Happy 2008!

Due to my travels, I get to say "Happy New Year" while my left coast friends are still nearly 3 hours from 2008. 2007 ended nicely, as I had an enjoyable day in the Boston area (took a nice walk, had a nice Thai dinner & attended a fun party). All in all, a very good end to 2007 & start of 2008. Then again, I didn't get to visit with the resident dog "Champ" at Sarah's house today. "Champ" is now my favorite dog in New England.

The reality of 2008 is that I get to go back to California (something that many would virtually kill for) & my "life". This change of pace & perspective was very helpful. I'll be forever grateful to Shelley & Sarah (Shelley's girlfriend) for their hospitality. OK...I'll be grateful for at least a couple of days...which is pretty long for me!

The other day, some friends of Sarah's were coaxing her to come up with a slogan or catchphrase for 2008. It would definitely be the easy way out to do something with the word "great". I'm thinking: 2008: 0.274% longer than 2007!

Who knows what 2008 what will bring? Other than a new president-elect in the US, that is. There are infinite possibilities, including the SF Giants winning the world series & Cal qualifying to play in the 2009 Rose Bowl. Mind you, possibilities aren't required to be very likely...just possible.

So here's to all that's possible in 2008!

New Years Eve's Eve in Boston

Sometimes it's fun to just do something different than the usual routine. Even someone's else routine can be interesting. While in Boston, I've been enjoying a number of my friend Shelley's "routines", including doing a bit of shopping at the big mall (it does help when I'm not the one forced to be driving around the crowded parking structure), going to the movies ("Juno"...highly recommended!), or looking at open houses.

My own routine returns soon enough. I'm even enjoying the prospect of significant snow overnight, since I don't have to shovel it or do anything of substance in the morning. If only I brought waterproof pants, I could go outside tomorrow morning & make snow angels! Darn...

Last Minute Travel Preparations

Why is it that I ALWAYS manage to be up late the night before I travel getting packed, etc. It's not as though the travel is a surprise. But add a little procrastination to my occasional tendency to underestimate how long it will take to accomplish tasks, and...voila!

Of course, I've now loaded enough videos onto my iPod that I could be entertained through a fairly major travel delay. Which is a good thing, as flying through Denver this week has been a bit treacherous. The good news is that with less than 8 hours until scheduled departure, the flight is still showing up as being "on time". Woo hoo!

What do I REALLY want for Christmas?

My birthday is almost exactly 6 months before/after each Christmas. Back around that time this year, I was thinking about how I would like my life to be different for my next birthday. I can't remember exactly what I wrote down, but I'm relatively sure I haven't made much progress towards those goals. In fact, it probably can be said in some respects, I've lost ground.

The real gift I can give myself this Christmas is being willing to do things differently.

Sleepless in Oakland

I regularly wake up a few times during the night. But tonight (or should I say, this morning), I'm having trouble getting back to sleep. So I figured I'd get up for awhile, then try going back to sleep again.

For some odd reason, I feel compelled to write an essay (or perhaps a diatribe) on the recently announced pregancy of 16 year-old Jamie-Lynn Spears. While experience tells me that I can never fully predict outcomes, this just seems likely to end badly.

I have mixed feelings about this...I'm pro-responsibility & this smacks of both irresponsibility (getting pregnant, although it's important to note she was not the only party involved in this) and responsibility (having the baby). Some of these feelings are from my personal experience (as it's likely my birth mother was in a similar predicament). To be clear, I'm not wild about any pregancy termination (as it's hard to get past my own situation), yet support "choice". Sometimes it's hard to tell if being responsible means you go through with having the child or terminating the pregnancy.

Yet, keeping & raising the baby seems like a tall order. With the crush of the media spotlight, it's hard to imagine how her every step (and mistake) won't end up as talk show fodder. That same media spotlight would seem to make it impossible for her to quietly have the baby & put it up for adoption. One good thing is that she'll be doing this back in her native Louisiana (rather than LA). And (at least for now), I expect her mother will be helping out (although some might question her mother's track record in this area). One thing is for sure...until Jamie-Lynn's older sister (Britney) straightens out her life, I'd avoid asking her to babysit.

Bottom line: I wish her (and more importantly her child) all the best.

Wow...I feel a bit like a conflicted right-wing talk radio show host. Who knew???

Time to attempt a nap. Pleasant dreams to all...including me!

The Waiting (is the hardest part)

I've received 1 of my 2 grades (from this quarter's classes at Stanford). The second grade has yet to be entered into the system. I eagerly await this grade being posted, to have some closure on the quarter. It was a difficult quarter and I hope I learned a few things about what I can & can't do (at the age of 44) when going to school. Nevertheless, I had fun & learned a great deal.

So post that grade already! So the celebration can begin!!!

A new...non-travel blog

I'm not quite sure why I'm doing this. As best I remember, I haven't sustained a blow to the head (of course, had I done so, would I have remembered?) I guess it's just a chance to share my inner-most thoughts and feelings on the internet. And have absolutely no one ever read them!

My nephew Kyle turned 13 today. I'm tempted to say that I would like to be 13 now, yet knowing what I know now. The truth is that I probably wouldn't have done things differently, but just be more pissed at myself when I let opportunities pass me by. Kyle is growing up to be a very effective computer geek. Given his penchasnt for money & armed with technical skills, I could certainly see him becoming a high-tech entrepreneur. Or some other kind of relatively-non-violent sociopath...

The drugs are working, such that I hear the siren's song coming from my bed. Or maybe it's the sense memory of being uncased in flannel sheets. Either way, no more typing for me.

Steve