That is awesome. :)

Well... technically by the end of June, but I have passed the background check and there is nothing standing in the way any more. Now to tell my current employer. :)

Thanks to all who offered advice on the negotiation front. It really helped me firm up my position, and if nothing else validated what I was already thinking. They came up in their offer, not exactly what I wanted but very close to it.

Have a great weekend all.

After spending almost an hour in it scooping out the nasty oily water (not that I got it all), taking out the oil covered plants (which I guess I have to throw away since they are covered in oil), and the buckets filled with oil covered bricks and stones (to act as pant pot holders), I finally got around to trying to clean the oil off of the liner.
The problem is the oil is in every crack and crevis that I can see, and I really can't get to them all to scrub it out (not that I knew what I was doing in the first place).

So... after falling three times (and almost breaking my leg to which I luckily only got some scrapes) I am calling it quits. The pond liner is either going to get completely replaced (by a professional) or I am filling the whole damn thing in with dirt and calling it done. Even if I do get the liner replaced, I am still going to have to scrub the oil off the stones around the pond...

I am really fed up with life throwing me a curve ball every few months. Enough is freaking enough...

So I get a call from H this afternoon that apparently sometime in the last 24 hours, someone snuck into our back yard and threw a couple of punctured motor oil containers into our back yard pond. Oil as apparently floating in the pond even though she tried to get most of the containers and oil out.
This is on top of finding a gutted racoon in our back yard on Saturday that the maggots were having a field day with (as well as a dead bird in the pond which I didn't think anything of as that just happens). The racoon wasn't there a week ago when I was putting away the lawn equipment.
W T F?

So much crap has happened like that recently that I really have to think someone is doing all of this intentionally. If they are and that person is reading this, you might want actually let me know you have a beef with me. Otherwise you aren't really getting your message accross.

I asked H to call the cops and report this obviously deliberate incident. I doubt anything will come of it, but at least we informed someone.

For those of you who don't know, Heather was admitted to Holy Cross in Silver Spring MD late Saturday night by ambulance because her back, out of no where, caused her massive amounts of pain to the point where she couldn't even walk.
An MRI showed that one of her discs was "buldging" very badly. The analogy they used was the doughnut that is the spinal disk was leaking its jelly, and this jelly was pressing her nerves against her bone pretty badly. This may or may not have been the long source of chornic back problems stemming from August.
The doctor and Heather dediced this morning to operate on her, and I am happy to announce that she is doing great. She is even able to walk around (I was floored to see her get up after just having had invasive back surgery...) somewhat.

In either case if you would like to contact her, the number to her room is 301-754-8537. She is in room A5205 if you want to go see her. She said starting tomorrow she is up for visitors and phone calls. I will be there off and on throughout the day, so you might see me as well.

For those of you who already know about this - pardon the duplication of information. This is the first "public" post she asked me to make. For those who didn't know, please don't feel offended for not being in the know, but up until after her surgery today we didn't know what was going to happen or what the deal was so we wanted to keep it somewhat low key

Again she is doing incredibly well, in my humble opinion, and would appreciate hearing from friends. She truly is amazing.

Dan.

Heather and I will not be able to make deadmoonrising dance recital today at 2:30pm at The Waddel Theater in Sterling VA.

The reason is personal at this time, but if you would like the tickets, I am sticking them in an envelope in my mailbox at 13202 holdridge rd silver spring md 20906. If you come by to get them, please don't knock or ring the door bell as I will most likely be passed out.

I hope someone takes them. H and I really dissapointed we won't be able to go.

And it is what you think!

I am a big fan of alternative and innovative music forms. This is a truly awesome example IMHO:


And while slightly less innovative, but still pretty damn cool:


What a treat for such a nice day outside. Think I will go walkabout now for my "lunch".

Finally finishing that quest chain (that you have been working on for over 1/2 a year) in a video game that requires an item from a random drop, and to get the random drop to occur you need a team of people to help you kill a big boss monster. Sufficed to say that getting the random drop to occur (getting a group all the way to the boss and winning) is hard enough, much less being lucky enough to have the item drop that you need.

The idea may seem silly to you, but it's my hobby and subsequent joy. :-)

( Click here if you want to see the finished product. )

And welcome back allergies.

On the way into the office today I saw a woman scream at another woman on a ten speed for telling yet another person not to run her over. That was odd.

That was right after seeing a woman getting ready to cross the street who caused me to think "I didn't know Early 80's Hooker was a fashion statement... or at least not a good one".

So everyone please try to be nice to other and try to take into consideration that the allergies and weather changes are causing some people not to be on their "best game". :)