Independent Bookstores are the Bomb!

I just received the latest newsletter from my local independent bookstore. This is one of my favorite institutions in the world for the following reasons:
1. Their newsletters are actually interesting to read and don't come across as a strong sales pitch.
2. They offer book readings by people I may not agree with but who always have something interesting to say.
2. They offer book recommendations based on criteria other than the NYT best-seller list.
3. They're publicizing a local book drive whose profits will go toward inner city education, and I have three stacks of unwanted books looking for a good cause.

This issue reviews A Room With a View, which is going on my must-see list. It's a constellation of efforts by fellow traveler and author E.M. Forster, Merchant and Ivory (so it will be beautifully shot), Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (who has written many enchanting short stories in addition to this screenplay), and an all-star cast including Judi Dench, Daniel Day Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, and more.

Buy local!

Boston

I was in Waltham, MA for a class on Monday and Tuesday and decided to take the opportunity to see Boston. I flew in early Sunday morning and spent the day wandering Boston Commons, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and doing part of the "Freedom Trail," camera in hand. The highlights were the photos that came out well, the guy playing percussion outside Fanueil Hall with buckets, a grill top, and other non-traditional "drums," and having a beer in a neighborhood pub that had been recommended to me.

As some people may have already realized, this means I was in Boston for the Superbowl. I watched the first part of it in a restaurant over dinner, but the game was still going pretty well at that point. I saw the latter half of the game, including its shocking end, from my hotel room. I have to say, I'm glad I was not out with a lot of Patriot fans for the end!

Boston gets a thumbs-up from me. I'd like to go back sometime when the weather's warmer.

Sick

I've felt the looming presence of a cold for weeks now - when I visited the niece and nephew over Christmas, when the niece was feverish at the end of January, when my boss came to work ill last week... Being sleep-deprived since mid-December while working on multiple releases increased my susceptibility, I figured. But I didn't have time to be sick! I had a release and another release!

Well, the last big, public release was Thursday. I started feeling ill Thursday night. How's that for timing?

I've had a very slow weekend - nap, read, nap, watch TV, take a hot bath, nap. I ventured outside today to buy soup and cough drops, but I was extremely happy to crawl back into bed when I got home.

I did manage to finish Tender is the Night (Fitzgerald) this weekend, but my reading's been frequently interrupted. I recently enjoyed Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys). Although it is the story of Rochester's wife in the attic from Jane Eyre, it stands on its own.

Release

The product manager finally called me back (he'd missed his planned flight), and the product was officially released on time!

Things are still busy at work because I have several smaller releases (plug-ins and such) for the next three weeks, but it's a long weekend, and I've finally gotten back to some fun. Interspersed with the Christmas reading, I've knocked a few more off The List: Catch-22 (deliberately absurd) and two books that have whet my appetite for traveling again - A Room With a View and A Passage to India. I also picked up Ulysses from the library, hoping that I like James Joyce more now than I did in high school. We'll see.

Back by Popular Demand

That phrase might be a little strong. Actually, I got one comment asking where the new posts are. Well, I've been trying to get a release out the door and haven't had much time for writing. As of my morning drive to work, I had logged 48.50 hours on my timesheet for this week.

Today is the release day. I now have official sign-off from all necessary parties except the Product Manager. I am 99% sure he thinks it's a go, but I want to hear him say it before I pull the trigger. He had a flight today that landed at 4:30 PM (2.5 hours ago), but I still can't reach him. I have someone waiting to release the build and another person waiting to release the documentation, and I'm waiting for his call. And waiting. And waiting.

While I'm waiting, I have time for a post. I made two new Year's Resolutions this year:

1. Exercise more. No need to explain this one, right? I made a good start, going to the gym on January 2 and 3, but since then have been too busy or too sleep-deprived. However, considering my back pain has kept me from exercising since September (except for back exercises from my therapist), maybe I can still say I'm exercising "more" than before.
2. Develop a rotation of twenty "healthy" recipes. I love to cook, but my general attitude has always been "anything with butter is better." I'm now trying to augment my repertoire with stuff that's tasty but also low cal/low fat. I'm doing better at this one; during the release push I've cooked a few new recipes each weekend so I have leftovers for lunch/dinner during the week. Some of them have been quite good.

I'll also get back to the "top 100" novels once the product is released and I finish all the fun books I got for Christmas. Mmm, new books. :)

Day one of 2008! Happy New Year!

I slept late today, the result of accumulated sleep deprivation over the past two weeks and the Diet Pepsi I drank at last night's party instead of the proffered tequila shots.

Although I have not officially made any New Year's resolutions, I did walk for an hour on the W&OD today. How dreadfully cliche New Year's resolutions are! Why should you wait for January 1 to make a change in your life? But here I am, jumping on the bandwagon, at least to the extent that I'm making an exercise plan for the month of January.

We'll see what happens...

It's a little blurry due to no flash and not much light in the room (oh, and my unsteady hands), but I still like it.
I'm enjoying the new toy!