not that I'm keeping score, or anything...

So far, I've gotten two birthday cards in the mail. One from my insurance agent and one from my dentist.

And I've gotten one gift. I got a very nice, thick, well-crafted, pocket sized artist's sketchbook. It was from the fabulous Ms Fledermaus. Thank you, dearie!

In other news, between the phone calling, and the eclipse, I didn't get much work done. About all I did was sort some papers while I was on hold with AT&T. Has anyone had their account "accidentally" deleted? And then reinstated with a different and more expensive calling plan? They were happy to reinstate the original deal, but sometimes I wonder.

I was supposed to be going out to eat with some people from Europe. My boss' boss was going to take our department out with one of the bosses from the Netherlands, and one from Italy. I wanted to go, not because it would be at a fancy restaurant, but because I wanted to meet the guys. No, really! But I was the only one interested, so he cancelled it.

I picked up my new glasses. They're a bit smaller than my old ones, so the edges of the lenses bug me. I'll get used to it. And they're not much more comfortable than my old ones. Oh well. At least they're in good shape.

The eclipse is just about over, so I'm going to bed.

only in America

We were discussing stuffing yourself on ribs, and where the best ones were, when a guy came by and mentioned a place he'd heard about that had a 105 ounce steak. That's six and a half pounds of meat (or 3kg)! The smallest steak they had was forty ounces. And you'r not allowed to share. The prices were reasonable, with the 40 ouncer going for less than $20. He said his friend, who got the 40 oz. prime rib, ate the thing for three days.

understand all

It is bad when one thing becomes two. One should not look for anything else in the Way of the Samurai. It is the same for anything that is called a Way. If one understands things in this manner, he should be able to hear about all ways and be more and more in accord with his own.

-Hagakure