I continue to work to get my home computer back up and running. I went to campus today and brought home all the zip disks I could find in my office. I'll back up data files as well as a few files in my download directory I can use to re-install some programs.
I'm calmer today than yesterday. I even managed to keep my computer rants to a minimum last night at Brian and Alice's. Probably our best conversation was on child discipline. Brian and Alice have an 18-month old daughter, so they've got the real-world experience Jean and I lack. Dinner was good (they had something terrible and I had spaghetti), and it was nice to see them all after about a month of no contact. The four of us need to get together soon and see a movie. If only a good one is out there to be seen.
When Jean and I lived in Bumpass, we saw few films. The closest movie theatre was 40 minutes away, and both of us had to want to see a film before we would justify the travel and expense involved. Now that we've been back in Richmond for more than a year, we're going even less to the movies. The last movie we saw was The Truman Show, and we were both disappointed with it. I think the last movie we saw that we enjoyed was As Good As It Gets. We're looking forward to the new Pixar movie (about Bugs): we've liked Pixar since we saw an outtake from their short film Tin Toy back in 1990. We'll also go to see the next Trek opus, though the dearth of hype makes me worried that we've got another odd-numbered movie on our hands. All the odd-numbered Trek movies are either so-so or terrible.
Other than having a great time last night, it was great to see the stars again. I picked out Orion and Jean found the seven sisters (which she calls the seven brothers and sisters, since she's sixth of seven). We didn't want to loiter in their driveway, so I didn't take a long time to stare. More than anything else I think I miss the nighttime sky in the country. Just thinking about it makes me want to move back out there, no matter the inconvenience of it all.
Brian and Alice talked about their pediatrician last night, which has gotten me to start looking into finding one for baby. This morning while Jean made pancakes for breakfast I pored through our dozen baby books searching for passages on pediatricians. Four books had something. We'll probably start the hunt for baby doctors just before Thanksgiving.
It was nice to spend the morning with Jean. Sunday mornings are our time together. Usually she'll make breakfast (sometimes I help a little -- she knows how to cook; I know how to make toast), and she reads the paper while I read magazines or books. NPR's Sunday morning news program is usually on, and we always stop to listen to the puzzle.
Mornings like this morning are vital for me: we seem to slow life down for just a while and enjoy one another's company. These days we joke nervously about what this time will be like when our daughter is born, but I think she'll fit in well.
Tonight we're slowing down again. I've got a fire going, and we've both been cleaning up and reading. We're going to try for an early start to the week tomorrow (I have yet to record the audio news for the coming week, and homecoming starts Friday). Now if we can just get up early enough...
It was a typical Richmond gray Fall day. When I started walking
into the office I felt a drop or two, but it never managed to rain.
On my way home tonight it was blustery, but the cloud cover seemed
somehow to brighten the sky (the sky took on an almost pink hue), making it easier for me to see in the
darkest passages.
Listening: Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky); Carmina Burana (Orff).
Reading: Nehemiah (done!); baby books; Our Oriental Heritage (Durant).
© 1998 Kevin J.T. Creamer