Need I say more?

Actually, it wasn’t that bad, but even though I was busy all day, I don’t feel that I accomplished as much as I wanted to. And real soon now, I have to get down to some administrivial tasks, such as working on my “Personal Business Committments” (in other words, what I plan to do in 2000) and also writing up my yearly results. It really is considered bad form not to have the plans approved before the end of the year, though it does make it easier to hit one’s targets that way.

I also got rid of the Microsoft Trackball Explorer we bought a couple of weeks ago. It seemed like a good idea, but having both the left and right mouse buttons (and the scroll wheel) all being operated by the thumb was too much — and trying to remap the buttons screwed up the mapping on the trackpad that Diane prefers to use, so I returned it to Fry’s. For a change, I was taken care of immediately (usually, there’s a 15- or 20-minute wait; I brought a book), and the whole experience wasn’t half-bad — and the thought that we might not like the trackball is the reason we went to Fry’s in the first place. Much as I dislike some of the nonsense there, their return policy makes them my first choice when I’m experimenting with gadgets.

I usually listen to the local all-news, classical, jazz, or classic rock station when I’m in the car. But on Sunday mornings, they often run strange programming, so all bets are off and I tune around the dial in hopes of finding something I’ll like.

This morning, as I was driving to the Y, I happened to tune into NPR’s Weekend Edition just as they were starting the puzzle segment. I liked it. In fact, I sat in the car until the segment ended, then I spent most of my exercise session thinking about the puzzle. After getting home, I kept trying different solutions until I found one that seemed to be a good candidate (10 total steps). I’m glad they put the puzzle on the website so I don’t have to listen to the show every week (is the puzzle always at the same time?).

Ruining my reputation for expertise

Al asks for my opinion on the right wines to accompany a dinner of Boeuf a la Bourguignonne. I guess my occasional “Wine of the Day” feature must sound as though I know something, rather than what it really is — a way of remembering some of the wines we drink in hopes of not buying bad ones a second time!

We hardly ever have beef at home, so I’m afraid I don’t even have any experiences to share as starting points for this one.

The Wine of the Day for Thanksgiving, by the way, will be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (Corbans Marlborough 1999), chosen through the scientific process of rushing over to the wine racks at Lunardi’s while Diane was in the checkout line and looking for the first Sauvignon Blanc which had the words “good with poultry” in the writeups on the shelves. I’ve heard good things about New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs; I hope they’re right!