Saturday, December 13, 2008

Not much to report. Wrapped up another week at work. I am still really digging my job.

I don't want to sound like a whiner, and I feel like I learned valuable stuff at my last few jobs, but its nice to head into work without wondering what is going to explode in your face today... The current job isn't predictable or anything, but it's just less likely I will be putting out fires on any given day. For example, my duties are just different enough that there's a far smaller chance of something going horribly awry and there goes the weekend... (let me tell you about running a support team some day...)

People I don't know

Last night was very low key. Jamie and I stopped by "Cherry Creek Catfish" (whose motto is, literally, "Keep South Austin Fried") and I began chatting with an older couple while we waited for a table. I guess we all have our starting point with how we approach people. For example, I might not be sure if some people speak English and ask a few probing questions before assessing the depth of their language skills so I know how to proceed.

So I felt kind of stupid last night when I began chatting up this nice, older lady and her husband and couched what I do for a living in the same terms I save for, say, Jeff the Cat and found out the guy was a programmer for Austin Energy for years and built several databases that they still use today and this lady held two masters degrees and was some sort of city planner they city needed so much they called her back out of retirement. And, suddenly, you realize... this isn't nice old Grammy and Grampy, these people are just as with it as you, and certainly smarter than you...

Anyway, once past the initial embarrassment, then you want to start asking all sorts of questions, like "how the @#$% were you building relational databases in the 1960's and 70's...?" and, honestly, this lady's job with the city sounded pretty cool (she worked with an arm that provided "how to" services for people looking to start businesses in town). But, you know, we got whisked off to our own table, and I think it might have been awkward to ask perfect strangers to eat dinner with me so I could barrage them with questions.

But I think that's part of why I like reality shows about people at work (Dirty Jobs, those crab fishing shows...). I get all the details without having to ask. Finding out what people do for a living is always interesting, and when the people themselves are interesting (for example, the lady had moved here from Austria... who moves here from Austria...?), then you've got a whole story to dig through.

Bells of St. Mary's

Went home and watched "Bells of St. Mary's", which is a surprisingly engaging movie for a movie which is devoid of conflict. But it also has Ingrid Bergman and Bing Crosby in one movie, and that's tough to beat. I am unsure of why "Bells of St. Mary's" is shown at Christmas. Only one or two scenes take place during the Holidays. The rest is spread over a school year.

I need to compile a list of great platonic couples in movies and TV. Surely Father O'Malley and Sister Mary Benedict would be at the top of the list.

Anyhow, its a great movie, and I always get a little misty during the final scene.

Unrelated, here's the Phil Spector produced "Bells of St. Mary's" by Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans.



My eyes do not work

Got up today and went to the eye doctor. My eyes are the same as last year (ie: lousy). I am going ahead and spending money on new glasses as well as contacts although my prescription hasn't changed a lot and my insurance doesn't cover them. I just hate my current glasses as my right lens pops out regularly, and they always feel like they're slipping off my face. I'm going back to plastic frames, so I look forward to my family's ceaseless commentary upon my selection of frames once again.

Gotta go clean the house.

Ya'll have a good weekend.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lasik?

The League said...

I'll consider it one day. My eyes tend to change every year just a bit. Mostly, though, I unfortunately spent an evening once chatting with a personal injury attorney who told me about all the lawsuits he'd filed for people who'd had botched Lasik. And a lot of those clients had suffered some nasty stuff in the aftermath.

As bad as my eyes are, they work with lenses, so I've been in no rush to resort to lasers cutting up my eyes. Also, I don't even know if I'm a candidate with my asitgmatism.