The week's end has arrived none too soon. Sandra and I will carve out some time for ourselves in this long weekend, a chance to talk and regroup. Yesterday afternoon, when there was a lull in what's become a frenetic pace at work, I started noticing little slip-ups of mine - a missed assignment, a stumble in a conversation. It will be good to find a few moments of quiet.

A few years back, I achieved what I thought was a great insight. I realized that I'd become very self-focused, my world view always circling back around to me. I knew I needed to change. I met up with a friend and discussed my revelation and resolution. We had a good 15 minute talk. It wasn't until later in the day that I realized that I hadn't asked the other person a single question.

Hockey fans, particularly our anguished friends to the north, can blame the Red Sox. The last time a hockey season was canceled, the Red Sox had just won a world championship.

Late yesterday afternoon our bipolar friend visited with Sandra's parents and stayed for two hours. She is adamant that she is not sick, that her problems can be traced to her (almost ex-) husband. Most of us resist treatment for whatever ailment we have, be it a persistent shoulder ache, fading vision, or that bit of blood that shows up when we floss. We see very clearly what the other person needs to do and very dimly what's needed for us. In cases of mental illness, however, the illness often robs the person of the ability to know what's needed or the ability to act on that knowledge.

I've started using del.icio.us, although I can't yet give a succinct definition of what it is or why it's useful. It's something about social bookmarks. Stay tuned.

Microsoft explains how to be cool with teenagers: A parent's primer to computer slang.

Marley was sitting quietly with Sandra's folks in their apartment yesterday. After a while, he got up, came back to our part of the house, and chewed up a pillow from the couch. It might be funny, except that Sandra has put a lot of work into re-covering our pillows. I wonder what's going on in that head of his.