Two Things I Hate and a Red Hot Date...

I did two things I hate tonight. We had some Christmas shopping to do. So we took Jake down for a weekend with his Bio-Dad. Commute traffic. That's the first thing I hate. I don't mind the drive - it's actually quite pretty. And with the new tires on the Trooper, the twisty bits are almost fun. But once I hit 101, it drives me nuts. I don't have to do it very often, but every time I do, it seems worse than it ever was. I'm not sure if it is actually getting worse and worse or if I forget how bad it is when I don't do it for a while. We dropped off Jake in Petaluma and then headed back North to THE MALL. 101 again, and the worst part was jerk wads who know the lanes go three to two but pull out and ride that lane as far as they can and then cut back in. Do these people think they are clever? More important than everyone else?

Then there was the mall. Which actually wasn't that bad. I've had much worse experiences. And we got some shopping done. We almost bought a treadmill and an elliptical, but they wouldn't deliver to our house. So, you know, I think it is fair to blame the weight I gain this Holiday season on Sears. And we had fun at some of the stores. Bed, Bath, and Beyond was a hoot. Oh, and we ate at Fresh Choice. I used to love Fresh Choice because they had Hawaiian Punch on tap. Not anymore. And the softy machine ran out. But the salad was good and I had a yummy baked potato.

So after braving the traffic and surviving the mall and getting some grub, I got to go on a hot date. With this hot chick.

We saw Syriana. I look forward to that DVD so I can watch it a few dozen times, pause, rewind, etc. And not have anyone kicking Rachel's seat. Somehow, she always gets someone behind her with the jimmy legs. Oh, and I love the Roxy theater because you can get ice cream and a decent latte at the cafe connected to the theater.

The drive home was OK. Really foggy in some spots, but it wasn't too bad. We got home and there was a Fed Ex package on the doorstep. I opened it up and it was a Christmas Card and gift from one of our customers. It almost made me cry.
They are my favorite customer and theirs is one of the most successful speech rec projects I've worked on. They thanked me for helping their business and for being a business partner and friend. That's the best when you can support your family while doing good work for good people who become friends. It's great to feel appreciated and they sent the perfect gift - a key chain. For years, I've used a pewter key chain my sister got me from Disneyland with Winnie-The-Pooh on it - classic Pooh, not the crappy Disney version. Pooh fell off a few years ago. I soldered him back on, but he fell off again about a year ago. He' lives on my dresser now, but I couldn't bring myself to get a new key chain. But now I have one.

And I am listening to the last episode of Morning Sedition. It's sad to see it go. I hope it comes back after a management shakeup at Air America.