Quiet on the journal != quiet in life.

Busy, busy, busy. Coping at the moment with a chnge in travel plans this week. I was scheduled to go to Pittsburgh this week, but at the last minute had to go to Tarrytown New York for two days. Good meetings there, but completely threw off the schedule I have been working at in order to be able to begin managing my new teams properly. Oh, well. Just time to roll with it.

A good weekend at home last weekend, though it was wet (as I might have noted earlier). Felt a little off yesterday, to the point where many of my automatic habits took over. One was a bit amusing. I was driving into work, and pulled into the gas station, ostensibly to get my morning beverage and snack bar, but completely lapsed and pulled in to get gas. I actually got to the point where I was putting the nozzle into the gas tank before I remembered I had filled the tank the night before when I got home. The rest of Thursday was a lot like that, but for some reason, I cleared out mentally in the afternoon and managed to get a lot done by the time I left at 7:00 PM (an 11 hour day for those keeping score).

Today, I had to get in for 8:00 AM for a 2 hour teleconference, and managed much better than yesterday. Nowhere near the same degree of disconnection from reality that I had yesterday. A number of small administrative things that needed doing now completed. A 1-1 with my manager was postponed until after 4, so my day is getting later and later.

I am looking forward to the YGP tomorrow.

Spent the weekend sucking water out of the mechanical room in the house. We only ended up with a few inches, I had a neighbor with four feet.

Up a little earlier to pack for Tarrytown tomorrow.

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward.
-Spanish proverb

More grindey grind at work, participating in meetings for my old team. So, not fully separated yet.

Restless night, as I had a couple pretty distubing dreams, one involving the impact of a figure skate to the head. The person attending the injured party didn't actually apply any pressure to the wound, just ran around with a towel cleaning things up. I ended up helping the hurt person, who was a friend of mine from Pittsburgh.

More meetings today, also working to complete some documentation. As I complete one document, it generates two or three others.

A decent weekend just passed.

Saturday was spent largely with the YGP - regular meeting, followed by pizza with the team, followed by an HVFG performance attended by only us and the headliner, intimate & fun - though I do think we missed an opportunity in not encircling our 'audience'.

YGP meeting was solid, some music in the circulations, and some unsettled energy in the middle of the meeting (following a discussion of the web site). I can see why there are a lot of trios in Guitar Craft. Bubbles of the middle are appearing I think, and there some things that need to be worked out. Personally, not a real sense that the YGP was present at the meeting this week, but I could be wrong. Still, some good work done on Blackjack, and the chosen performance pieces, Immanent Grace and Reunion. Discussion also of the upcoming performances for the TV show and in NYC.

Performance was good, if a bit wobbly in spots. Witness or Kingpin? was added, which threw me a bit, as I haven't practiced it all that much. For us to get better at performing, we have to perform more, that's just the way it is. Also more practice as a group standing and not in a circle.

Sunday was a day off (I took care of a number of things Saturday morning before going to Yorktown). Played on the PC a bit, read, listened to XM with Lisa. Did go to bed frustrated with some things last night, and it carried over into this morning.

Today has been a quiet day with a lot of heads down work on some procedures to be implemented in case of disaster in our data centers. Mostly writing, interrupted by a colleague in to try out the Baby Taylor (or the Baby Squerd Guitar, as he calls it). Little bits of discussion about the tuning and how it messes with him. He's a speedy little picker, with an odd angle of attack that sounds horrible on an acoustic. Turned up to 11, I'm sure he doesn't notice it, but it was really there with this guitar. The BT is a pretty impressive little beast. I can remember actually seeing it used live, in Tony Levin's band.

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Interesting reading others recollection of the YGP meeting, and what I specifically didn't put in the section above. Yes, there is a tremendous amount of good will, which allows music to enter.

Didn't believe the scale this morning. I actually had to get off it, move it a couple times and try again. Nope, it's not lying.

A training session this morning which only sets me off with new questions, only peripherally related to the training. I feel pretty strongly about this, but of course, in seeing the need, I am obligated to do something about it. Along with a few million other things.

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Looking at the upcoming weeks the schedule is getting more compressed. Some conflict in the internal meetings, but I hope that will just fall out on its own. Other things coming up, and it's going to be busy. Last two weeks of October will be travel on business, the first week of November is an NST weekend. Of course Thanksgiving falls in there, and Lisa and I will be doing a local turkey day for her family. Will see if mine will be around. This would be a big party. Need to get the dining room done soon.

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Hurray for my wife! She passed the last thing she needed to do for her Master Gardener's certificate!

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For future reference, if I am in the bathroom stall letting nature take its course, please don't talk to me - or if you do, don't expect an answer. I'm busy.

Couldn't sleep after Lisa got up with the 5:15, so I lounged with the dog until about 6. Showered and out by 7 (remembered my breakfast and lunch today, but not the Baby Taylor). An open morning for me, so I tear into many of the managerial details I have piled up. Also managed to get an appoiontment scheduled for a haircut. I'm beginning to look like a hippie. That's not bad from my view, but not so good in the world of the corporate drones. At one time, I was at a level where that didn't matter, in fact I had hair down to the middle of my back, came into work at the crack of noon, etc. Now, not so much.

Up at 7:10, usual stuff done and out the door. Into work by 9, in time for a 2 � hour phone conference. This is likely how my day will go, but I will attempt to stay within my body for the duration. A sign of how the day is going:

- I didn't bring my lunch as I had planned (rushed out of the house)
- I didn't bring the Baby Taylor to show one of my colleagues, as he is looking for a more portable guitar.

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Home after work a bit late. Lisa had already made dinner (Ramen and chicken). She wasn't pleased with the results, but her hungry and tired husband was. Mindless stuff, and then to bed late (watched the Daily Show for the first time in a while).

Up at 6:51 and out by 7:45 after shower, sitting, dog walking, etc. Many meetings again today, but I am getting more things off the whiteboard, about a third of the list now cleared. Kept lunch to under $5 today as part of our spending governance. Next week, I intend to bring lunch from home or have stuff in the work fridge, but for now $5 is a good limit to shoot for.

Some contact with the body today, noticed a general feeling of well-being when I thought of making dinner last night with my wife.

Got another 6 things off the board today (out of 25, spread across 3 teams, plus my own personal stuff). Delegation is fun.

Now to head home and make dinner.

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While Lisa makes dinner (pierogi & kielbasa), I put away dishes and load stuff out of the sink, fold laundry and put in another load. After dinner, she goes to play a new game, and I clean up. We sit and play together for a while, and then I head up to bed.

Rough weekend. Went with Lisa to pick up her Paeony on Saturday, had lunch in Litchfield, came home and crashed. Not sure what the deal is.

Sunday was spent cleaning one half of the garage, so that we might have free movement this winter when doing garbage, getting out the snowblower, etc. Felt like a completely different space when we were done. Talk over dinner about what we need to do in the next few months. Our discipline (or lack thereof) with money is going to cause us issues this winter, especially with heating looking to be as expensive as all getout. We agreed to seriously change our evening food habits as a first step - only one dinner out a week, and to look at lower cost options for dinner. Of course the low-cost dinner options are the highest in carbs and probably the least healthful. We shall see how health and discipline hold out over the next month.

Up later today (tough going again this morning, soreness in my neck and back, only some of which I can attribute to cleaning the garage). Reviewing the tasks ahead, and removing some from the old lists. Need to do expenses today as well as clean up the space in the office. Too many papers lying about.