. Coffee's pushed it back a little.

Booked car rentals for Oahu legs of Hawaii trip, all done booking stuff for that, I think.

Want to be in Hawaii already.

Going to be a stressful couple of weeks of work with most of the rest of the IT staff in press training, stupid, stupid, stupid.

Woke in the middle of the night to imaginary phone calls about Aztec curse & stomach cramps. Dumb old mummy didn't need that mask.

Overslept a bit, just checked work email, need to walk the dog & go.

Strangely, strenuous yard labor seems to have made my back feel better.

Kind of a fun party, amusing chatter, Making Time & the like playing quietly through TV speakers.

Before & after, blinding headache, barely made it in from the car.

Got back from work, lazed about for a bit, walked dogs, then went to brunch with chums. After that, leaf raking. Stupidly omitted gloves, now have mildly abraded hands.

More resting now, dinner party later.

Rebooting servers.

Seems like we're back to cold & sunny.

Back hurts.

Went to store in pouring rain for makings of quiches & cake.

Sitting around with wet dogs waiting for quiches to bake.

Rain has died down somewhat.

Slept for a long while, pretty great.

Still raining.

Still raining.

Went to see the new Bond flick, pretty entertaining, annoying audience.

After that, L. headed south for a benefit, I had some leftover chili & settled in with pups.

Continuing to settle in.

Today continues wet, bleh.

Thought Henry & Co. were coming today, turns out it's next week, bleh.

L. wants to go see Iron & Wine tomorrow, but it's sold out.

You get the idea.

Made sandwiches, fell asleep by fire. Woke up & the house was gone.

Actually, just woke up, shut down fire, came upstairs with pups. Still raining, feeling benevolent, won't let it throw me.

Spacing out, watching Dr. Who.

Rainy & cold. May make a fire.

Got stuff for sandwiches.

Dark & dreary day brightened by some spicy noodles & a Snickers bar.

Have a bit of a chill.

They've hung curtains outside the windows by my desk to separate me a bit from the photo studio, bit like the bottom of a grave.

Fell asleep away from my alarm clock, woke much the same time as always.

Spent a little time reading some stuff by people I consider pretty good writers, always amazed when someone's writing seems to flow naturally. I imagine there's some art or another to it, but I can't help but feel they also lack my sense of writing everything on a distant wall with a long awkward stick. Probably also trust themselves somewhat.

As always, the prize for my morning exertions, a cup of coffee, pretty good prize.

Near total indifference can provide a pretty good simulation of being open and trusting, working on it.

Got to thinking about long ago time when my flickr account didn't have 36000 or so photos on it, went back & labeled some.

It's really a pretty excessive number of photos. Hm.

Got home feeling extremely addled, work, traffic, etc. Went to H & O for salad, ending up getting excessive quantities of all sorts of stuff & a very stiff drink. No longer feel addled, am now a bit overly sedate.

Getting cold fast now once the sun is down. Lovely haze haloed moon tonight.

First morning of the season my car's windows were notably frosted.

Getting a little better at getting up & going.

90 years since WW I, what a fucking mess.

Muscles hurt, hungry, cold.

Intensified cheapness, battiness, etc. at work making me feel a bit on edge.

Simultaneously nerve wracking and very, very dreadfully & deeply dull is what I'm saying.

Want to be on holiday already.

Armistice Day, Armistice Day.

Finding it harder to get up every day, not because I'm sleepy, getting too much enjoyment from lazy reverie. Imagined characters, conversations.

Thinking about my Sunday burger & malted project, should get back on that.

Thinking about the strange ubiquity of electronic devices, networked & otherwise, how most of my time is spent interacting with them. Stranger that this is also true of people who don't have that as a job.

OK, back to it.

"Refusing all Definite Form, the Abstract Horror roofd. stony hard."

That's what I'm talking about.

Had a candy bar, Three Musketeers.

Sitting at desk, feeling stiff.

Little old lady in newsroom keeps screwing up her mail client, removing toolbar repeatedly, opening new messages while in the midst of typing and typing on obliviously, then claiming her work has disappeared, etc.

Should probably be job hunting.

Getting a little lost in dizzying exhaustion. There was a time I'd communicate that more concretely, may be best I don't.

Abstraction is, like most things, even better than expected.

Back from Syracuse, took the scenic route back, lovely golden light on the last leg & now.

Going to load in some wood, then go retrieve the pups from their bondage.

In Syracuse, pretty rainy on the drive over.

Before that, dropped the dogs at the spa, got hot glazed donuts.

L.'s showing her mom how to use her new computer. Later, I will remove spyware.

After warming up a frozen pot pie for dinner, lay down for a little rest, woke up about an hour ago.

Sounds of geese from beyond the railroad tracks.

Need to prepare for travel.

Having fun trying to explain to people about MIME types, email headers, etc. Fun times.

Weekend rushing toward us, hip, hip.

Would rather be in bed with Peretz snuggled to my hip.

So, last night's karaoke was a bit of a drag, a lot of bad singers doing slow contemporary ballads, aroma of past prime fish fry, overcharged for drinks, etc. L. did a fine rendition of 'I Can Help' though.

Spending a lot of time lately feeling tired in unfamiliar ways, maybe this is how normal people feel? Adrenal fatigue?

Strange balminess continues.

Thinking about my coming return to Syracuse, what a funny year & some odd days.

L.'s not yet back from her board meeting, may go out for karaoke later.

Warm, gray day. Back at work.

Feeling strangely tranquil, makes it a little hard to concentrate.

More coffee, maybe.

Spent most of the day pursuing much needed downtime, pretty great.

Still oddly warm, writing this on the back porch, dogs, having just eaten, are exploring the yard.

In a little while, going out for nice dinner.

Now & then, my life seems strangely idyllic, with very little of the worries that try most people.

Have, of course, an elaborate, eccentric set of worries of my own, but they're mine, and I am, in many ways, fond of them.

Just walked the dogs, still strangely balmy, should break out the ukelele later.

Watching anime centering around giant airships streaming over the Internet to my TV.

New age & all that, should go pour myself a tall glass of local soda, maybe.

Unsurprising, but oh, ick.

Stuck in my head:



Late night of dedicated availability = taking the day off, yip, yip.

Quiet night sitting by the phone, waiting for stuff to break.

Just took a break from that to buy some cigarettes from the Cumbie's down the street, young lady working there seemed really happy.

Went & voted, felt dirty after, went & flushed my system with high quality local donuts.

Making lunch plans.

Fell asleep very early, had extremely vivid dreams mostly involving imaginary friends of friends & conversations about memorials, terror, books & the the hoi polloi. Long rides in cars down tree-lined avenues, sympathetic looks. I was crying a lot, but not particularly unhappy.

Going to skip out of work to go vote sometime mid-morning.

Would like to spend a few days curled up in a ball somewhere, with no one bothering me. Will probably pass.

Flat, dull day leaving me sleepy, edgy, etc., etc.

Monday's being a drag.

Also cold & gray.

Last night, falling asleep, found myself reflecting on myself and seeing nothing.

Spent a lot of the day very sleepy, early evening felt like the middle of the night, now strangely alert.

Welcome Standard Time, I guess.

Another lovely brunch, a bit busier & more sociable than usual, both sweet & savory waffles on offer.

Steve's leaving for NYC shortly, then we're going to head out for the usual Sunday work & shopping.

Chilly breezes today, sunlight impressive on the mostly yellow remaining leaves.

Had a dream that Peretz's left front leg was horribly mutilated, skin pulled or rubbed off the lower front, knee cap exposed. Woke half convinced it was true.

Yellow leaves are falling dramatically in our back yard.

Just watched TV adaptation of "Dreams in the Witchhouse".

Before that, music fest in Turners, my friend Steve came from Pennsylvania to play at that, he's asleep in the next room.

Maybe we'll get brunch tomorrow.