The Mother In-Law has landed

Peggy arrived at the airport about 20 minutes early and we were there to meet her. Seth behaved well the whole time and even gave us a few smiles.

Now we have to decide whether we will stay up and watch the ball drop, or whether we will turn in early like the fuddy-duddies we are.

Auld Lang Syne

The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.

Robert Burns. 1759–1796

Auld Lang Syne

SHOULD auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to min'?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o' lang syne?

We twa hae rin about the braes, 5
And pu'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd monie a weary fit
Sin' auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl't i' the burn,
Frae mornin' sun till dine; 10
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.

And here 's a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o' thine;
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught 15
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine;
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne! 20

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

New Years Eve

We are getting ready for a visit from the Mother in-law today. She arrives at the airport at 4:45.

Seth is having Nap 1, Debbie is scurrying around and I am getting in trouble for posting this note when I should be vacuuming the lamp shades! :o)

Ok! Now it looks like DC is really getting a baseball team!

Stadium Financing A Done Deal (washingtonpost.com):
Williams Signs Bill Authorizing Bonds
By David Nakamura
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 30, 2004; Page B01

D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams signed into law a financing package for a new baseball stadium along the Anacostia waterfront in Southeast yesterday, calling it "one of my proudest days as mayor."

How 'bout that new hat?

Here is something to cheer you up. A cute baby! That is one dashing hat.

Days Like This

Days like this can be pretty frustrating. I spent the whole day, or a least a good part of it, working on stuff that isn't going to do anything other than give our customers another box to check on their lists of "things we have to have." I am writing a basic training manual for our new software, and the only reason that I am writing it, instead of someone else, is that I can get it done quickly. Unfortunately, I am writing instead of selling, which is a backward step for this company.

I have to focus on sales and figure out how to give the non-sales stuff away. There are other people who can handle the non-sales stuff that I do. So why can't I seem to get it off of my desk and out of my way? This is my great challenge for 2005.

Tsunami

It is hard to grasp the scale of the the Tsunami disaster. The photos of destruction all look about the same. The images of distraught survivors are all disturbing. Looking at this from half a world away we can't perceive the destruction in a personal way; we are detached, geographically and emotionally. I can only shake my head and say, "What a horrible thing."

The silence of thoughtful people creates a vacuum filled by extremism.

--Margaret J Wheatley

Better Than Coffee

This morning Seth and I read the paper while Debbie got an extra half hour of sleep before I left for work. He was very bright and active as he usually is. So far, he seems to be a true morning person.

I held him while I scanned the headlines and he was perfectly happy to look around and see what was going on. He doesn't want to miss a thing. I think he is beginning to figure out that there is more around him than he can see at any one time. He turns his head a lot to look at different things rather than just focusing on what is directly in fromt of him. Every day there is something new.

The Remaining Days of the Year

Christmas is past and this week I will be wrapping up the business for this year. It has been an ok, but not fantastic year. Uncle Sam held us up by not passing a budget on time again this fall. Our first quarter of next year will likely better than usual because the business that was supposed to come in now will come in January and February.