Fate should not tempt me

Around this time last year I was in the process of interviewing for my current job. My whole approach to this opportunity was different from my previous life. I referred to it as #playingtowin.

So for my Friday earworm this pandemic week, let’s have Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “I Take My Chances”. It encapsulates my attitude shift, and it’s one of my anthems.

Civic duty

You know, it seems odd that Uber, of all companies, sent out an email to remind its users to complete the U.S. Census, but they did:

So I finally filled out the form. Way less invasive than questions from the 2010 Census. But no citizenship nonsense.

Look—if you haven’t filled out the form, you’re worse than me. And you should do it, because it’ll piss off Cadet Bonespurs, bigly. For that reason alone, you should be counted. But it also matters to Congressional representation and other apportionments. 

If it scares the Kleptocrat and his minions, you really should do it.

Estimate this

At work we are looking at the promised launch date for the Next Big Thing in our rearview mirror, and the director of engineering (to whom I refer as Foghorn, as in Foghorn Leghorn) is still telling us that a major component for v1 is “coming”.

He’s been telling us that for going on three months, now. First it was actual dates, all of which whizzed past us like, I dunno, very fast whizzy things. Then it was “in two weeks”. Then “over the weekend”. Then, basically, mañana.

Frankly, it makes me think of an abusive relationship—you listen to lie after lie, or take hit after hit, and still think, “This time he’s telling the truth,” or “He says he’ll change; this is the last one.”

If you've had no experience with that, just think of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown.

So I considered posting this on the internal bulletin board, but decided instead to put it here.

Looking through rosé-colored glasses

I finally opened one of the wines I bought last year from the collective or Oregon wineries who bought California grapes that snooty California vintners wouldn’t buy after 2018’s devastating wildfires.

It’s fab; thanks for asking.

Gratitude Monday: not even Solomon

Back when Sidney Poitier won his Oscar for The Lilies of the Field, I had no idea what lilies were. I mean, I’d seen Easter lilies, and calla lilies; neither of those impressed me much, so I had no notion of how Solomon in all his glory would fall short of theirs.

Also—there were no lilies in the film, which was besides in black and white, so I was just lost.

However, about 25 years ago when I took a flower arranging course, I fell in love with their beauty and their scent. I planted stargazers and tigers and days in my garden so I could have them every year.

Well, I’ve not got around to planting much in my garden—still have a lot of soil amendment to do, but people around the People’s Republic do, and I have purely loved seeing them during my walks. I’ll share some pix with you for Gratitude Monday, because we should all enjoy their glory.