Still got the flu, worked from home again today. I’m really done with this crap. I can tell I’m on the mend enough that instead of simply feeling miserable, I’m getting very grumpy. Probably from being couped up for so long. This evening there was a lunar eclipse. I went out and snapped a few photos… as many as my sick would allow, and included the sharpest one from shortly after the last sliver of light vanished. I snapped a few as the sunlight reappeared, however, this photo turned out better. Wish I had a better camera.
Category: Work
-
More sick, and an eclipse
-
Sick of the sick
Still sick with flu. I hate this. Yesterday I came home early from work which turned out to be a really good thing, as around 4pm my fever & sweats returned. Since then, it’s been another round of aches, stuffy head, and more fever (with some scratchy, watery eyes thrown in to make my misery complete).
Today I worked from home. Spent as much time in front of the computer screen as I thought I should before sitting down in front of the TV and dozing off for a bit.
I’m really done with this junk. I want to be well. Now. Argh.
-
More Moon (and Kelly job news)
Tonight after work I met both my brothers at Moon & Sixpence for some dinner and beers. I got there long before either of them made it, and it was a total mess… Deschutes Brewing was having a tasting event there (which I remember reading about, but forgot completely) so I opened the door to the pub and people nearly spilled out it was so packed. Eventually got a table (shortly before my brothers arrived) and ended up staying. Fortunately it mellowed out greatly after about 9pm so it turned out to be fine.
While there, Kelly called me to tell me (more like screamed with excitement) that her new employer accepted her counter-offer and that she starts a week from Monday. Hooray! We were both nervously waiting for a response to it. Always nerve-wracking to put in a counter, and then have to wait for what seems like forever for a response.
I ended up staying a bit too late (brother T wasn’t in a hurry to get home, and kept saying “oh go on, get another beer”) so I didn’t make it home until 1:30am. Urgh. Tomorrow’s gonna be rough.
-
Louis XIV and Editors
Tonight Kelly and I went to see the Editors show at Roseland, with Louis XIV opening. After I left the office I met Kelly at Shanghai Tunnel, which turned out to be less than great. The bartender woman was in an obviously foul mood and made no attempt to be even superficially friendly. And despite how empty it was (there were about six people in the entire place) the music was cranked up to 11, so loud Kelly and I had to yell to talk to each other. I finished my pint of Guinness and then we left and went down the street to the Thirsty Lion where, despite how crowded it was, and the TV’s all playing a soccer match, it was still half as loud as Shanghai. We had a meal there, and another pint before walking up to the venue.
We got to the Roseland early enough to sit in the downstairs bar and share a beer before we went upstairs. It was pretty empty so we got a couple seats in the balcony. The Louis XIV show was really fun. I liked their first album a lot, I liked the raunchy, innuendo-filled lyrics, the rock vibe, etc, and the show was a lot of fun. It was a refreshing show to see, with lead singer Jason Hill strutting around the stage like he was Mick Jagger, and the violinists adding a touch of larger-than-life. Just fun. There is a track from the new album, Air Traffic Control, which I already liked, but the live version was a great deal more powerful (nearly brought a tear to my eye).
After a long break between sets as the stage got reset, Editors came on stage and played a really strong show. This was the third time Kelly and I had seen them (the first, at Dante’s, and the second at Berbati’s Pan). Each time they get stronger, and this show was no different. It was a really great show, energy from lead singer Tom Smith was at full, at times running around the stage, crawling / standing on his piano, etc. Excellent show all around.We left and it was pouring down rain, so the walk (no, run) from to our car was just far enough that we got pretty drenched. Even that though, after the show, was fun. 🙂
-
Kelly job news!
After a hard day of work (today was particularly exhausting, mentally) Kelly and I met up at Rose & Thistle for a couple well-deserved pints.
Shortly after getting home, I was sitting in my man-cave (the garage) with a beer and my laptop when Kelly literally BURST in to announce she’d received an email offering her a job she was hoping for! This is, hands down, the most fantastic news for her, and I couldn’t be happier. Assuming she accepts the offer, she’ll be working downtown (for the first time in several years) not far from the SuperSweetCo offices (for now anyway, until we move to a new building). While she still has nearly two months left before she finishes her Masters program, I’m sure she’ll be able to finish the program while learning the ropes at a brand new job.
All together now: Congratulations Kelly!
-
Weekend Update
Good weekend so far (now that it’s almost over). Kelly made it back Friday, about mid-morning. We met up at Rose & Thistle after I got off work and had a couple pints and caught up on each other’s week. Afterward we left and buzzed up to Moon & Sixpence, Kelly wanted a particular beer (Hale’s Cream Ale) which I swore they had, but was mistaken. We stayed anyway, and I was glad we did… they now have (and it may be a regular beer, apparently) Old Speckled Hen! It’s a beer I have whenever I go to Horse Brass, and I had loads of it on our last trip to London. Had a couple pints of it and some food before we went home. Kelly was exhausted as she didn’t sleep well while at her sister’s place.
Saturday we went out to my folks place for a belated birthday dinner for my kid bro (Happy Birthday C!). We both ate WAY too much, but it was all good. Got home early (around 9:30) and decided to stay in. We both ended up dozing off in the living room watching Psych off of our DVR.
Slept until 10am today, surfed the web for a bit and then played a few hours of Call of Duty 4. Now I’m at Kennedy School (Kelly just met me here after working out) and we’re going to go see The Golden Compass at the theater here (can’t beat a $3.00 movie, and beer, and pizza). I just finished reading the book last week, so the timing of it coming to Kennedy School couldn’t be better. Might write something about it afterwards.
-
Tun night, Work day
Yesterday afternoon (about 3:30) the development team at SuperSweetCo were treated to a couple hours at Ground Kontrol (yes, on top of the dinner thing last night). Pretty fun, though I wasn’t fully in the mood to leave the office when we did, as I was getting work done and had a lot more to do. That said, I got to play some Discs of Tron, some fun sit-down car racing games, and some old Star Trek and Doctor Who pinball machines.
After leaving the arcade I hopped a bus to meet my friend Miranda at Mash Tun. I arrived early and surfed a bit (free wifi, hooray!) and had a pint of the Tun’s delicious Watership Brown ales before Miranda arrived. Later we were joined by my friends (and ex-coworkers) Jenn and Lara & Todd. Had a fun time out, and it was good to catch up. Jenn mentions the night here.
Today was a busy but productive work day. Worked until about 6:30pm before catching my bus home. Kelly’s still up north helping her sister after her surgery, so I’m kind of ‘hanging out’ on my own. Just me and the cat. Chillin.
-
Fancy work dinner thing
After work today the development team at SuperSweetCo were taken out to this fancy tapas restaurant Toro Bravo (menu here) for dinner & drinks to celebrate both the hard work by the team over the past few weeks, as well as to spend time with everybody from the team who now span several countries and were all in town for the week. The food was very good, however it was a fairly spendy spot I’m not likely to frequent (I tend to like places with simpler, less expensive fare and a good selection of beer on tap). I did have a really good time though, and the crab cake things were really fantastic. If only they had more than Pilsner Urquell on tap.
-
Caught by the fuzz & a big crazy work week
My, where to start? Oh, I know! I got my first ever speeding ticket last Sunday. Kelly and I were on our way to my folks place for dinner and were running late. I was zooming down the highway, not really paying much attention, when I look in the rearview and see a large, manly-looking truck cut through the median. About 30 stomach-sinking seconds later I’m pulled over, apparently going 74 in a 55 (though I’m not sure entirely convinced about that, I looked down immediately as I noticed the police truck cross the median and I was going about 68). I was speeding, and given the fact that I know I drive fast pretty much every time I drive (I can’t help it, 55 is a stupid-slow speed limit meant for old people) I was probably due to get caught. I am however, a bit bummed about it, it’s my first ticket. So much for the clean record. *shrugs*. The dinner was delicious, Kelly had made a turkey shepherd’s pie for the family, and it was fantastic.
Come Monday, however, it was easy to get over my law-breaking blues, as this week was insane crazy at work. SuperSweetCo is nearing the big important 2.0 release of it’s flagship web app, and my role as UI designer couldn’t have been busier. Today was the deadline (and a big company demo) for all the new features, so that meant the past couple weeks have been full of long days, working weekends, culminating in a 13 hour day yesterday and a load of last-minute tweaks and fiddling to get the new features as polished as possible for today’s demo. I even ended up ditching what would have been a delicious dinner at Gino’s for Snooks and L’s birthday last night (went there last year). However I did briefly meet up at Greater Trumps for a pint, followed by a very short stop at Moon to meet with my brother T, before going home to work for a few more hours.
The demo went well enough (people clapped and cheered and such), and while I know that the next several weeks are bound to be pretty crazy as I continue to refine and modify the UI of the app, I’m excited to see all the new features and new design changes make their way into people’s hands.
After work I met Kelly at Rose & Thistle for a couple pints before heading home, where I’m now sipping on beers and relaxing a bit, looking forward to what I hope will be a weekend full of Call of Duty 4, movies, and general relaxing.
-
Middle Earth at Kennedy School
Today is Kennedy School‘s annual J.R.R. Tolkien Birthday Celebration, and I met my friend Snooks in the Cypress Room bar around noon so we could sit with our laptops, sip on beer, and do some work. I managed to get a few hours in before a combination of low battery power and low brain power (probably due to the beer) forced me to call it a work day.
This was the second time I’ve been at Kennedy School during the Tolkien celebration, and it’s definitely a family affair, with “hobbits” in the hallways making balloon animals for the kiddies, a few people dressed in costume wandering around, the Willamette Radio Workshop performing segments from the Rings books in the gymnasium, and the theater running all 3 Lord of the Rings films. They also serve some food specials for the day: My Precious Onion Rings, Return of the King Burger (which sounded really good), Shire Stew, Middle Earth Pizza, and the Cracks of Doom Molten Lava Cake. I only managed to snap a few photos, however, the two I’m posting are of the more impressive costumes (note, the appropriately jolly Gandalf, with his glass of wine in hand). Last year there was a really good Ring Wraith, sadly I didn’t manage to spot him this time around.
After leaving Kennedy School, Snooks & L, and Kelly & I went to Concordia Ale House for some dinner and a couple more beers. I had the fantastic Irish Cheese Steak sandwich, and a Hales Cream Stout. Mmmm.
