Jumpin' Jive

November 23, 1998

I'm cleaning house tonight, to the sounds of Joe Jackson. I'm playing the second disk from his live double set, and I can't seem to make it loud enough. Good thing Jean's not here. With all of her doctor appointments, she's having a tough time getting her desk into perfect shape (she wants it perfect before she goes out on maternity leave).

"Steppin' Out" is just ending: I'll have to play the disk again.

So Jean has gone back to work (after we had a brief dinner together). She's getting tons of stuff done, and so am I. I've just recorded the Argument to Book V of Paradise Lost for my Milton site. I'll take the .wav file into work tomorrow, convert it to RealAudio (both 28.8 and isdn), and post it on the University's RealServer. I finally unpacked and unencrypted the latest set of Banner manuals on my home computer. Now I have all the latest user manuals just a click away. I've done the dishes and am working on the bathrooms in anticipation of company this Wednesday. Cleaning is much easier when Joe is jamming.

Jean and I went to her doctor today for our monthly check up. These visits are getting a bit bland. They get Jean's weight (she's doing great!), listen to the baby's heartbeat (you can listen too if you want), the doctor measures her tummy, and we talk for two minutes tops. See you again in four weeks! I had thought we were switching to two weeks, but we've got one more month before that.

I'm grateful that things are this boring. Jean and I can concentrate on baby spinning and bumping all around, instead of worrying about the myriad of things that could go wrong. We can take walks. She's not condemned to bed for the next two and a half months.

Speaking of which, we keep finding new ways to measure how little time we have left. We've got less than eleven weeks until baby's here. Eleven weeks ago I had already started my new job with Information Services. That feels like two days ago, not eleven weeks. Sheesh. Plus we've got all the holidays ahead, which make the time go quicker and quicker.

Something I'm putting off tonight is calling Adaptec. They're the folks who make the PCI/SCSI adapter card that disabled my computer when I attempted to install my scanner two weeks ago. I need to talk to the support folks to find out exactly what I did wrong when installing their card. It may be that I have no interrupts left, and I'll have to wait for my next computer to scan. That would be bad. Especially with all those fun baby pictures coming up!

Jean just called. It's 10:45 and she's done for tonight. Tomorrow night we'll both finish cleaning the joint up for our Wednesday guests (and for us too!).

Today was clear but warm again. I think we made it up to 70 degrees. I hope it gets colder by Thanksgiving.

listening: Greatest Hits Volume I (Billy Joel); Joe Jackson Live 1980-86 (Joe Jackson); Walking a Changing Line (Ian Matthews)

reading: The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)

visiting: Joe Jackson