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Showing posts from February, 2009

The Longest Day

Thanks to work, I'm getting accustomed to the drive between Maryland and New Jersey. The path starts on the Washington DC beltway, follows I-95 north past Baltimore and into Delaware, crosses over the Delaware River Bridge and into New Jersey. Follow the New Jersey Turnpike for an interminable stretch of flat, redundant miles, until looping around onto I-287 and up into central New Jersey. 3.5-4 hours door-to-door, not including idle time imposed by a police officer issuing a bogus speeding ticket. But I digres... My wandering thought was spurred from late-night brain drain after a long day that turned deep into the night, followed by this automatic drive that is becoming oh-so-familiar into another long day that drags into the night again. Jumbled entry, to be sure, but the longest day will do that to you. Thank goodness that the weekend is tantalizingly close to take me out of this frame of reference and into a more enjoyable realm with my wife and little dog. So close and yet so

Adjusting to Mr. Mom

I've been working more from home recently. Generally, I find this a good thing; it saves dry cleaning bills and gas money, is better for the environment, and gives me back the commute time for a little extra sleep and a lot more time to get things done. All in all, it is a good thing - except for the "Mr. Mom" adjustment. My wife is amazing around the house and seems to whip through chores like speed racer; I am more plodding and get distracted easily. This is probably why we are a good team, but now my skills are being put to the test as she has started a new project in downtown DC that requires a lot more hours. Which means that household activities are falling more on me. Don't get me wrong - I am not averse to pulling my own weight; however, it is an adjustment for a reformed bachelor who only recently was able to handle more than one pan on the stove at one time. So, I am learning to wake early to care for Rosie and her "special needs" (she ju

Buddy Holly and Taxes

I started the day by learning about two anniversaries that strangely coincide on February 3rd: 1) 50th anniversary of Buddy Holly 's death via plane crash, along with Ritchie Valens and the "Big Bopper" (Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr.) 2) 96th anniversary of Federal Income Taxes, courtesy of the 16th amendment to the US Constitution Upon hearing these anniversaries on National Public Radio, my mind instantly raced to the common expression uttered by Americans: "The only things of which you can be certain in life are death and taxes." Of which, only one of these things was wholly certain before 1913. But thanks to the IRS, that second thing is now nearly a certainty, unless of course you happen to be a prominent Democrat appointed to a Presidential cabinet position. But I digress... What really caught my attention was the subsequent NPR profile of Buddy Holly . His music is but a quaint flicker for today's generation of hip-hop fans and electronica junkies, but