Sandra and I are going to North Adams for the night. We will stay at The Porches at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) and see Sweet Honey in the Rock. North Adams is about 100 miles away, in the northwestern corner of the state. It may take us two-and-a-half hours on the two-lane roads. We'll go through many small towns, such as Florida, and then around the hairpin turn on Route 2 into the city.

Sandra's parents will take care of Marley, which he won't mind a bit. Last night, though, he hurt his foot and been less than enthusiastic this morning. These things tend to take care of themselves, but we'll take him to the vet on Monday if he's not better.

I may work from home for a bit this morning. Sandra has a dentist appointment and we plan to be on our way by 11:00 or so. Yesterday I finished a script (a small program) that converted a document in just the way that I wanted, only to discover that my solution worked with Firefox, but not Internet Explorer. The solution is tantalizingly close. We need to have something working by Tuesday of next week.

The Eastern Graphic is a weekly newspaper that serves the eastern end of Prince Edward Island. There's an ad in this week's classified section that says, and I am not making this up, "Phone disconnected? This is your lucky day. Call now to get reconnected at the cheapest price.... Call Easy Reconnect at 1-877-xxx-xxxx." That's right up there with a solar-powered night light.

Lori's on her way to Los Angeles today. We had a nice email exchange the other day, mostly about options for her to get wireless Internet connectivity. She can't get DSL in her new apartment and the TV signal is from satellite, not cable. She'd rather not have to get a landline just for dial-up access. (She uses her cell phone as her only phone.) In many cases we can deal with the big things, such as moving across the country or changing jobs, only to find that the things we expect to be easy, such as Internet access, are the things that give us the most trouble.

Just because it's got green on it doesn't mean that it has anything to do with St. Patrick's Day.

Shortly after 6:00 last night I sent the fourth book off to the editorial staff. We don't have time for anything more than the most cursory review. The book may bring some value to some customer someplace. I hope.

Yesterday was my first 10-hour day at work for this job. Ten-hour days used to be the norm.

Maybe he's been reading my expressions, but yesterday my manager reassured me that my job was going to continue at least until May. There's still talk about permanent positions opening up. I've found that I've made good contributions in some areas. People have been coming to me for help with their problems with some of our software products. It's satisfying to be able to provide answers. The things that have gone well have gone very well; the things that haven't haven't.

The junk email in the past couple of days included a few intriguing subject lines.

Your kid may be an honors student, but you're still an idiot.
The news is good on the economy topcoat
This is the last day of your new life.

The content of the messages, of course, was as you'd expect.

This has been kicking around the 'net for a few days. I'd hope to have some clever commentary by now. There are times, though, when cleverness needs to step back with hat in hand and acknowledge grandeur. (Although the site is in Norwegian, the video clips transcend language.) Lead us to greatness, Norwegia.

G'bye, Dick Radatz, aka The Monster.

March 16th is Saint Urho's Day

So, it pretty much comes down to today. My last book needs to be ready for edits by EOB (end of business) today, with a possible extension to tomorrow morning if my groveling is good enough.

It's only every two or three months that I sleep until the alarm clock goes off. When I was in college, though, I needed to put the alarm clock across the room to make sure that I got up for my early classes. Even that wasn't enough, sometimes. I could have used one of these.

Guys (and those who think like them) around the world are saying, "I've got to get one of these." I mean, how can you not want to visit a web site that has a Comptence page? The compnay is a Finland subsidiary of John Deere. (Don't forget your Jack-Cessories.) Let's see, guys, wildnerness, vodka, big machine that walks through the woods. What could go wrong?

The National Weather Service reports that this winter has been the 3rd snowiest in Worcester since good records have been kept, starting in 1892:

1. 132.9 in 1995-96
2. 120.1 in 1992-93
3. 109.2 in 2004-05
4. 104.3 in 1960-61
5. 100.2 in 1993-94

We have a chance at making it to second place. There's talk of snow on Sunday and it's certainly been known to snow throughout April and into May.

When I was kid and someone complained of some ailments (a cold, upset stomach, etc.), the standard response was, "Nothing trivial, I hope."

I worked hard yesterday and got three of my four books to the next milestone, a place I'd hoped to reach days and perhaps even weeks ago. The fourth book is still in trouble.

Woody and Marian are getting their suitcase out today so that they can start packing. They plan to leave for the Island next Monday.

When I first saw this, I thought that it would be great for teachers and parents. But, then, I thought of some of the business meetings that I've endured (and, on occasion, led). And, of course, some of us have to drive in and around Boston. It should be noted that most of the laws of physics are left outside the door to the offices of Future Horizons, except for those that allow the tongue to be planted in one's cheek.

Our kids are too busy with sports, music, social events, and, oh, yeah, school. So, how do we help them bring their busy schedules under control? With one of these? Sure. Or, you could leave your child in the care of Microsoft.

We can't overlook the goings-on in Florida, where the Red Sox were visited by the Fab Five.

In addition to this being the Ides of March, a bad day for Caesar, it also marks the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II (in the February revolution). The Russian word tsar is derived from Caesar. The tsars saw Russia as the third Rome (Constantinople being the second).

Today, 3/14, is Pi Day, with celebrations all around. Not this Pi, though. This one.

Although the project's final deadline is the 25th, I really have to have my work completed by Wednesday of this week so others can do their part. It may be too late to do a great job, but good work is still within reach.

I don't know which is creepier - this place or the fact that I would be eligible. Of course, I did receive a letter this past week, inviting me to be considered for possible appearance in the National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals. Who's Who? It's more like What's That?

On your journey toward enlightenment or reconciliation with the forces of the beyond, don't forget to bring a snack.

The snowstorm went on into the evening, leaving us with about a foot all told. It looks as though we have as much snow on the ground as we've had all season. Scott took the lead in shoveling us out this morning. (I'd done the driveway and back yard with the snowblower yesterday afternoon.) Sandra cleared the path to the wood pile and I took care of other odds and ends, including the path to the neighbor's house. Our neighbor has MS. We'd like to think that they can use the path to get the wheelchair out to the road. Mostly, though, the paper deliverers use it to go from our driveway to the neighbor's house.

Yesterday morning we went to Matt's basketball game. They won by a point in a very well-played game. These kids, in the 7th and 8th grades, have skills that match or exceed what I saw in varsity teams when I was in high school. They pass well, play great defense, and move smartly. Matt's got great stuff, on and off the court. After the game, he ran over and hugged us, thanking us for coming to the game.

Mike sponsored Matt's team. It was quite a challenge to fit Hakkarainen Contracting on the front of a kid's t-shirt.

Scott, Val, and Russell stayed overnight. We got to know Russell a bit. What a serene baby. He's just under nine months. Everyone got to hold him for quite a while. With my beard, glasses, and colorful pens in my pocket, he found plenty of things to hold his interest when it was my turn.

We again took the back roads to my father's house. Folks along this road were using all kinds of contraptions to clear away the snow. It would be generous to call some of them machines. They looked like creatures in the green room for War of the Worlds. Nevertheless, the snow was cleared away and people seemed to be enjoying the strong March sunshine.