Rugless

I had a brilliant, if unoriginal, idea yesterday. We need to clear everything out of our living room and dining room by Monday so that the floor refinishers can do their thing. The books are mostly taken care of, but there’s much more to deal with, including a big rug, and we were despairing of finding a place to put it.

Then inspiration struck: have the rug cleaned.

So this morning, the rug left, to return after the floors are ready. If only the rest of the stuff were as easy to deal with.

Got spare time?

Then try this. [Link via Jenny]

Saving space

My A/V (err, Home Theatre) furniture is full. I want to get a HDTV-ready TV, which won’t fit in the cabinet we have — but most of the ones I’ve seen for big TVs don’t have as many places to put other equipment as I’d like. But perhaps I can give up on at least one technology. [Link via Garret]

And I’m suddenly very interested in having a DVD Recorder; that would let me dub my LaserDiscs and put that player away (and, over time, I could get rid of my stock of VHS tapes, too).

Game 7?

I expected to write this entry on Friday, while waiting for my flight home from Chicago. But ETP was down, so I did other things.

This week’s trip (which, I hope, will be the last one for a month or so) was to Montreal for the IBM Academy of Technology Annual Meeting, followed immediately by my first Official Meeting as a member of the Academy’s Technology Council (a three-year gig, with three-day in-person meetings six times a year, and early morning phone calls another six times a year). The trip was busy and productive and busy — if I weren’t a rebel, I wouldn’t have been outside the hotel at all from Monday at 1pm until the TC dinner on Thursday night.

But I was. On Monday, I took a quick morning walk, then joined friends from Israel for lunch at an Indian restaurant (apparently, there aren’t any Indian restaurants in Israel). Then I spent the next 34 hours in the fray, finally going out for air (and coffee) late Tuesday evening (instead of going to the Birds of a Feather sessions which were happening at the same time). On Wednesday night, I decided I couldn’t stand another big hotel meal, and convinced a colleague to go out for a walk with me; we wound up at a Lebanese fast-food place (where I had falafel, spending $5 Canadian in the process). Thursday night, the TC went to an Italian restaurant in Old Montreal…everyone chose to walk. Then on Friday, it was a quick dash to the airport when our meeting ended, a brief stop in duty-free (icewine is interesting stuff), and then home!

For some reason, I had no desire to turn on the computer yesterday.

Bar Mitzvah planning is continuing; we went tallit- and invitation-shopping today, with what looks like success.

Now to watch Game 7, which should not have been necessary.

Progress, but in what direction?

I admire people who can keep up a steady blogging habit, come hell, high water, or work. I’m clearly not one of those people. Not unless you define steady as “a few times a month”.

This week has been busy, both at home and at work. The home stuff is marginally more interesting — our decorator visited us again and we’ve ordered (as in “made a deposit on”) window treatments in five rooms, a new sleeper sofa, new chairs, and probably some other things I’ve managed to forget. We also had a floor refinisher give us a bid on refinishing the living room and dining room, and someone will be by soon to bid on door work.

Our living room is looking bare; all of the books are elsewhere (some at the library, some in the office, and a few old textbooks in the landfill, since hardbacks aren’t recyclable). And most of the furniture is gone; New Start Furniture took a sofa, bookcase, typing table, and lamp, but they wouldn’t take the old sleeper sofa because it needed too much repair, so we dragged it out to the curb last night, and it should be gone by the time we get home. I was hoping someone would scavenge it overnight, but no such luck; we’ll have to pay for disposal.

We have to completely empty the living room and dining room before the refinisher starts, so I guess we’ll have a one- or no-car garage for a while.

But next week, I’ll be away from the scene, at the IBM Academy of Technology meeting in Montreal. I will not have a chance to go ice-skating this time, though.

Shabbat Shalom!

And home again

Well, it seems that getting up at 4am to make a 6:30am flight to the East Coast is a sovereign remedy for jetlag; I fell asleep about 10:15pm on Monday night and had no trouble going to bed (or rising) on Eastern time all week.

Flying home late yesterday wasn’t so effective — by the time I got home, it was 11:30pm Pacific and I was wiped. Too tired to sleep well, in fact. Maybe tonight will be better.

The class was quite interesting — I learened a good bit about IBM and executive development, some of which even applies to me. I also discovered that the IBM Learning Center’s cuisine has improved remarkably since they switched the contract from Marriott to Dolce; it was a broadening experience.

Today’s been a slow day. Which, after all, isn’t a bad way to lead into the weekend.

Shabbat Shalom!

00 dark and early

I had to choose between waking up real early this morning to make the 6:31am flight out of San Jose, or travelling at a civilized hour but losing Sunday with my family.

I’m at the Admirals’ Club waiting for the 6:31. It was the right choice.

It is amazing how little e-mail arrives between 10pm and 5am, though!

Time to wander down to the gate….my mind is wandering somewhere, too. Perhaps I’ll meet it on board.

Nope

I spent most of the flights reading yesterday’s New York Times dessert sections. I couldn’t quite finish the puzzle (I hate when that happens!), but I decided to save weight and leave the paper behind, rather than try to finish it.

Class starts tomorrow morning early; I got the binder full of material when I checked in. Oy.

And on that note, g’night.