Yes, it appears that I’ve given up on trying to match my posts to cheesy songs. I’ll maybe pick it up again somewhere down the road. Or maybe I won’t.
I’m grumpy today. I have been all day. Hardware cock-ups, software cock-ups, failures both on my own part and on the part of other team members. Even my personal project that I want to work on so badly is having a really hard time getting off the ground. Not to mention, my God but I have a lot of things to do.
So I bet you’re going to guess that this is going to be a bitchy post about how hard my life is. However, it isn’t. In an effort to pull my morose ass out of the grumps, I’m going to blog about the top ten things for which I am grateful.
10. Madmen
I used to spend a lot of time watching television. We’re talking probably six hours a day. This is when I had long stretches of time where I didn’t feel I had anything better to do. (read: university — just kidding. University was for video games). Now, I’m way pickier when it comes to the TV that I watch. We’re, I think, 9 episodes into Madmen, and I was taken from the first episode. So many subtleties that pay off in fairly short order. Looks like there are going to be some that have long-term consequences, too.
9. Work at Home
I’m only three days in, but I’m really liking working from home so far. I don’t feel closed in, I don’t feel removed, and I’m still productive, despite some hitches that have required extensive communication with other team members.
8. Private project
I’m going to keep this one under my hat, but it’s cool, it’s fun to think about, and it might just have legs.
7. A/C
Hot evening. I’m writing this with the A/C unit going beside me. Love the A/C.
6. NHL Hockey
This is in reference to the video game, not the actual sport. It’s a good way to unwind after the kids have gone to sleep. A way to reset my mind and get past the frustrations, the emotional fatigue, and get started on an evening as Liam, rather than Dad, Papa, or … well, Liam as a father.
5. Summer Blog Challenge
Despite sometimes (like tonight) feeling like the last thing I want to do (or have time for) is to sit at a text editor and hammer away content for your ungrateful asses (I really do appreciate you. I just have bad moods sometimes.), I appreciate how this challenge makes me write. I am productive, I have easily published output, proof of my productivity, and it’s happening every single day.
4. Kobo
It’s a week in, and I love the Kobo. It turns pages quickly, it reads the format I’m most comfortable with (ePub), and the screen is a marvelous unglossy finish. Now I just need more time to read.
3. The cat
When I’m working, the cat will quite often jump up onto the satellite chair behind me, curl up and go to sleep. Just as often, he’ll jump up onto the shelf above my monitors and stare at me, unmoving. I have kids, so it’s easy to ignore the cat. Had to stop in the middle of this paragraph to pull the cat off of the hermit crabs’ aquarium.
2. The dog
I love my dog. He is such an old man, from his crotchety fist-shaking (barking at the window) to his unfocused stagger to bed (the kennel), to the way he just hates young whippersnappers (puppies). He is a gentle puppy and more than I could have hoped for in a pet. If he would just stop eating all the cat’s food, I’m sure the cat would stay off the hermit crabs’ aquarium.
1. My family
My reason for what I do. Nick’s shining intelligence, Lily’s oddball sense of humour, Olivia’s squeaky curiosity, Kim’s guiding wisdom. So much of what I am I owe to them. They shaped me and showed me what they need, what I can be to provide for them.
I have grumpy days. I have yell-y days where I think my head is going to explode because they just don’t listen, but I also have, in those frustrating days, the most fantastic fun, the purest joy, and no matter how I feel, I know I am needed, appreciated, and loved.