Last Night's Mainstream Class

Last night's square dance class scared me a little, at least at first.

When we first brought the two squares out onto the floor and began the warm-up, absolutely nothing was going right. I expected a little difficulty with the latest calls we showed them (circulate, pass the ocean, etc.) but I didn't expect right & left grand and allemande left to spontaneously combust since they've seen those since the intro night months ago. WTF?!

My initial feeling of panic & dread was unfounded though... they were just slow to warm up. By the end of the first tip, most of the older material was working well. By the end of the second tip, even the latest material was danced with an impressive degree of confidence.

Last night's new calls were absorbed without trauma or difficulty. The last tip reviewing all of the calls to date was pretty smooth, all thing considered.

No club night this Thursday for Thanksgiving; I'm subbing for justetthon with the Ettseteras next Monday.

Last Night's Mainstream Class

Last night's square dance class scared me a little, at least at first.

When we first brought the two squares out onto the floor and began the warm-up, absolutely nothing was going right. I expected a little difficulty with the latest calls we showed them (circulate, pass the ocean, etc.) but I didn't expect right & left grand and allemande left to spontaneously combust since they've seen those since the intro night months ago. WTF?!

My initial feeling of panic & dread was unfounded though... they were just slow to warm up. By the end of the first tip, most of the older material was working well. By the end of the second tip, even the latest material was danced with an impressive degree of confidence.

Last night's new calls were absorbed without trauma or difficulty. The last tip reviewing all of the calls to date was pretty smooth, all thing considered.

No club night this Thursday for Thanksgiving; I'm subbing for justetthon with the Ettseteras next Monday.

Rampant Commercialism!

If today had a theme, it would be "all things commercial/financial."

My employer's stock price largely tanked today, down about 25% in a single day and about 50% over the past few days. Largely, I don't care much: while I do have some shares in my employer-managed stock bonus program, it's a tiny, tiny portion of my retirement portfolio. And if they laid me off, so much the better: my loyalties are divided anyway.

Our room rate for the Chesapeake Squares' fly-in next May has been confirmed at $104/night. It's a business expense for us so I again have minimal concern.

We received a check in the mail for last month's square dance calling services... I've entered it into QuickBooks and can deposit the check when I'm next near a bank machine. Invoices are prepped for this month's calling gigs.

I've had only $6 in my wallet the past three days so I was happy to get money from an ATM near my optometrist appointment. If only I had received the previously mentioned check first.

kent4str and cuyahogarvr spotted a very nice microwave oven, larger and more powerful than our existing (and failing) oven. cuyahogarvr saw the identical model for a lower price at Sears yesterday; while the first microwave was damaged, he was able to swap it today so we have a new microwave oven in the kitchen:


With $510 left in my medical savings account, I've been looking for places to spend money. Any funds left in the medical account would be forfeited to WageWorks at the end of the claim period (March 15, 2008) so I have an incentive to spend it. There may yet be a small balance owed to my dentist once Aetna is finished processing last week's claim and there's one more prescription renewal but that's about it. Today, I went to an optometrist.

Who knew having one's eyes checked could be so much fun (especially compared to my recent experience with my prior optometrist? Dr Ephraim was a delight: professional, thoughtful and thorough. His front-office staff were a riot and we had a blast looking at different frames for new glasses and checking into sunglasses. My eyes are slightly more near-sighted than two years ago but only just; I'd be able to work well with my existing stock of contact lenses and glasses.

But there is money to spend! I bought a new pair of glasses (with all the deluxe lens coatings), new sunglasses and a year's worth of new contact lenses. Despite my best efforts, I could only spend $422... my vision insurance is apparently very comprehensive and covered the lion's share of the actual bill. Bastards.

Here's me with sampler contact lenses of the new prescription (not a great photo... I do have a neck in real life), and with the new sunglasses:

Rampant Commercialism!

If today had a theme, it would be "all things commercial/financial."

My employer's stock price largely tanked today, down about 25% in a single day and about 50% over the past few days. Largely, I don't care much: while I do have some shares in my employer-managed stock bonus program, it's a tiny, tiny portion of my retirement portfolio. And if they laid me off, so much the better: my loyalties are divided anyway.

Our room rate for the Chesapeake Squares' fly-in next May has been confirmed at $104/night. It's a business expense for us so I again have minimal concern.

We received a check in the mail for last month's square dance calling services... I've entered it into QuickBooks and can deposit the check when I'm next near a bank machine. Invoices are prepped for this month's calling gigs.

I've had only $6 in my wallet the past three days so I was happy to get money from an ATM near my optometrist appointment. If only I had received the previously mentioned check first.

kent4str and cuyahogarvr spotted a very nice microwave oven, larger and more powerful than our existing (and failing) oven. cuyahogarvr saw the identical model for a lower price at Sears yesterday; while the first microwave was damaged, he was able to swap it today so we have a new microwave oven in the kitchen:


With $510 left in my medical savings account, I've been looking for places to spend money. Any funds left in the medical account would be forfeited to WageWorks at the end of the claim period (March 15, 2008) so I have an incentive to spend it. There may yet be a small balance owed to my dentist once Aetna is finished processing last week's claim and there's one more prescription renewal but that's about it. Today, I went to an optometrist.

Who knew having one's eyes checked could be so much fun (especially compared to my recent experience with my prior optometrist? Dr Ephraim was a delight: professional, thoughtful and thorough. His front-office staff were a riot and we had a blast looking at different frames for new glasses and checking into sunglasses. My eyes are slightly more near-sighted than two years ago but only just; I'd be able to work well with my existing stock of contact lenses and glasses.

But there is money to spend! I bought a new pair of glasses (with all the deluxe lens coatings), new sunglasses and a year's worth of new contact lenses. Despite my best efforts, I could only spend $422... my vision insurance is apparently very comprehensive and covered the lion's share of the actual bill. Bastards.

Here's me with sampler contact lenses of the new prescription (not a great photo... I do have a neck in real life), and with the new sunglasses: