Whew...

Well what a day. I told Wally earlier this evening that I needed a vacation from retirement! I've read & sent more e-mail, IM'ed more people, talked more on the phone, took more pictures, and blogged more than I ever have. I swear my computer has fused into with my lap (guess that's why it's called a laptop huh?) and I'm starting to fear that my mother might prove to be correct when she said (and remember this you moms out there) "If you don't get up out of that chair it'll grow to your A$$." That statement I believe does not apply to recliners, so I'm hoping to escape that faith on a technicality. The fear of a chair growing out my A$$ has always motivated me far more than cleaning out my ears so corn wouldn't grow out of them.

I case you are wondering with all this electronic communications if I actually spoke to anyone face to face today. I did speak with 4 people face-to-face. The UPS guy was the first. Do you know that UPS will actually ring the bell when they come? I've never been home in the day to find that out. They just leave the package and/or the yellow sticky to sign. Today I was treated to an exchange of hellos, then hearing “sign here”, then me saying “thanks”, and a back of a head mumbling something in reply as it headed down the porch steps. Ahh the joy of face-to-face communications. I also will point out I signed using a stylus not a pen. I signed on a line drawn on the screen of some type of big Palm Pilot with an antenna.

The other three people were a nanny and two kids in her care walking in the park where I run. One of the kids (the older one 12? 13?) was complaining about the cold even though she was bundled head to toe. The nanny was British and of course was in typical British style "It's a lovely winters day... step lively, step lively now to stay warm...Look at this gent coming he's in his kit and he's not cold" - it was about 35 and sunny and when the wind blew you understood why they call it "wind chill." I shook the leg of my running shorts and said howdy as I went jogging by. I meet them later on a bridge and stopped for a minute and chatted, the oldest still protesting that it was cold and asking why wasn't I freezing. I started to say what my mother used to tell me when I complained about cold..... "This is not cold. Why when I was growing up I walked 5 miles up hill both ways in 3 foot of snow just to go to school." or something along the lines. Instead I just said truthfully - as long as I kept my pace I stayed plenty warm. I went on to explain I rather jog in 35 degree weather than 90 degree. The nanny agreed hearty, and marched on. The oldest as she past stared at me in total disbelief. A look I often get from anyone under 20. I just smiled back and after a few strides let the smile turn into a grin. I knew the nanny had won since that bridge was about as far from the entrance as possible, and the nanny was taking the long way back. Age and experience beat youth this time - but time is on their side.

Well needless to say I didn't make much progress in the Home Office relocation. I did clear the destination, but after taking one look at unwiring job at hand I and a well timed jingle from a incoming IM from the laptop in the den carried me back into my recliner with the glow of the plasma over the fire place keeping me warm.
I started reading "Hearts in Atlantis" by Stephen King last night. 14 pages in I was out like a light, but not the bedroom light. Note to self: Get a sleep timer for the bedroom light. I'll see if I can make the end of chapter 1 tonight before I go lights out. I think JB left that book here. He read it about a day. Now where is that list of books JB left for me to read? That list of books will last me at least 10 years at 14 pages a day. That's OK, with practice I should get up to 50 pages a day and that will get me through the list, and I'll still be younger than most people when they retire.