Disappointed

Sometimes, things work out really well.

Sometimes, they suck red rubber moose.

This is one of those times.

Wait. I'm not talking about my entire life. Just one day of it.

As my regularish readers know, I play a game called fantasy baseball. Mostly, this is a solitary, semisocial activity whose contact with the other members of the league is by e-mail (or phone) (this league not being one that I joined consisting of my friends, and whose members are okay but not the types I hang with). However, one day per year is reserved for our player dispersal auction, where we basically build the teams we go into the year with. This year, that date is April 2, a date we agreed on in November.

Late in December, maya_a's company announced that it was sending all of its employees and their families to see Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey's Circus. When they announced the date, I didn't check the calendar; I thought it was a week off of the auction, in one direction or the other.

Having had occasion to see both dates together yesterday, I am irked. You see, the circus date is also April 2. And no, there's no way I can do both -- the auction runs 8 AM - 5 PM or so, in central New Jersey, and the circus is a matinee in New York City.

I'm disappointed, and sad, and a bit angry. I can't miss the auction; not only would it murder my team (and ruin the game) for me, but it would throw competitive imbalance in for the remainder of the teams. And I really wanted to go to the circus (the first for both kids; we wanted to start with a one-ring job, like the Big Apple Circus, but free is free :-)

*sigh* Got to play the hand you're dealt, I suppose. At least I only have to take ONE day off from work, now :-)

Offline a While

Sometime today or tomorrow, I (and maya_a) will be offline for a while as I perform a hard drive transplant from our current system to a slightly faster one that seems not to be as vulnerable to total system lockups as this one.

Currently making lists and checking them twice of hardware that needs to go to the new system (RAM, HD, fast CD burner, plus one of the auxiliary 10GB drives not yet installed), and what needs backup onto physical CDs prior to opening the case. Likely have to buy CDs before beginning, as the few remaining probably won't be adequate.

Then cleanup of the work area (computer desk plus auxiliary area for second box) and open-case surgery.

Updates and timing alerts to follow, as information becomes available. (Timing may be affected by health issues; I've had a throat in varying degrees of sore and head clogging and dripping on and off since Friday.)

As usual, filk at 11 :-)

What a Yutz [Politics]

The Prez, that is. Pushing his faith-based initiative again.

I'll tell you what, George. We who believe in separation of church and state will drop our objections to giving money to faith-based organizations when churches -- ALL churches -- pay their share of taxes.

Retroactively.

On ALL of their property.

Money doesn't flow just one way, especially when your government's running its largest deficit ever. (Reminder: We USED to have a balanced budget, and a surplus. Remind me again who managed that?)

Okay. End rant. My blood pressure can't take much more of this.