Coffee and Code

My girlfriend and I have been seeing these mantis-creatures clinging to the warm stucco on our back wall in the evening. The guy pictured above just hung out and let me take a bunch of really close pictures! Apparently, these guys can change color to blend in with the environment: Another mantis-creature we saw had changed its color to match the stucco perfectly.

Santa Fe has been wintery lately; the nights are much colder, the days are crisp, and hot tea has become my new favorite beverage. (Whiskey in the wintertime is another favorite, of course!) Now that it’s cold, I forsee a lot of hot stew and oven-roasted dishes in my future... mmmmmm...

I’m in the midst of rearranging my office to make room for a weight bench and my other exercise equipment. My plans for the cold months are to spend a little time each morning and evening at home, so I only have to go to the gym for the cardio equipment. Winter is also a great time to work on programming projects, so I plan a lot of that: New blog with .Net 3.5, new version of the I-Ching application, and a website redesign. Too ambitious? Maybe. We’ll see.

Until next time, reader, stay warm and have fun!

Does it seem as if, as you grow older, time seems to pass more and more quickly?

That’s how I've been feeling these days... But enough. The month of July has been a lot of fun: fair weather, outdoor adventures, good booze and great friends. It has also been insanely busy month, as far as my occupation is concerned. I’ve recently taken the tactic of trying to convince myself that I enjoy stressful, high-pressure situations. Seems to be working out, but if I've lost all of my hair by Christmas then I might have to take that back.

As I write this, a Bowflex commercial is playing on TV: "I gave all my fat clothes to my fat friends!". What an a-hole, huh? I’ll bet his "fat friends" were like, "Oh, thanks" but peed on his car door handles afterward or something.

Uh-oh, looks like I’m hitting the bottom of my blog-worth thought barrel. I’d better go for now - that whiskey’s not going to drink itself, now is it?

Sunday: Accosted by a fake Scottish hobo outside Smith's. Says he: 'I'm from Scotland and I'm here to kick your a**! He ends up bumming a cigarette, mumbling at me for a while, and is finally shooed away by a manager for drinking beer. But not before telling me, 'You're a very pretty man.'

Wednesday: Co-worker plays Linkin Park loudly. Co-worker also defiantly refuses to lower volume. Jeff becomes annoyed and begins plotting digital revenge... BWAHAHAHAHA!

Thursday: Statewide meeting, and my first trip to Rio Rancho! (Ugly). Emergency lunchtime trip to Albertson's for deodorant. Motivational speaker somehow makes me feel WORSE about myself. Whiskey, the very same evening.

Friday: Dinner at Masa Sushi. The heart attack rolls live up to their namesake (Well, technically, acid reflux. Don't want to worry any relatives here.) Nonetheless, the delicious food leaves me with the 'warm fuzzies' and a distended stomach. Lisa buys the third installment of Hellsing. I smoothly talk her into buying the copy that comes in a metal case and with a vacuum-molded Father Alexander Anderson Super-Creepy plaque (For the collector's value, of course). We play the DVD and revel in the scary vampire freaky monster-ness.

Saturday: I defer self-hygiene tasks until Moment of Clarity arrives. Cartoons, and many, many Calories are consumed. Mildly freakish behavior - all in fun.

Today: All is well in the land of the lost... Snow is falling early in Santa Fe, and it's a fine day to stay inside, drink hot tea and bask in free movie channel previews with Lisa. I'm left only with one nagging decision:

Whiskey or Wine with dinner?

It's a fine St. Patty's day in Santa Fe! The skies are a little overcast, which tends to bring out the green in the environment, IMHO. The weather is warm enough that I don't have to wear a jacket, which is unusual for this time of year. After I post this entry, I'm going to go out back and make another lame attempt at dancing a jig, mostly for the amusement of my girlfriend. Let's hope I don't hurt myself.

Ya know, my brother and sister are hardcore Guiness people. I imagine right now that both of them are either drinking Guiness or out buying it to drink it later. More power to 'em. I'll personally be enjoying some Irish coffee for now, and some dark beer later. (I don't have to go ANYWHERE!) Andy and Claudia, me glass is up to ye. Cheers!

Okay, I guess an explaniation/apology to my audience is in order for my last weblog entry. So here goes:

I, Jeff Woodman, do humbly apologize to my readers for irresponsibly authoring website content whilst under the influence of intoxicants, i.e. irish whiskey. I understand that, as a website operator, I am expected to adhere to a high standard of behavior that naturally excludes the consumption of alcohol-based products while operating my super-high-tech computer thingies. I realize that failure to comply with said standard may result in confusion on the part of readers of this weblog, which breeds contempt toward the content author.

I do solemnly swear to never again indulge in this type of unprofessional behavior, hic, so long as I soberly operate thish webshite. Hic.