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February 11, 2000 |
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I did eventually send mail to Pam, although at the
time my mind was starting to get a little fuzzy. I think it was about
5:30am when I finally sent her the mail. We have dinner plans for the
following Friday. There's this very good local Indian place. Exceptional
chicken curry… and phenomenal coconut ice cream pie. Of course, the
task of driving over Lake Washington on a Friday afternoon/night is
absolutely nightmarish.
Another friend of mine, George, is quitting the company today. Although I admittedly didn't really know him all that well, I have a lot of respect for his work. Well, technically I did know him well enough to bake him one of my Almost World Famous Cheesecakes for his birthday a few years ago. He had been with the company longer than I have and finally decided he has had enough. Many of my friends have decided to call it quits lately. Maybe it is just time for so many of them. I know there will be more before my time is finally up, when will I finally decide to hang up my coat.
George and I were in the same group when I first started, almost nine years ago. I didn't know him all that well back then. I got to know him better when we worked more closely on a project about six or seven years ago. [Goodness, the years are running together!] We don't work together in the same group anymore and haven't for a few years. I'll always remember those years we worked together fondly.
There was a goodbye party for him in the afternoon. As goodbye cards, we all signed rubber chickens. [I'm cannot make this up!]. He always kept a rubber chicken in his office, it became his trademark. However, I don't know how many of you have tried to sign rubber chickens with a marker, but let's just say that it is not the easiest of tasks.
The day at work was absolutely nightmarish. Luckily it was starting to wind down. [Gasping for air…]
I got a call from Len. He was thinking about going to CostCo and asked if I wanted to come along. I was running low on video tapes… and soft drinks… and a number of other things. More importantly, I had no plans on a Friday. I know… a stud like me? [Ha!] Sorry could not hold that one in.
Len swings by and picks me up in about twenty minutes. He almost always drives. I seem to make a number of people motion sick when I drive. I'm not sure precisely what it is. Some have even claimed that they fear for their lives, although I think those are gross exagerations. I'll have to say that their flinching does seem quite convincing.
We did eventually made it to CostCo. Naturally, we looked at the computer software. Nothing of particular interest. Both Len and I looked at the DVD players that they had. I've toyed with the idea of getting one. He mentioned one he read about and suggested I look into it before deciding to purchase one.
Note: I do resent the fact that they have now started to release titles on DVD much earlier than VHS. Weasels! It's similar to the CD revolution. There are many new releases that cannot be found on cassettes. They're forcing us to buy the version that they want us to buy. Admittedly, I happen to like this format better. It is more compact… it is not quite as volatile… much easier to store. I just don't like the marketing ploy.I didn't buy a DVD player tonight. I also took a look at the paper shredders. They only had one and it was more than I cared to pay. So I didn't get it.
What else? What didn't they have? They didn't have any Koala fruit sparklers, which is probably my favorite carbonated drink. I'm getting withdrawal symptoms as I'm typing. They didn't have Crispy M&M's either. I actually don't eat them all that frequently. Really I have M&M dispensers in my office, and many people stop by and get candy.
Naturally, there were some things I forgot. I forgot to get more socks. I'm running low; I'm on a very strict diet.
We finished the night by getting a quick dinner at McDonald's. The McNuggets were pretty good.
February 11, 2000