The Time Sink

Typically we get to sleep in on the holidays (today was a school and work holiday here), but this morning we were up at 0500 to deliver the boys to another couple's house so they could join their family on a ski trip. Nope, our guys don't (didn't!) ski, but things like that tend not to slow them down.

...and no, that wasn't part of the plan going into the weekend, but once the offer was made? Yeah, hard to pass that one up. Of course the early morning made for a couple of tired parents here, but Shelley's dad came up and we headed out to an early dinner with him at a new place in town. ...and that turned out to be a very nice way to spend the afternoon.

Both boys are back home and dead asleep with tales of spills and thrills and snow and fun. ...and their worried mom is finally out since her babies are back in the nest. Me? I'm thinking it'll be good to get back to work and the regularly scheduled insanity <g>...

As Shelley said as she was falling asleep last night, "What the heck happened to the weekend?" Oh yeah... The best laid plans of...? I think this one falls under "Take what you can get" or "make lemonade" or...

I think for once that "overabundance of perspective" (as I once euphemismized "age") has come in handy: while we didn't get some of the things done we planned, we did get some other things completed that were only scheduled to be started. ...and the next weekend is only four days away.

We did get the Brad's science fair project completed; that one took the resources of both families (he and a friend were working on a joint project); and I ended up over at the other family's house to vet the technical portion of the project. ...and that board is getting turned in today! ...and I think that only leaves two projects left for "Open House".

The garage? One of the main 'features' of the weekend plans? Well, I did manage to get at least a start on it. ...and Daniel had a block of time to come out and help me. ...but things are only 'started', as in "one area is almost ready to have things put in it so the other areas can be straightened up". I'm thinking maybe an evening or two this week to get that first area dialed and then maybe one full day this weekend. Minus school project time...

It turns out the homework thing is an insidious, infectious process. ...probably one that will drive me quite out of my mind (okay, "too late" fits; but let's not push it <g>).

Even Shelley had a stack of stuff to do last night! She was taking care of some business regarding her teaching and ended up at home with a packet to fill out and even a bit of a research project...

Wild weather out here? Someone mentioned that in an email and it's all sorts of true! Two weeks back I had the air conditioning running in the car on the way home from work; last Friday we froze our tails off at Brad's volleyball tournament and ended up walking home in the rain a bit later. Later that weekend it snowed up in the Sacramento valley, and it's been frosty here all week. ...and that's essentially the first extended period of frost we've had all winter. The good news about that is those bulbs I was way late in planting until a couple of weeks back may actually have a chance!

Now it's warming up into the 60's again with maybe even the seventies by the weekend. ...and then rain is forecast for all of next week! I'm thinking March may come in like a Lion this year. ...and nope, it's not El Niño; they aren't saying that phenomena is showing any particular effects this year.

Who me? Watching ice dancing...

A game plan? Well? It's a "homework weekend" for Brad; he has one more project to complete for the grand open house project at school. Shelley will be handling the bulk of the overview and corrections, but I'll be called in for the formatting work at some point.

In the meantime, I think I'll 'restart' work on the garage cleanup and maybe blade a bit and take a photo walk or two...

Short version: we made significant progress in several areas today. Brad has all of his writing done and is waiting for the editorial worker bees to kick it back to him. The project itself is mapped out and just needs a layout editor and graphics person to line up the look of the finished product.

...and there's another project I wasn't aware of that is apparently going on concurrently with this one. I just got a hint on it last night as we reconfigred some printers here. More later when I have a better understanding of where I'm involved...

...and the garage work moved forward. Today we'll have to move it backwards (away from the main door) as the rain is due in on Monday...

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"Any sufficiently advanced technology is
indistinguishable from magic."
Arthur C. Clarke, "Technology and the Future"

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