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Quote of the Day

"You know, when you're a kid, they tell you it's all: Grow up, get a job, get married, get a house, have a kid…and that's it. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It's so much darker…and so much madder…and so much better" ~ Elton,  from the Doctor Who episode Love & Monsters

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Monday Dance Party: Patty Jo – Make Me Believe In You

"There was a moment when their faces blossomed into the sweetest happiness, however—when everyone came together in a single lovely communion that was the reason they did all they did; and that occurred around six-thirty in the morning, when they took off their sweat-soaked T-shirts and screamed because Patty Jo had begun to sing: 'Make me believe in you, show me that love can be true.' By then the air was half-nauseating with the stale stench of poppers, broken and dropped on the floor after their fumes had been sucked into the heart, and the odor of sweat, and ethyl chloride from the rags they clamped between their teeth, holding their friends' arms to keep from falling. The people on downs were hardly able to move, and the others rising from the couches where they had been sprawled like martyrs who had given up their souls to Christ pushed onto the floor and united in the cries of animal joy because Patty Jo had begun to sing in her metallic, unreal voice those signal words: 'Make me believe in you, show me that love can be true.'" ~ Andrew Holleran, Dancer from the Dance

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So…This is What 2012 Looks Like

I had every intention of writing a personal "year in review" post last night, but frankly, after running around all day I simply had no motivation. While I did manage to be awake to ring in the new year with my Ben, I had been napping in my chair most of the evening.  Ah, the joys of getting older. Stuff they never told you in school…

I'm still not motivated, and since it's now January 1st, it's probably better to just look ahead.  As of tomorrow (while not actually being there) I begin work as a permanent employee of the firm I've been contracting at since August. This goes a long way toward making Denver feel a little more like home.

Something I'm also looking forward to in 2012 is the fact that Anderson will be paid off in June.

Seems like only yesterday

This will free up a wad of cash that almost compensates for the difference between what I'm earning now and what I was making in Phoenix. Almost. In any case it will at least initially allow me to catch up on some much needed vehicle maintenance that I've been putting off.

And of course we have months and months of the circus sideshow that are the Republican primaries to look forward to. As it stands right now, the most anticipated event for me in 2012 will be hearing the concession speech of  whichever right-wing loon ends up with the nomination after Obama whups their ass on November 6th.

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In Praise of Apple

The other day I happened to hover my cursor over the battery icon on my task bar and I was surprised to see "Service Battery." I tried all the home-brew fixes suggested on the interwebs, but to no avail. I realized I was going to have to make a trip to the Apple Store. I was not looking forward to this, or to potentially being without my laptop for an extended period—especially on a holiday weekend. But the one glimmer of hope I had was reading online that if I got the machine in early enough, the non-user-replaceable battery could usually be swapped out that day.

I went ahead and made an appointment to bring it in, and this morning we arrived at the Cherry Creek Apple Store promptly at 10 am. While it took about 20 minutes after checking in to meet with a Genius, and I was expecting the worst, not only did they have the battery in stock, the in-house tech was able to swap out the battery—not in hours or days, but in about fifteen minutes…and because I had the foresight to purchase Apple Care when the laptop was new, it cost me nothing.

Bravo, Apple.

This type of service is why I am a Fanboy.

 

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In Memoriam

I've been wearing this brand of daily-wear lens since the early 90s. They're no longer being made and nothing else (including the recommended substitutes that I tried a several weeks ago) fit as well. In fact, the manufacturer has phased out all their vial lenses for the more profitable disposable variety. I mean seriously, WTF?

And I'm not alone. A quick search on the interwebs reveal a lot of folks who are plenty pissed off that these lenses have been axed. Hopefully I'll be able to stretch a few more months out of my last pair of CSIs before I'm faced with having to give up on contacts altogether and go back to glasses full time. (Yeah, the "new" lenses I tried are that bad.) Since I'll once again be insured after the first of the year I'm hoping that I'll be able to find a competent eye doctor who is willing to work with me to find a suitable substitute. (PSA: Avoid Target Optical.)