Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Come Pick Me Up, I've Landed

Oh my God. Ben Folds can sure write a great coming home after your marriage breaks up song. Holy crap. I spent a good deal of time downloading iTunes I don't have yet, or single songs that I need because a CD here or there is damaged... and I got the strings version of "Landed."

"Bye, bye, goodbye -- I tried."

Oh man. He can stick a knife into the heart. I feel like the friend on the other end of the phone as he's at the airport asking me to come get him, tail between his legs... and believe you me, I've been in that set of shoes before, on the receiving end of the "it's over, I'm coming home" song .

I recommend it if you like Ben. It's on the new album, Songs For Silverman. For the most part, I'm enjoying the EPs better than SfS... but Landed and Gracie are tremendous songs...

I also downloaded some stuff by The Thorns, which is a collaboration akin to Crosby, Stills and Nash vocally and instrumentally made up of the folk-rocker acoustic singer-songwriter demigods of today: Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge. Tess, you should look into them for sure. And I pulled the EP "The Bens" which is made up of Bens Kweller, Folds and Lee. I really don't care for Ben Lee -- a lot of people are turning onto him, but I like Ben Kweller and you all know I adore Ben Folds. The EP is fun, but I only really like two of the songs.

The thing I think I like best about iTunes is that it overlaps the next song on your play list with the song just finishing, kind of like a radio program. Instead of a CD where there is this dead gap... I had a live version of Bruce Cockburn's "Lord of the Starfields" going, and then softly the piano for "Give Judy My Notice" comes in, with the clapping and cheering of the last song fading out. It was nice. Nicely mixed... worked really well and had a good feel.

The key turned up. Lesson Learned: when you think you have indeed looked everywhere, chances are you've missed a spot. Keep looking.

It turned out to be fortuitous... I worked like mad for over 6 hours on store floorplans, and I got a few loads of laundry done in between. It was good working at home and being so productive. I ran out of content at about 3:30, and that was great because Geoff had just come home so I was able to focus on the kids and be done with work. I like that.

I'm incredibly far ahead at work, but there is some backtracking I need to do to undo some of my work because of other people's decisions. Lesson learned: Sometimes being productive and getting ahead just doesn't pay. Pace yourself, slow down, and don't work yourself out of a job or into a pickle.

Oh, I'm so philosophical.


Anyway -- I heard there was an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent that featured Geocaching as the major plot device. I didn't see it because I was watching all of the fabulous FOX animated series instead, so I'll have to catch it in a rerun. I guess they had buried the geocaches, which Geocaching does NOT endorse... nothing is to be buried. But... creative license of writers and now a few million people think that Geocaching involves shovels. If you saw it, let me know how it was...

I think my hobby just jumped the shark.


We're catching up on Geoff's Cub Scout achievements. His den mother sent me a copy of the spread sheet she uses to track achievements and he's done quite a few of them at home.

Especially the fishing one, and a kite flying one. Thank you OBX trip!

There are things that I can't imagine us doing here at home by ourselves, so I may ask his friend P to join with us and do things and they can both get credit. I emailed his mother to make sure she checked a few things off for P because he geocached with us and we did somethings that are required.

And then, on top of all that, there is this belt hoop/pin spreadsheet of more stuff they're supposed to be doing. Criminy.

They asked me to be a den mother next year. I passed because I don't want to move Geoff out of the den he's in. I really like the den mother, and the boys he is with, so I'm reluctant to switch. We all know how Geoff doesn't do well with changes in plans.


In other news, starting Monday I am no longer a contractor. I'm an official employee. I feel like Pinocchio must have felt when he was no longer puppet-boy but "Real" boy. They are giving me the salary I requested, and one of the other departments (the floorplan people) will provide me with stuff I can do at home to augment my work week and make it a full 40 hour work week.

The money is better contracting, but I'm so gonna get raped next April in my taxes if I keep this up. And we're not saving the money aside very well... so switching over now is going to lessen the burden come tax time.

And on that note, I suppose I should start getting me and the boy ready. I hear him pouring another bowl of cereal, which means he's not ready to dress. He's so done with school, it's sad. I feel horribly for him that he has to do this until June 20th.

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