Odds and Ends
Update lag? What update lag? I've just been incredibly busy IRL and quite distracted. Anyway, it's been too long, so here you go: Chop Suey blogpost, Cranky Panda style.
Happy (?) Anniversary, Gettysburg! If that's the right expression.
I am now officially a free agent. Yesterday was the last day of the contract which kept me employed, and since the Mother Corporation has sliced itself to the bone over the past few years to keep afloat, they simply had no place left to put us. Thus I must bid farewell to eleven years (with Der Mutterkorp) and twelve and a half years with my former position. I've been lucky to have held out so long, all things considered, and I'd love to stick around, but there you go.
I will admit to a touch of schadenfreude because the people who have now replaced my workgroup reportedly decided on a business model that we tried and rejected a few years back, and also because some of our functions are going to take a while to straighten out. They're in for an interesting transition. Fortunately some of our temps transitioned, and they'll keep things moving smoothly.
On the bright side, now that I'm no longer getting up at early o'clock every day, D and I are seeing a bit more of each other. Also, now that we've moved the XBox 360 down to the living room, it's getting played more. D's working her way through Jade Empire and enjoying it immensely. I might try Fable. We might even go get Fable II one of these years. Or (gasp!) Bioshock.
Now that I have the time to devote to reading, I've been working my way the rest of the way through The Three Kingdoms. (Quick aside--Ed loaned me his copy of the international release of Red Cliff. WOW. Go see. The subtitles in the second half suck because they're tiny and white and tend to vanish whenever Kongming is on the screen, but in general it's beautifully done. Do not bother with the US release. I can't imagine cutting this thing down to two and a half hours...) As I've read, I keep running up against that cultural difference between novelist and audience. In short, I'm beginning to think about Cao^2 the same way I think about Dick the Third: much maligned, but not so very different from the virtuous opposition. The measure here is not whether Cao Cao is a nice guy (he isn't), but whether his actions are understandable in context. More on this later.
The Cub has finally warmed up to me, I think: the day I was put on separation, I came home to the sound of little running feet and a delighted squeal. Every night, she's asked if 'daddy morrow' which is her way of making sure I'm not going away. I'm getting spontaneous hugs, occasional kisses, and she's even comfortable enough to ask to be picked up and cuddled. Been a long time coming.
Here she is, showing off her mad 133t skillz0rz at Lego Batman. Or, rather, her maniacal laugh. Enjoy the moment!
That's my girl! Although we're a touch worried about where and how she learned that laugh...
Happy (?) Anniversary, Gettysburg! If that's the right expression.
I am now officially a free agent. Yesterday was the last day of the contract which kept me employed, and since the Mother Corporation has sliced itself to the bone over the past few years to keep afloat, they simply had no place left to put us. Thus I must bid farewell to eleven years (with Der Mutterkorp) and twelve and a half years with my former position. I've been lucky to have held out so long, all things considered, and I'd love to stick around, but there you go.
I will admit to a touch of schadenfreude because the people who have now replaced my workgroup reportedly decided on a business model that we tried and rejected a few years back, and also because some of our functions are going to take a while to straighten out. They're in for an interesting transition. Fortunately some of our temps transitioned, and they'll keep things moving smoothly.
On the bright side, now that I'm no longer getting up at early o'clock every day, D and I are seeing a bit more of each other. Also, now that we've moved the XBox 360 down to the living room, it's getting played more. D's working her way through Jade Empire and enjoying it immensely. I might try Fable. We might even go get Fable II one of these years. Or (gasp!) Bioshock.
Now that I have the time to devote to reading, I've been working my way the rest of the way through The Three Kingdoms. (Quick aside--Ed loaned me his copy of the international release of Red Cliff. WOW. Go see. The subtitles in the second half suck because they're tiny and white and tend to vanish whenever Kongming is on the screen, but in general it's beautifully done. Do not bother with the US release. I can't imagine cutting this thing down to two and a half hours...) As I've read, I keep running up against that cultural difference between novelist and audience. In short, I'm beginning to think about Cao^2 the same way I think about Dick the Third: much maligned, but not so very different from the virtuous opposition. The measure here is not whether Cao Cao is a nice guy (he isn't), but whether his actions are understandable in context. More on this later.
The Cub has finally warmed up to me, I think: the day I was put on separation, I came home to the sound of little running feet and a delighted squeal. Every night, she's asked if 'daddy morrow' which is her way of making sure I'm not going away. I'm getting spontaneous hugs, occasional kisses, and she's even comfortable enough to ask to be picked up and cuddled. Been a long time coming.
Here she is, showing off her mad 133t skillz0rz at Lego Batman. Or, rather, her maniacal laugh. Enjoy the moment!
Click to viewThat's my girl! Although we're a touch worried about where and how she learned that laugh...