RESTART...

Today was meant to be a really productive day. You know when you wake up and it's just so full of promise. You get out of bed and you already have a list of things that you can picture yourself doing. Well, when taking not even 2 steps towards the bathroom, I rammed my shin against the bed post. I should have taken that as a sign... The morning just seemed so groggy. I had breakfast and thought I'd tackle my first chore: replacing a burnt out car headlamp. I've done it before, so I had rationed no more than 1/2 hr for this job. Well, I tried and tried and pried and pried, but I couldn't get the darn connector to come off. Under the hood is not the most cleanest of places, so I'm now all covered in dirt and grease. My neighbors are probably thinking that I'm trying to steal the car. I give up. Cursing my own incompetence (and also why Honda couldn't make this easier), I go back upstairs. Next task, pay bills. But I get distracted (since a colleague of mine introduced me to Scrabble Blast - Internet Explorer only). Eventually, after 2 hours of doing nothing, I crawled back into bed! With the radio blaring and the windows drawn wide open, I was surprised at how quickly I fell back into deep sleep.

Maybe the first part of the morning was just a dream. Or I had awaken in a different dimension or space-time continuum. But, AFTER the second time I woke up, things were somehow different. I felt a lot more energized and mundane tasks were completed with ease. Paid my bills, marinated my chicken, and dumped my recyclables at the depot. I came back, grabbed my gym stuff and headed to the rec centre. Frustrated that the week off I took from this place set me back by what seemed like a month, I was determined to get back to my normal routine. So, no matter what pain came, I was going to finish off 35 laps (roughly 15km) on the indoor track. No pain came and I finished strong. I then proceeded to my weights routine and then off to the gym for some b-ball (and to my pleasant surprise, it wasn't booked for anything). It felt like every shot I took today was going in! There is probably some psychological explanation for why sinking a basket brings so much joy to one as anal retentive as I. Came back, showered and put in a rib eye into the oven. Boy, was it delicious! I washed it down with a Chimay (another Belgium beer, this one introduced to me by a fellow Calgarian - sorry, no Guinness was available today). After putting the dishes away, I decided to tackle the headlamp problem one more time. This time, I was armed with my trusty Petzl headlamp (meant for campingg but I have found that I use this for my everyday tasks, like car maintenance jobs and messing around the back of a computer). Instantly, I saw where I had gone wrong the first time. I didn't reach deep enough to grasp the connector. In this case, it released with ease and I was able to pop in the new bulb in no time. I was so happy when I flipped on the lights to test them, and they both shone in their GE NightHawk glory! I was reminded, once again, of the quality of craftsmanship and reliability of a Honda (I take back my curses from before).

I guess, all it takes is getting off to the right start. If it starts off bad, restart.

I feel terrible for my mom. Somehow (well, not really, because she told me she opened up one of those mass emails that found its way into her inbox), her computer has been infected with adware. Everytime she turns on her computer, this annoying window pops up. She called frantically, asking if there was some way I could get rid of it for her. Remotely.

I received this from my former division president in the Toronto office. He's Irish. Accompanying it was an office memo reminding all staff that at this year's St. Patrick's Day party, only one drink per person is allowed. In order to save money, staff were asked to bring their own cups.