I had this big post about my last day at Microsoft and my starting up at Adobe, but for some reason Wordpress ate it.  And now I am not motivated to rewrite it.  Perhaps in a few days I can muster up the energy.

It’s amazing what you can’t find the time for.

Part of me likes being sick during vacation because I don’t have to burn sick days and be out of the office getting behind.

OTOH, part of me doesn’t like being sick during vacation because it makes vacation less fun.

So, I’ve got some kind of bug now and Christmas is quickly approaching and there are things to do, but all I want to do is to lay about and pretty much do nothing.

I just can’t seem to make time for it.  Lame.  Oh, Scoble, I have let you down! 

Hey!  We’re okay after the big blow of ‘06.  We lost power just before 11pm on Thursday evening.  We regained power right around 2:30pm on Friday.  After thinking about it, the power decided it had prematurely reinstated itself and promptly went away again at 9:30pm that same day.

The next morning, we were still without power.  Therefore, it was the perfect time to get a Christmas tree, which we did after managing a short gas line.  On our way back from successfully killiing another tree, we pondered whether or not we were going to be able to man-up for another brisk night.  Y’know, cuz we have small children and all.  So, on the way back I got on the horn with Starwood Hotels reservations (Starwood being our hotel chain of choice).  There was ONE open room across ALL of the Starwood properties between Everett and Tacoma.

Being mindfull of the rising Christmas bills, I chickened out and didn’t pull the trigger.  Happily, when we got home, the ol’ Alternating Current was rockin’ the Hong household and we were set to fire up all of our electronic gear.  I tell ya, without the soft hum of at least a dozen electrical machines running in the background, it’s downright spooky in the house!

Now, we’re cuddled up in the warm glow of plasma radiation and microwave technology.  Just as Norman Rockwell would paint were he still be alive (ummmm, if he’s still alive, my apologies).

I don’t know how many of you read “The Closing of the American Mind” by Allan Bloom.  I did, just before I entered college mostly because Prof. Bloom taught at the university I was shortly to attend. 

But that book isn’t what this post is about (though I highly recommend it for those interested in powering through).  Instead, I look around and, by God, I think most people are just getting dumber every day.  Just look at what’s going on:

• Art is Offensive?  Apparently, when you’re talking about Texans.
• Until recently, pop (milk, too!) can assplode planes (too many links to link to), or so believes the TSA.  AND WE ALL GO ALONG WITH IT LIKE SHEEP.
• ADL must explain Borat (when you have to explain the joke…).
• People believe flight attendants wield Star Trek-like hand-held scanning equipment.

And to show that I’m an equal opportunity critic of dumbass-ness:

• Dems might actually run Hillary Clinton in ‘08.

The ‘08 Presidential Election should be shaping up as one of the most straightforward opportunities for the Democratic Party to win back the White House.  That is, if they don’t field a nominee that turns off half the country.  I’m a Dem and even I would have to think long and hard if it were to come down to a Clinton/Giuliani election.

I got my Father’s Day gift a couple days early.  It’s 8 of these.  Really nice for doppios, though they’re not quite big enough for a little half-n-half.

I think at some point I want to swap out ALL of our glassware for these.

If I should ever win the war against the sending of useless cards to one another in the mail, I will then set my sights against the sending of dead vegetation to each other in a gesture of… what?  Better to be you than the dead flowers I just sent you?

It seems to be far more pragmatic to send plants to someone.  You could easily send a flowering plant that would serve to add color and beauty to one’s surroundings while also sending whatever message you were intending.  Why isn’t this done more?  Because you don’t get a huge bouquet of live plant?  I try to send plants whenever I can, though I must admit that I do still send flowers to my wife when the need strikes or just on a whim.

Folks, send plants.  They live longer and are more rewarding.  Plus, you’re not throwing out some nasty bunch of dead vegetation with mold growing on the stems 3-5 days after receiving dead flowers.

This past weekend was “Reunion Weekend” for my college alma mater (The University of Chicago).  It’s been too hectic lately, so I elected not to go even though this was my 15 year reunion.

I think maybe I’m also a little freaked out that it’s already been 15 years since I graduated from college.  It’s gone by seemingly so fast, and I think about what it means for another 15 years to go by as fast – or faster – than this past 15 years has gone.  In another 15 years, my son will likely be finishing his first year of college.  I shudder to even think about it.  It’s been so fast since the days I was always carrying him around to think about him being in college.

In 15 years my little girl will be nearing the end of high school.  I don’t even want to think of the implications of that.  Where will they go to college?  What will they study?  What will they have learned from us?  Ack!

Of course, since this year is my 15 year college reunion, that means next year is my 20th high school reunion.  I shudder to think about it.  I went to my 10 year.  I don’t know if I’ll make it back for the 20th.  We’ll see….

1. There are apparently resorts in Europe that utilize “natural” sources of radioactivity for people to lounge around in.  This radiation is said to have theraputic or restorative powers.  I imagine it works about as well as you believe it does.
2. Not everyone gets thick skinned, jaded, and cynical about things that are not fully baked or under-delivered.  These eternal optimists sometimes make things work from sheer determinstic will to believe in the dream.  People like this are rare.
3. Cancer can be contagious if you’re immunodeficient.
4. There is only 1 Canadian province that does not require you to ship both English and French text with your product:  Quebec.  They only require you to ship French.
5. It only takes 1 person to introduce an organization’s worth of randomness.