• Fast times at Walgreens

    We were making our second slow pass as a family through the drive-up window at our local pharmacy, and I couldn’t help but reflect on the circumstances that brought us to this place.

    If this were an interesting story, this is where some nifty hook would be. Alas, it is not an interesting story. All I’ve got for you is two adults and two children in line at a drive-up pharmacy window. Sometimes you have to count your blessings that that’s all life has got for you in its bag of tricks.

  • The End

    Historically speaking, being a Floridian in January means football season is over. College football has had their bowl games, and the Bucs… well, college football has had their bowl games.

    Ah, but I kid the Bucs. The Bucs of this season have much in common with the Bucs of last season… mostly because they didn’t play to their level of win-loss record. Last year’s Bucs weren’t as bad as 5-11, and this year’s version surely wasn’t as good as 11-5. Last year the ball bounced the wrong way and they lost a lot of close games. This year the ball bounced the right way and they won a LOT of close games (say, eleven of them).

    My top three Buc issues for the off-season:
    1. The salary cap – The Bruce Allen Bucs have a yearly date with their calculators, and this off-season will be no different. Given that most of their salary dollars are tied up on defense, the question is, who on the NFL’s top rated defense will be cut or renegotiated?
    2. The draft – What needs will be addressed? The secondary? WR?
    3. QB – Chris Simms becomes a restricted free agent. Griese has a bonus coming due. Simms + Griese + Rattay + that other guy whose name I can’t remember = four guys who’ve started games in the NFL, and I’m not sure Gruden trusts any of them.

    This started off as a top five, but I grow weary of this topic. Help me Tampa Bay Lightning, you’re my only hope.

  • Twentieth anniversary of January 10, 1986 (a date which has no particular significance)

    But speaking of twentieth anniversaries, I thought I’d let you all know that I’ve successfully installed and booted OS 9.0.4 on the Twentieth Anniversary Mac at my office. I made a brief search through my disgustingly well organized software archive at home, and came up with my old version of iTunes (version 2) that plays nicely with OS 9 (sans OS 8 hack). I was positively glowing with glee, until a fellow state employee stopped by on a walkabout. Without greeting, he walks up to my side, leans over, looks at the front of the TAM, walks around my desk, takes a close look at the back, closely inspects the FM antenna sprouting from it’s hind quarters, and says “interesting,” before walking out.

    You know how some folks say “interesting” with a tone and manner that suggests condescension? Has he no respect for his elders? Reduce, reuse and recycle man!