A Visit From Ben
Not feeling well today, gonna call in sick. Which gives me a little time to post here . . .
Ben drove in from Nacogdoches this weekend to touch base with various parental types, and that included some time with us. He had a girlfriend in tow, which was a surprise to all of us he hadn't told about her -- that is, all of us. Anyway, her name is Stephanie and she's very nice, and I'm glad Ben has someone new.
Ben has a few tougher life decisions coming up than most 23-year-olds face, as the state budget cuts meant he got laid off from his teaching gig (which he wasn't enjoying all that much anyway), just a few months after he bought a house in Nacogdoches. He's looking to rent it out to cover the bills and go back to apartment living, but doesn't really know what else after that. He's got a good head on his shoulders and isn't afraid of hard work, so I figure he'll come out of it OK.
Had an interesting experience at my federal job the other night when the computer system crashed. Thunderstorms in Atlanta fried the system, and the lockup cascaded through the network. What do you do when the computers go down? Nothing, and you get paid for it. It actually wasn't nearly as much fun as it sounds.
Latest music tip: I've been spending time listening to old Queen (I know, in the 21st century, it's pretty much all "old" Queen). I mean the early stuff before their "A Night At The Opera" breakthrough -- "Queen," "Queen II," and "Sheer Heart Attack." Also, some of their end-of-career work, like "Innuendo," "The Game," and "The Works" is really good, too. If you have a copy stashed away somewhere in your collection, pull it out and give it a listen. You won't be disappointed.
Ben drove in from Nacogdoches this weekend to touch base with various parental types, and that included some time with us. He had a girlfriend in tow, which was a surprise to all of us he hadn't told about her -- that is, all of us. Anyway, her name is Stephanie and she's very nice, and I'm glad Ben has someone new.
Ben has a few tougher life decisions coming up than most 23-year-olds face, as the state budget cuts meant he got laid off from his teaching gig (which he wasn't enjoying all that much anyway), just a few months after he bought a house in Nacogdoches. He's looking to rent it out to cover the bills and go back to apartment living, but doesn't really know what else after that. He's got a good head on his shoulders and isn't afraid of hard work, so I figure he'll come out of it OK.
Had an interesting experience at my federal job the other night when the computer system crashed. Thunderstorms in Atlanta fried the system, and the lockup cascaded through the network. What do you do when the computers go down? Nothing, and you get paid for it. It actually wasn't nearly as much fun as it sounds.
Latest music tip: I've been spending time listening to old Queen (I know, in the 21st century, it's pretty much all "old" Queen). I mean the early stuff before their "A Night At The Opera" breakthrough -- "Queen," "Queen II," and "Sheer Heart Attack." Also, some of their end-of-career work, like "Innuendo," "The Game," and "The Works" is really good, too. If you have a copy stashed away somewhere in your collection, pull it out and give it a listen. You won't be disappointed.