February 26, 2005 Flashlight Tag Guess where I'm posting from? Okay, yes, it's the comfy chair. But I'm also posting from my brand new laptop! Today was extraordinarily slow at work, and since I'm at a standstill on the intranet site (Mark P. and I have to come up with an overall look and feel for the site before I can create any more pages), I decided to set up the computer to suit my needs. This morning before work, I got it connected to the wireless router (we have simple encryption, but it works nonetheless, and I had to remember what the key was), then packed it up in my old computer bookbag to take to work with me. That meant I had to lug in two computers plus my workout gear. It's seriously starting to look like I'm moving into the Consulting Company. The computers kept trying to "talk" to one another, but the connection would be lost every time I tried to send files from one to the other. I finally started burning things to rewritable CDs until I remembered that the Consulting Company gives all its employees a jump drive (which is attached to my keychain...for all those times I need to save a file from somewhere remote, I guess). After that, it was just a matter of plugging in the drive, moving a few files over, plugging it into the other computer and dropping the files in the appropriate places. It still feels a little foreign to me. The fact that I have Office 2003, while work is still on 2002 makes things a little different. At least I have the full suite now, which is nice. I loaded up all the programs I simply can't live without, which took me most of the day. In the middle of the day, Tamra and I went down to the gym. She used the weight equipment, but it was a cardio day for me. I got on the treadmill and bumped it up to 7.5 MPH, which allowed me to get four miles in! At my most fit, I was doing five miles a day (or every other day, depending on how my legs felt that week), at about 8 MPH. I hope to get into that kind of shape fairly soon. Tomorrow, since it's a weight day, I'll use the bike for my cardio workout. I don't like the stationary bike, but I have to get used to pedaling, if I'm going to do that triathalon Sean wants to do again (second time for him, first time for me). Susan is on a mini-vacation in Maine right now, so I'll have to wait until Tuesday to talk to her about memberships at the YMCA she works at. I may sign up for her spinning class. From everyone's accounts, she kicks people's asses in that class. I've been giving my housing situation some thought, and an idea struck me today. Why don't I just buy this house from Mom? It wouldn't be as easy as all that, of course. Lots of things would have to happen in order for me to set it up so that it's a good deal for both of us, but the truth is that I'm happy here, I don't want this house going into someone else's hands, and I can't stand the thought of Mom moving into some condo. My thought process is this: Mom retires in another 4-5 years. Her Social Security is going to be dismal, and her pension plan (401K) isn't in much better shape. She'll always get something from the MA Teacher's Retirement Board (from Dad), but still, all that will add up to just about enough for her to sell this place then move in somewhere much smaller and tighten her belt to the point of cutting off circulation. If I bought the house and took over the mortgage, the water, the electricity and so forth, she'd be able to stay here as long as she lives, because all the worries she has about growing older and keeping up a house (yard work, repairs, being alone, etc.) would be somewhat alleviated by my being here. She wouldn't have to give up her space or anything in it, except I'd ask to have both bedrooms upstairs that aren't hers (one is now a spare bedroom, which I could turn into an office to hold all my books and as a place to write, while keeping a bed in there for the occasional guest); and one of the basement rooms (the "train room," which has been Chris' unofficial storage space since before he moved out, and I think it's time he got his things out of there anyway, leaving me enough room to store whatever I wanted there). I haven't brought it up with Mom yet, because I want to give it at least another couple of days' (couple of weeks'?) thought. The idea of a grown man living with his mother is such a loser idea for most people, even if I was the one who owned the house. But I have to think about what would make me happy, and knowing that my family is taken care of makes me happy. The pool makes me happy. Living next door to Chris, Susan and the kids makes me happy. Converstions with Mom make me happy. Of course, a relationship would be tricky. Most men I know would consider a guy who lives with his Mom to be some sort of weirdo, but then again, if a guy doesn't understand my love of my family and my concern for Mom's welfare, then he's not someone I'm going to end up with for the rest of my life, anyway. My cousin Diane has her mother living with her. My mother's best friend is moving in with her daughter by the end of this year. What would be the difference if I bought this place outright, took away all financial strain on her (the way she did for me when I first moved in), and then settled the inheritance issue with my brothers when the time comes (hopefully a long, long time from now)? The fact that it's not "my" place, in that Mom has decorated and furnished it? I like the way it looks, and I can always express myself in the rooms I'd designate as my own. The freedom? Mom has always given me all the space I've needed, since I was a teenager. The only downside I can see right now is society's idea of a guy (especially a gay guy) who live with his mother. But then again, when have I ever cared for what "society" thinks? Like I said, I have a lot of thinking to do, but right now, it's an option that's worth the thought. After work today, Laurie and I considered seeing a movie (which would be appropriate, given that the Oscars are handed out tomorrow night, and we've seen few of the films which have been nominated), but she didn't seem excited about the idea, and I was craving pizza from the Best Pizza Shop in North Suburban Boston, so we went to her house to watch TiVoed episodes of Enterprise and The O.C. I'm very sad that Enterprise is going away. It's not as compelling as Voyager or Deep Space Nine were, but it was a unique approach to an old standard. Besides, Scott Bakula has the best 50-year-old ass I've seen in a jumpsuit (which is a very specific category, I'll admit). I've just gotten used to (after four seasons) all the characters and how they related to one another. A couple more seasons would have done the show some good. Of course, everybody's raving about the new Battlestar Galactica, so I'll have to check that out. I saw the movie that began it all and was very impressed; I just never seem to be around when it's airing. Laurie's landlord's son Tefan came down to watch TV with us. He's 13, and I think the house upstairs is too hectic for him at times (with a baby and lots of friends from Jamaica showing up all the time), so he seeks refuge at Laurie's place, taking Kukla, the min-pin (miniature Doberman Pinscher) with him. She's the most nervous dog I've ever seen in my life, but she's always loving. I actually like a teeny little dog; it's scary. We had to put a moratorium on Tef's use of the term "stupid" for everyone and everything on TV. He's at an age where he desperately wants to be cool, and I think declaring everything "dumb" and "stupid" makes him feel like he's cool. Of course, hanging around with two grown adults who watch as much TV as we do isn't especially "cool," but we like having him around, so I'm not going to point that out to him. I was exhausted by the time 9:45 rolled around, so I decided to go home. Of course, once I got home, I got some sort of a second wind, and now I'm busily writing and surfing the web, playing with the camera some more, and looking up markets in which to sell my stories and plays. Maybe I shouldn't aspire to be a day shifter at work. Nighttime hours seem to be when I do my best. Speaking of doing night work, I experimented once again with darkness and available light. I brought a flashlight around the darkened basement with me, seeing what kind of cool effects I could get, again without using a flash. I like some of the shots I took, so once again, I'm subjecting you to them. How do you photograph a black dog at night? Shine a flashlight on him! I like how Skottie looks like he's in some sort of a spotlight; which, as we all know, is where he belongs. An old cabinet that used to be in my grandmother's basement, and now is in ours. I think it's filled with car parts, but this shot makes me think it looks like it's hiding something ominous. This is actually the furnace, with the flahlight propped up against it. I like the shiny metal and the two colors. It turned out nicely abstract, I think. I found a mannequin in the dumpster when I worked at the Burlington Mall, and I couldn't take the whole thing, so I grabbed a hand. Later, I spray-painted it with FleckStone and used it as a decoration wherever I lived. I like how creepy it looks on the basement floor. This one was taken just now, using a flash. It shows just how sleepy I really am, despite feeling wide awake. Also note the fabulous addition of a well-placed shaving cut. I promise I'll stop subjecting y'all to my "works" someday, but I love playing with the camera, and I'm a big ol' showoff, even if I don't have any talent in what I'm showing off. At any rate, I'd best get to bed. Work may not be as dull tomorrow (later today, actually) as it was today, and I might actually have to, you know, think.