2005: a look ahead

I don't usually make predictions, or even have expectations, but here's what I hope to have in 2005:

The Year of Finishing Remodeling
The Year of Catching up with Friends

My goal for finishing the upstairs apartment is the end of February. I'm going to have to work my ass off to see that fulfilled. The downstairs apartment is a different story. I would start on it right after finishing the upstairs, but I'll probably have a tenant, in which case I'll have to wait until he's out. In which case it could be a year or two before I do that remodeling. In which case this will not be The Year of Finishing Remodeling.

At any rate, whenever I'm finished with the remodeling this year, I will then use my free time to get together with friends. Hopefully, this will involve traveling, but either way I hope to do some entertaining here at the new house. There are too many people with whom I exchange the statement, "we'll have to get together soon!"

prog

I'm really digging this Joe Strummer record. But maybe that's because it's such a release after all this Rush and King Crimson I've been listening to lately.

Google

Did you see Google today?

freezing rain

I had an interesting drive home from the duplex today. No close calls, but that was due mainly to luck. I saw a car slide into my side of the road, but he was far enough away not to make me worry much. They said it was supposed to be warming up tonight, but it hasn't yet, despite a strong east wind (off the lake). So everything is covered in ice.

I just looked out, and it's raining again. The thermometer says 33 degrees.

tsunami

Thailand was a popular tourist destination for Scandinavians. 3000 Swedes are missing, so the tsunami may be the worst natural disater in Sweden's history. Given that Sweden's population is only nine million, the proportion of Swedes killed may end up the same as the proportion of Indonesians killed.