Yesterday was a day of mixed emotions. I attended the calling hours for Suanne's mother. (Suanne is marreid to John,. my wife's brother.) It was good to see that folks had gathered and were comforting Suanne, her father, and John. On my way to Brockton, I made a detour to Lexington. Liz is leaving IBM after a long time of hard work. She plans to nap, read, work on her house, and spend time with her cat. Liz is happy and more relaxed than I think I've ever seen her.
While in the lobby visiting with Liz, I saw several former co-workers. It was good to see them, but also awkward because, well, I guess I'm a bit embarrassed that I'm still looking for a job. Answering the question, "So, what's going on?" shouldn't be difficult, but it is. It would be easier if I could say that I'm working as a so-and-so at such-and-such and I like it because .... In some ways, unemployment is almost like an illness. In this economy, we're never cured; the illness just goes into remission. Someone characterized work as the thing you do between layoffs. Fred cautions me that I shouldn't let this time out of work do bad things to my self-esteem. To paraphrase Mark Twain, I know the words, but can't always find the music.
Speaking of music, I've completed the digital music process. I have 1214 albums, of which 775 can fit onto my iPod. It's fairly easy to make changes. For example, in December, I'll make room for the Christmas music.
This weekend I'll be at the Amherst alumni reunion. I plan to stay at the camp on Saturday evening. Sandra will return from PEI on Sunday. The weather promises to be nice. It's still cool and drizzly today.
Friday, May 28, 2004
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Sandra and Marley left for PEI at 4:38 this morning. Sandra makes good time when driving on this trip, so they should be at the MacGregors' within 12 hours, perhaps 11. There is a webcam on the Confederation Bridge that connects the island with New Brunswick. It's our dream to be able to see a traveler cross the bridge. Sometimes our dreams are rather modest.
So, how will I spend my five days as a bachelor? Well, on Friday and Saturday, I have work to do at the Amherst College reunion weekend. I'll go to the camp at least for Saturday night and perhaps others as well. This morning I'll help Mike prepare some invoices and give him some troubleshooting tips with his computer. And, oh, yes, I need to start running again. I'm scheduled to run another 5K late in June.
I attended a negotiation workshop at DBM yesterday. While there, I talked with another laid-off IBMer and learned about a course that will prepare me for the PMI (Project Management Institute) test. According to thie person, IBM will reimburse me, up to $2500, for the cost of the course. I will make some phone calls to find out more.
So, how will I spend my five days as a bachelor? Well, on Friday and Saturday, I have work to do at the Amherst College reunion weekend. I'll go to the camp at least for Saturday night and perhaps others as well. This morning I'll help Mike prepare some invoices and give him some troubleshooting tips with his computer. And, oh, yes, I need to start running again. I'm scheduled to run another 5K late in June.
I attended a negotiation workshop at DBM yesterday. While there, I talked with another laid-off IBMer and learned about a course that will prepare me for the PMI (Project Management Institute) test. According to thie person, IBM will reimburse me, up to $2500, for the cost of the course. I will make some phone calls to find out more.
Monday, May 24, 2004
Disney trip report
Sunday, 16 May
The day started around 4AM. We were on our way to the airport shortly after 5. We brough Michael and Joe with us; Mike and Lynn followed us to the airport in their car. We met Adam, Jennie, and Lily at the airport. The flight was uneventful. Sandra and I flew first class and had a nice bit of breakfast (pancakes for Sandra, an omelet for me).
We arrived at the Orlando airport at 11:00 and had to wait for a bus to take us to the airport. We got very good at counting to 12 throughout the vacation, making sure we had all the people we needed to have. We arrived at the hotel around 12:30, checked in to a complicated mix of rooms. (We had to register for rooms with adults and kids divided properly to qualify for a "Kids Stay Free" discount. Each person had a key card that was also used for meal charges and park admissions.
We stayed at the Contemporary, a short walk or monorail ride from Magic Kingdom. Our rooms were nice enough, in a building separate from the main hotel, which was good and bad. We had a nice view of the lake and our rooms were quiet most of the time.
We had a mid-afternoon lunch at the snack bar at the hotel, a place that came to be called Disney Hell (DH) because it was right next to the noise and lights of a video game arcade.
Magic Kingdom: The gang went in separate directions. Sandra and I rode Space Mountain. I'm not a great fan of roller coasters and won't likely take that ride again. We were pretty tired from our early morning travels, so we didn't do a lot; we mostly walked around and then returned to the pool.
Dinner: Snacks at the park.
Monday, 17 May
Breakfast: Kona Cafe at the Polynesian.
Magic Kingdom: We returned in force. Sandra and I went with A, J, & L to Pirates of the Caribbean, Swiss Family Robinson's Tree House, and a few other sights. AJL were able to get into the Princess Lunch, a thrill for Lily. The rest of the gang did Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, the Haunted Castle, and a few others.
Dinner: California Grill, a wonderful restaurant on the 15th floor of the Contemporary. Great food, great view of the whole park.
Tuesday, 18 May
Breakfast: Character breakfast at the Beach Club.
Epcot: We walked the short distance to Epcot and stopped at Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Good fun. Mission Space was the best attraction for most folks. Spaceship Earth was, in the word of the week, lamé. Sandra and I walked the whole park, with stops at Mexican, Norwegian, Chinese (great ginger ice cream and tea), Moroccan, and Canadian exhibits. We listed for half of one song at at double-plus lamé Eric Burdon concert.
Dinner: Restaurant Marrakesh, just S&K. A nice dinner with good service and a fine sampling of Moroccan fare.
Wednesday, 19 May
Breakfast: DH
MGM/Disney Studios: Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster were the big hits here. RRC, according to several, was the best ride ever. ToT was a favorite for several others. I liked the Muppets in 3D the best. The backstreet scenes, made up like old New York, were very realistic.
Dinner: Steakhouse at the Contemporary. Good food in a futuristic setting.
Thursday, 20 May
Our anniversary.
Breakfast: DH
Sandra and I wrote and then went to Downtown Disney to mail some post cards. We were underwhelmed by DD, although we did find a couple pairs of socks and gifts for Marley and Molly.
Dinner: Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. Great fun and lots of food. We followed the meal with a wagon ride around Fort Wilderness and neighboring trailer parks.
Friday, 21 May
Typhoon Lagoon: The 6' waves in the pool were the best fun. Sandra and I did the Humunga Kowabunga which someone described as a wedgie machine.
Dinner: Luau at 'Ohana at the Polynesian. Again with the great food and great fun. AJ&L went to Cirque du Soleil and dined at Wolfgang Puck's.
Saturday, 22 May
Blizzard Beach: We were all tired by this time, so we moved slowly. The boys went on Summit Plummet, a 120' foot vertical drop. It was too much for the young and the old. We all liked Teamboat Springs, a long ride down a winding chute in a large raft.
Dinner: Clam Bake at the Beach Club. Too much good food. Sandra and I waddled back through Epcot to get the monorail back to Magic Kingdom and then a walk home.
For the first time, we had to close our window because of the outside noise. Loud young folk outside our balcony.
Sunday, 23 May
Homeward Bound. Last breakfast at DH. The bus picked us up at 9:00 and took us to the airport. It really helps to be an American Airlines Advantage Gold member. We got through check-in quickly. Sandra and I flew first class again. It was cool and drizzly when we got to Boston. We drove home easily and safely.
End Notes
We had spectacular weather, with just a 45 minute shower on Wednesday afternoon. Before the trip, we let everyone know that we'd all get at least one meltdown, so that reduced the pressure to be perfectly 'on' all of the time. We stayed flexible enough so that people could go back to the hotel and pool as needed. We stopped trying to eat all of our meals together and planned just one family meal each day.
I brought my laptop and checked email a few times during the week. I also received a some phone calls regarding my job search. Had something important come up, I would have been able to do what was necessary. That's the nice thing about the kind of work that I do; I can be productive anywhere that I have a decent Internet connection.
There's nothing that I wish that I had seen that I didn't see and nothing really that I need to go back to see. It was a trip of a lifetime. It needed nothing more. We are blessed with a wonderful marriage, wonderful family, and many other good fortunes that let us do things such as this.
Sunday, 16 May
The day started around 4AM. We were on our way to the airport shortly after 5. We brough Michael and Joe with us; Mike and Lynn followed us to the airport in their car. We met Adam, Jennie, and Lily at the airport. The flight was uneventful. Sandra and I flew first class and had a nice bit of breakfast (pancakes for Sandra, an omelet for me).
We arrived at the Orlando airport at 11:00 and had to wait for a bus to take us to the airport. We got very good at counting to 12 throughout the vacation, making sure we had all the people we needed to have. We arrived at the hotel around 12:30, checked in to a complicated mix of rooms. (We had to register for rooms with adults and kids divided properly to qualify for a "Kids Stay Free" discount. Each person had a key card that was also used for meal charges and park admissions.
We stayed at the Contemporary, a short walk or monorail ride from Magic Kingdom. Our rooms were nice enough, in a building separate from the main hotel, which was good and bad. We had a nice view of the lake and our rooms were quiet most of the time.
We had a mid-afternoon lunch at the snack bar at the hotel, a place that came to be called Disney Hell (DH) because it was right next to the noise and lights of a video game arcade.
Magic Kingdom: The gang went in separate directions. Sandra and I rode Space Mountain. I'm not a great fan of roller coasters and won't likely take that ride again. We were pretty tired from our early morning travels, so we didn't do a lot; we mostly walked around and then returned to the pool.
Dinner: Snacks at the park.
Monday, 17 May
Breakfast: Kona Cafe at the Polynesian.
Magic Kingdom: We returned in force. Sandra and I went with A, J, & L to Pirates of the Caribbean, Swiss Family Robinson's Tree House, and a few other sights. AJL were able to get into the Princess Lunch, a thrill for Lily. The rest of the gang did Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, the Haunted Castle, and a few others.
Dinner: California Grill, a wonderful restaurant on the 15th floor of the Contemporary. Great food, great view of the whole park.
Tuesday, 18 May
Breakfast: Character breakfast at the Beach Club.
Epcot: We walked the short distance to Epcot and stopped at Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Good fun. Mission Space was the best attraction for most folks. Spaceship Earth was, in the word of the week, lamé. Sandra and I walked the whole park, with stops at Mexican, Norwegian, Chinese (great ginger ice cream and tea), Moroccan, and Canadian exhibits. We listed for half of one song at at double-plus lamé Eric Burdon concert.
Dinner: Restaurant Marrakesh, just S&K. A nice dinner with good service and a fine sampling of Moroccan fare.
Wednesday, 19 May
Breakfast: DH
MGM/Disney Studios: Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster were the big hits here. RRC, according to several, was the best ride ever. ToT was a favorite for several others. I liked the Muppets in 3D the best. The backstreet scenes, made up like old New York, were very realistic.
Dinner: Steakhouse at the Contemporary. Good food in a futuristic setting.
Thursday, 20 May
Our anniversary.
Breakfast: DH
Sandra and I wrote and then went to Downtown Disney to mail some post cards. We were underwhelmed by DD, although we did find a couple pairs of socks and gifts for Marley and Molly.
Dinner: Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. Great fun and lots of food. We followed the meal with a wagon ride around Fort Wilderness and neighboring trailer parks.
Friday, 21 May
Typhoon Lagoon: The 6' waves in the pool were the best fun. Sandra and I did the Humunga Kowabunga which someone described as a wedgie machine.
Dinner: Luau at 'Ohana at the Polynesian. Again with the great food and great fun. AJ&L went to Cirque du Soleil and dined at Wolfgang Puck's.
Saturday, 22 May
Blizzard Beach: We were all tired by this time, so we moved slowly. The boys went on Summit Plummet, a 120' foot vertical drop. It was too much for the young and the old. We all liked Teamboat Springs, a long ride down a winding chute in a large raft.
Dinner: Clam Bake at the Beach Club. Too much good food. Sandra and I waddled back through Epcot to get the monorail back to Magic Kingdom and then a walk home.
For the first time, we had to close our window because of the outside noise. Loud young folk outside our balcony.
Sunday, 23 May
Homeward Bound. Last breakfast at DH. The bus picked us up at 9:00 and took us to the airport. It really helps to be an American Airlines Advantage Gold member. We got through check-in quickly. Sandra and I flew first class again. It was cool and drizzly when we got to Boston. We drove home easily and safely.
End Notes
We had spectacular weather, with just a 45 minute shower on Wednesday afternoon. Before the trip, we let everyone know that we'd all get at least one meltdown, so that reduced the pressure to be perfectly 'on' all of the time. We stayed flexible enough so that people could go back to the hotel and pool as needed. We stopped trying to eat all of our meals together and planned just one family meal each day.
I brought my laptop and checked email a few times during the week. I also received a some phone calls regarding my job search. Had something important come up, I would have been able to do what was necessary. That's the nice thing about the kind of work that I do; I can be productive anywhere that I have a decent Internet connection.
There's nothing that I wish that I had seen that I didn't see and nothing really that I need to go back to see. It was a trip of a lifetime. It needed nothing more. We are blessed with a wonderful marriage, wonderful family, and many other good fortunes that let us do things such as this.
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