Mercy Me

My apologies to those of you for whom this is a regular source of Jimmy News - things were busy this past week, so I'm trying to catch up.

The Week At Work was good - My client has nicknamed me "Columbo" for rooting out the actual core issues that were supposed to have been found by my predecessor... so now I'm planning how to fix the problems. On my original project, my "neat and tidy' solution once we got into it was almost a million dollars in software and hardware upgrades AND two new positions needed in HR for the new workflow. So I've got a good "Plan B" on the table that will cost a heckuva lot less and get the job done. They still like what I've pulled together, thankfully - the high price tag was the result of a number of Directors saying "sure!" and a bunch of Managers saying "but it'll be this much..." Disconnects like this are the whole reason I'm there, actually.

No good animal stories this week - it was a pretty heads down week, and the Canada Geese seem to have moved on someplace else. The giant snapping turtles (Gameras) have kept a low profile as well, no doubt because of all the tourists sent there by this incredibly influential blog.

It was a very busy weekend, of course. Friday was a lot of yard work, then we saw some old friends for dinner at the Chatterbox (which I still like, but am starting to think that the inept service is actually BY DESIGN, and not some sort of growing pains), then an evening of scotch tasting with my boys. It was an evening of strong, "different" tasting scotches - not much smoke and peat, but rather lots of fruit on the palate. We watched the French spy spoof "OSS 117" which I would recommend to just about anyone - it was delightfully wacky, while never dropping "character" - unlike Austin Powers, where Myers spends the movie mugging at the camera, these people really tried to make a pitch perfect 1960s spy movie, only a completely insane and daft one.

Saturday was the 4th, and Pamela got up at 6am to meet with some neighborhood gals, and they pushed the Scott Terrace Mobile Recreation Unit (MRU) down about a mile to the parade route. The MRU is a garishly recovered couch that we mounted on casters for mobility. Pushing it down the street over 10 blocks was definitely work. After the parade, I helped push it BACK. The parade was great as usual... it always seems like too many military vehicles - I mean this isn't Soviet MayDay here, plus those diesel antiques belch a lot of fumes. Isaac was somewhat controllable this year, though during gaps in the parade, he ran in wide circles around the middle of the street in sheer joy at being able to. The clouds and mild drizzle kept us cool and unburnt.

Playtime in the afternoon, with a comically interrupted nap (no fewer than 5 separate kid-based wakeups.... I did not get much rest). Then more friends over for a 4th of July grill, lots of kids playing in our back yard, many popsicles, and cheap fireworks on the driveway to the oohs and ahs of the assembled kids. It was a late night to bed.... And an early morning for me as my east coast system snapped awake at 6 and denied all attempts at a snooze button.

Coffee in the late AM with Grandma and Grandpa, and then Bella was whisked away to the Edina Pool with the neighbor kids, while Isaac and I tried again for naps. I got some sort of wakeful shuteye, and Isaac got a good recharge in. Zinsser was also quite the snoozer. Tonight we were over celebrating JeMae's birthday with the neighborhood, and the kids were again nowhere to be seen, playing complex games (with modified rules for the younguns like Isaac).

At bedtime, Isaac was shouting "Boom Boom FIREPOWER!" over and over. I asked Bella and she admitted and she and Jenny had taught him it. She said

"It's from Star Wars - there's this little guy inside of a self destruct and Darth Vader is trying to do a choking thing on him, but he's too small and inside the self destruct, and I think he says "Boom Boom Firepower" - but maybe not at that exact moment - maybe later"

Having watched Star Wars a few times myself, this particular scene wasn't known to me. I have no idea what she could be talking about. Changing the subject, she brought up the Battle of Hoth in Empire Strikes Back, with the "GIANT ROBOTS TRYING TO STEP ON PEOPLE". Then "if you like Star Wars, why don't you watch it more often?" Why indeed.

Finally a few details: Isaac is obsessed with Popsicles. It is the first thing he asks for in the morning, and he likes to march over to the fridge, throw open the door, stroke his chin, and say "hmmmmmm.... how about.... POPSICLES!!!" pointing triumphantly up at them. (We make fruit juice freezes, so it's not THAT bad).

Bella woke up today in a reflective mood and asked to look at her keepsake box. She flipped through early pictures, her school work, her art, and re-organized it all and put it away. She was in a very happy place reviewing her progress to this point.

And finally, since I've left the old job, I'm not on their Blackberry network, so there's really no purpose at all to me having a blackberry - they don't sync well with Macs, they aren't very cool. So I up and sold a bunch of old gear again (ipods and cellphones) and had enough to get the newest iPhone. And I'm in LOOOOVE. It's just great to have an iPhone again.

Hopefully South Jersey will have some good stories for me this week: I'm leaving Monday AFTERNOON for a long week, so send good energy to the homestead.