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This is my old weblog archive and is no longer actively updated. Please visit this link for my current blog.
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Michael's Diary -- 2001-2003 Archive
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12.23.2000
Ah, finally a day to sleep in. Somehow 11:00 seemed liked the crack of dawn. Bleary start to the day. We finally got out the door around 3:00 to the run errands. Went to our amazing butcher's. I took a number. It was 88. The "Now Serving" sign read 52. G wisely decided to go the Whole Foods and do the rest of the shopping while I waited my turn. Picked up the roast, some smoked meats for holiday snacking, some fixin's for my contribution to the holiday office party next week (jambalaya) and some cold cuts for lunch. Took about an hour. Walked down Lincoln Ave., laden with meat, toward the Whole Foods. G met me halfway and we went off to get some dog biscuits at the Three Dog Bakery and some crab meat at Burhop's fish market for the potato and crab soup I am making for Christmas Eve suppper tomorrow. Swung back by the Music Box theater. Alas, the last showing of White Christmas is all sold out. However, the pre-show singalong and seating of It's a Wonderful Life was available so we scarfed up some tickets, annoying though Zuzu Petals is, or whatever that little girl's name is. Then a stop for supper at Harmony Grill (mac&cheese for G, BBQ beef & sausage for self). Now we're home for a spell, the we'll be off to the pictures, again.
I love days like today. I felt like one of the Cratchits, bustling 'round the city to little shops collecting things for the Christmas feast.
Note to self: remember to call Mom for potato recipe.
Called Mom this morning and confirmed that yestrerday's FedEx had arrived. I was surprised when sister Siobhan picked up the phone! She and Brian flew in to Albany through Chicago. If they have a significant layover when they fly back Tuesday, we can possibly meet for lunch or a drink or something. That will depend of course on flight times, etc. This morning UPS showed up at our door with an Amazon.com package for me from brother Sean & Tina. Nicely wrapped by Amazon! I wonder what it could be. A cunning note attached refers to Bond movies, so cunning I can only guess at the contents of this lovely package. No sign of any other packages though, as of 7:20 pm, if anybody's checking in to see. No worries though -- the Sheehan Crimbo tree is well-laden, and I haven't even wrapped my presents for Genevieve yet.
7:27 PM
12.22.2000
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: wow. An excellent movie that somehow blended eye-popping and graceful martial arts action with a vividly realized, romantic, poetic meditation on love, life, death and letting go of who you are, and who you might become. I can't for the life of me think of another picture that combines those elements, certainly as skillfully as director Ang Lee manages to do. In Roger Ebert's review he makes note of the audience reaction at Cannes to the first of the film's many sweeping martial arts battles: spontaneous applause. Same thing tonight at humble Pipers Alley. Ebert has an interview with Ang Lee about the "analog" (as opposed to digital) fight effects in the movie that is worth reading. G & I were particularly impressed with Michelle Yeoh's fine acting. Ms. Yeoh is a famous martial arts star, whom we had only seen in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies -- and heck, there's only so much acting, per se, that you can do in a Bond film. We were knocked out by her quiet grace, her ability to communicate the unspoken, and her reserved but powerful performance. Really a revelatory job. I have not been able to recommend a picture this enthusiastically since, maybe, American Beauty.
On other fronts, got upstairs in the office at 6:00 only to find the last FedEx pickup was at 4:00. Called the 800 number and found a FedEx office about a quarter mile away. Had to stop at the camera store first, where I was waited on by Ansel Adams' grandfather. The glacial pace of the sweet old guy's service made me feel like I was in a Hitchcock movie. He finished up in time for me to sprint to the Tower, only to find that Ticketmaster sales ended at 6:00. Onward to the FedEx, successfully -- package should get to Mom's tomorrow. Got to the theater to find that Mom's packages for us arrived today -- the ones addressed to both of us anyway. Saw the movie, had some Chinese food, and are now too weary from the movie and food to go to Steph and Mark's for the party Steph's sister is having. It is also deadly cold and it would take a lot of motivation to head out. So, soon to bed. Shopping for the Christmas menu tomorrow! Yum.
11:07 PM
Well, an actually busy day! Got a lot done on the intranet site. Needs a little touching up. Actually, needs one word removed. Of course, the server in the Netherlands decided to hang on me just when I was going to make this one last change. To hell with it, I'll do it Wednesday when the office reopens.
I also successfully wrapped Teige's presents and the little ones for Teige and Becca Mom and Dad. Well, as successfully as I wrap anything. The gifts actually look like they've been gnawed at by rabid wolverines. OK, maybe that's a little strong. Rabid, but jolly wolverines.
Still have to drop off the FedEx, get a camera battery, tickets for the singalong at the Music Box Theater -- a double bill of White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life on the big screen, with a carol singalong in between accompanied by the theater organ. We have wanted to do this for years but have never been around for it. Hopefully I can still snag tickets. Now, off to errands and certain freezing of my ass and a race to the Pipers Alley theater before showtime.
5:54 PM
A nice evening with our friends Steph & Mark, Steph's sister & friend, and Steph & Mark's two friends from Alaska. G spent a lot of her formative years in Alaska so there was much to talk about. I was feeling kind of tired and so was not my usual bubbling self. We went to the Clark Street Ale House, a usual haunt. I had but three beers (no headache or dizziness today, huzzah!) because I wanted to feel relatively fresh today.
And I do. Despite the fact that tired though I was, I decided to tinker with the settings on the DVD player and amplifier to see if I could get a more satisfying whoomph out of the subwoofer when watching DVDs. The player has 5.1 outs. The amp has a 5.1/DVD in. Alas, the low frequencies are not loud enough. When playing video tapes or watching TV in Dolby Surround mode there is ample whoomph. But DVDs, not so good. In fact, at times barely audible when I know it should be really rumbling. When, for example James Bond blows something up.
So, I started making some adjustments. "This will only take a half hour or so," I said to myself. I should know myself better. It's the kind of thing which, once begun, thoroughly sucks me in. By 1:30 every possible combination of wirings and settings resulted in the sound coming out of the subwoofer being exactly the same as it was when I began. Oh well. I did manage before collapsing to redirect some of the bass to the front and center speakers, so there is a slight overall improvement. .
A nice sitting with a couple of enlightening little moments this morning. Interrupted, slightly, by an unexpected but welcome call from my Mom, wondering if her parcel of Christmas packages has arrived yet (it hadn't as of this morning -- but that's OK, because Mom had thought today was Saturday, and they are due to arrive Friday night at the latest -- that is, tonight). There's a FedEx or two winging its way here also. On our part, I have the awesome resonsibility of completing our presenting by wrapping and shipping the second part of brother Teige's present and getting it there by tomorrow. FedEx says they can get it done. I just hope Tom Hanks isn't on the plane.
With reports of yet another snowstorm supposedly blowing into Chicago tonight, it's time to breathe a sigh of relief that we aren't flying anywhere this weekend. Of course, we will miss hanging with everyone and I hope everyone understands. We will be connecting at a distance and broadcasting good wishes on Christmas day.
Very excited to get into the weekend. Some intranet work to do here at the office and some thoughts to write up for Gary regarding a proposal to potential customer which we have to get together next week. Then, off with friends to see "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" at Piper's Alley. Looks like a good one. I don't think the absence of mismatched lip-synching should detract from the film. We'll see.
11:58 AM
12.21.2000
Turns out I did spell auspicious incorrectly. How inauspicious.
Today, a late start, but some effective work for Customer pro bono. Then, in to the office. Plagued by a little bit of the dizziness which has been present since Monday's illness. I returned Sunday from a work function in Toronto, had some chili and a burger at a local pub, went to bed, woke up from a nightmare of being trapped in Toronto's airport at five a.m., with the room spinning wildly about me. Staggered into the bathroom and began the first of several emetic episodes for the day. Dizziness, emissions and inability to focus my eyes persisted until noon, when I was able to go back to sleep for a while. I awoke, weak, tired, but much better, around 4:00 pm or so, still the teensiest bit dizzy but able to eat something (a chicken sandwich and some broccoli). Slight dizziness has persisted all week, a little more pronounced today, but the wacky Chicago weather also plays havoc with my sinuses and may be to blame. If it continues into next week I will be visiting the doctor. Could have been food poisoning from the pub (very possible) or a bug that has been going around with similar symptoms.
Christmas presents have arrived at Sheehan Chicago HQ from Mr. & Mrs. Dudzik, the Barrett clan (always a treat to pull little kids' presents from the box. "They're always the best," said G as she did so, and I concurred), and the Smiths. Our gifts went out last Friday and should be on doorsteps today, or tomorrow at the very outside, if UPS is gettin' it done. One last gift will go out by overnight mail tomorrow -- the last portion of brother Teige's present -- sure hope it gets there.
I am very ready for a long weekend and a relaxing Christmas day. Last weekend was a non-weekend, what with travel to Toronto. Illness on Monday left me feeling hideously spent for the rest of the week. Dizziness aside, I am feeling a bit closer to being "back."
Last night, I abandoned gift-wrapping plans for tidying the house, sorting my CDs in the portable CD player carrying case I have, and watching a video. Swapped some CDs in, swapped some CDs out. I always have a bias for a lot of King Crimson, Grateful Dead, Guitar Craft and Peter Gabriel discs in there -- the damn thing holds nearly forty CDs -- but spice it up with the likes of Ween or some jazz as well.
Tonight, drinks with friends. I have found that as I age my alcohol tolerance gets higher, in terms of consumption, but drastically lower in terms of "next-day coping." In other words, I get splitting headaches quite often. Ironically, I get worse headaches the less I drink. Enough beers to have a little buzz = headache city. Prodigious, Ulysses S. Grant-worthy inebriation = relative comfort. Not the kind of behavior modification program I need given the nature of my plans for the next year -- moderation being the key word.
3:58 PM
12.20.2000
Tidying up around the house. G & I were just discussing last night's viewing, "8MM" starring Nicholas Cage. Rather pretentious, all said. Inferior to "Hardcore" starring George C. Scott, eons ago, but a similar idea, just a different "hook." Too much gratuitous peepshow stuff.
A busy day, and a busy evening. G out with a friend for drinks. Wanted a pizza, but my favorite pizza joint -- the only one in Chicago that makes pizza just like home back in New York -- couldn't take credit cards tonight for some reason, and I had no ready cash. So, another sentimental, perennial dish from my Albany days -- yes, that's right, spaghetti, with plain ol' sandwich bread to sop up the extra sauce. Yum. Fortunately, G's oatmeal scotchies and some Haagen Dazs vanilla, just a little of each, made for a top-shelf dessert, the likes of which I will be abjuring soon. But you'll have to wait until 2001 to see how that goes.
9:55 PM
Snow falling, again, here in Chicago. A useful day, generally. Began with a very good meditation this morning, some accomplishments at a customer (a pro bono customer, but a customer all the same) a quick lunch with a colleague from Toronto who will be working more closely with our office in the next few months, a return trip to the office for a quick conference with another colleague regarding a potential customer, and then a visit to that potential customer, which went very well. Auspiscious. Did I spell that correctly?
Soon, a slog through the muck and snow to the El. Thank goodness for the new Guitar Craft Grossderschau CD. I foresee a longer-than-usual commute to the North Side. Tonight, wrapping Christmas presents for the lovely wife.
Now, spending a few minutes updating the diary. Daily updates, as I mentioned, will begin January 1. Hold your breath.
6:14 PM
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