Observations and inanities by a second-shift assistant supervisor in the Puppy-Grinding division of the Evil Atheist Conspiracy® (our motto: "Sure it's cruel, but think of the jobs!"), your host, Brent Rasmussen.
So, what are YOU doing?
OK, sound off - what are you doing this morning? Trying to get any work done, or have you just given up and are paying attention to the Inauguration?
One of the luxuries (also one of the dangers) of working for myself is that I get to set my schedule. And I long ago decided I wasn't going to try and get anything done at least this morning - I wanted to celebrate the removal of Bush from office. I admit, I would have preferred to have it happen with him either leaving in a box, or being dragged out in handcuffs, but you take what you can get - there are worse things than a constitutional transfer of power. I was going to get drunk in celebration of that bastard being gone.
But sometime in the last few days, that attitude changed. I decided that I was more concerned with observing Obama coming in. No, I have no illusions about his being some kind of semi-divine character who is going to make everything better instantly. That's absurd. But it really is something remarkable that he is going to be president in a few short hours. I never believed I'd live to see it. So I'm going to stay sober and watch. Yeah, Bush will finally be out of office. And that is cause for deep happiness. But I don't want him to taint this moment in history.
How about you?
Jim Downey
(Cross posted to my blog.)
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Same feeling here, Jim. I
Same feeling here, Jim. I think the whole inauguration thing is more of a celebration of Bush stepping down rather than Obama taking the seat. Of course, people can always look forward to a brighter future now with Obama. However, this does not change the fact that we have yet to see concrete reforms. People shouldn't bank on him too much at this stage. Easier said than done, as the old adage says. Nevertheless, it wouldn't hurt to hope for better things this year. Cheers!
Entertaining co-workers indirectly.
After not getting a response from a co-worker from 1 1/2 days of inquiry, I contacted his vendor liaison to get the response to a question about the product.
I mentioned that the co-worker was either "captured by pirates or sucked into an interminably long client meeting (I suspect the latter)" -- and I got an almost immediate answer to my question from the liaison.
I wonder what the co-worker will think when he's finally released...?
(I did cc: the project leader, and included in a follow-up note to the co-worker the recommendation that if he had indeed been kidnapped by pirates, all ransom demands should go to the Project Manager.)
They probably think I'm off my meds or something, but the joke's on them: I'm not ~on~ any meds. Ah-HAHAHAHA!
(Mmm...that didn't seem to come out right...)
Blue pill or red pill?
Well, I *have* been captured by pirates, and smuggled off to the wilds of northern CA. I've managed to overcome my captors, and gain access to their computer system, but it is an old one cobbled together from various stolen bits, and the signal is wonky. I hear them preparing to attempt a move to retake the office. If you don't hear from me again by next week, please send my entire collection of biblical literature to Brent . . .
Jim Downey
...the ~entire~ collection...? ~Both~ barrels?
...Ok...but that's a lot of ash and half-burnt paper offerings.
I hope he's going to use them wisely.
Beer Money!
I'm just rubbing my hands together in anticipation of Craigslisting that Mazarin Bible! I should be able to make 50 or 60 bucks off that puppy, easy!
...but what about the excitement of eBay?
Watch folks fight over it in pseudo-live action, almost like (but not quite -- er, nowhere ~near~ quite like) gladiators?
working, setting up video
As geeks-in-residence, we set up streaming video in the atrium and two classrooms of our building, and sent out a mass email to offices so they could tune in as well. Personally, I didn't watch. I couldn't divide my attention like that; I am so fractured emotionally right now that I had to separate the experiences. I tend to break down and weep at the sight of things that matter that much to me. Over the next couple weeks, I'll absorb it and make sense of it all.
Met some local like-minded people
My wife, a visiting friend from the Netherlands, and I went to a local gathering at someone's house to watch the inauguration. One of the main reasons we went was to meet some other people in town who think like us. Here in Orange County (I refuse to call it "the OC") John McCain pulled in more votes than Obama and in San Clemente it was even worse.
While I was there I found out about a local chapter of Drinking Liberally that's meeting locally once a month. The person who hosted the inauguration party this morning started this chapter because she got tired of every person she ran into being a conservative christian. I'm looking forward to attending their next meeting.
BTW, the whole room cheered when W's helicopter left the White House :)
Nice to be mentioned.
From the inaugural address:
Jim Downey
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Like Science Fiction? Read *or listen to* my novel, Communion of Dreams, for free.
Non-believers
To be mentioned in the same breath with the various flavors of godders, in one of the most historically significant speeches of his presidency, at this moment in history, in our supposedly "Christian nation," that's worth a hearty cheer! Yeah, baby!!
I'm hearing The Jeffersons' theme song in my head right now. :-)
And here . . .
. . . I didn't even know that Thomas Jefferson had a "theme song". Huh. ;)
Yeah, I think that may be the first (presidential) recognition for us since Bush 41 declared that we couldn't be citizens back in '87. Anyone know differently?
Jim Downey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like Science Fiction? Read *or listen to* my novel, Communion of Dreams, for free.
Some coverage . . .
. . . over at MetaFilter.
Jim Downey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like Science Fiction? Read *or listen to* my novel, Communion of Dreams, for free.
The Daily List
I'm working on a Flash site for a client, finishing my moving, and taking a trip to the dump.
But dancing inside! Bush is no longer the president! Yeah, babuh!!
...
Saw a news piece last night about Cheney, expected to appear in a wheelchair at the inauguration, because he hurt his back moving. I'm torn between thinking it's a fitting limp-dick symbolic end to the man's White House career, and suspecting he's done it deliberately so he doesn't have to rise to his feet for President Obama.
Whatever, the vile little beast is out of power. Now he can go back to his billions and contemplate his future heart attacks. If there really was a Hell ...
It's a secret
One of the die-hard GOP types at my office said Cheney wouldn't want to appear weak, so he had to be really hurt to be in a wheelchair today.
My theory is that he hurt his back carrying out all the secret files that he won't let anybody else touch. Another person in the office said it was all the boxes of gold bars that Cheney received from foreign guvmints.
Good.
If he slips on the ice outside his new Undisclosed Location and falls on the shiv he uses to knife widows and orphans, then I'll care how much he's hurting.
Marley's chains.
From carrying around the weight of all those accumulated sins. ;)
Jim Downey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like Science Fiction? Read *or listen to* my novel, Communion of Dreams, for free.
Working!
Not at work-work, you understand (I'm a DC-area fed, so free day off for me!), but I have a rapidly approaching deadline to upgrade my little shareware sound player thingy in time for a show I'm doing that opens one month from today. (A musical about Vietnam. Seems appropriate.) What am I doing procrastinating here??? Oh wait, I know: Compiling!
So I'm totally ignoring the hubbub downtown. Not that it doesn't make me all warm and fuzzy to know it's happening, though. I too am amazed that we elected our first-ever Hawai`ian president. I mean, our first Mac-using president. Hmm, must be something else new about him... Well, when he talks he sounds intelligent, but that must have happened occasionally before.
But my cold is better now, so I'll raise a glass later, in honor.
Celebrate!
Not getting drunk - not yet - but am having a shot of the finest whisky I own as Obama finishes the oath. Woo - hoo!!
Jim Downey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like Science Fiction? Read *or listen to* my novel, Communion of Dreams, for free.
Mashup
Watching the inauguration with the CNN/Facebook mashup app. Pretty fun! :)