On Some Faraway Beach

Ok here we are, on Bill’s Mac. The day started out with my iPod skipping songs in a playlist. The other day they were there, today they aren’t. A while ago I logged into a website for determining the life of your iPod. My iPod is scheduled to die on December 1, 2008, which is right around the corner.

I couldn’t figure out what was happening and couldn’t find any easy answers online. It wasn’t the end of the world and I figured though it would be time consuming I could replace the missing songs when I got home. But that would depend on my computer working properly, and it isn’t which is why I am on Bill’s Mac.

I seem to have a very good wireless connection, excellent it tells me, but it’s trying to acquire a network address. That does me no good.

One thing I learned today during some downtime was sewing. I was able to tighten up some buttons that were loose enough to make me worry about losing them. It was so much easier to grasp the concept of sewing watching it on video and it didn’t involve pricking my finger constantly.

So I didn’t lose too much blood and was able to re-sew a few buttons, which was a check mark in my accomplishment column.

Jeez, Bill’s Mac is so much easier and friendly. Not as temperamental as mine.

Greg Stevens returned from his vacation in Arizona. It was good to see him and it’s an interesting thing, our friendship. He really looks out for me and sat me down to tell me what Vivek told me a week or so ago, about how my job is relatively “stable”. Of course anything could happen overnight.

Greg mentioned that he lost quite a bit of money due to the distress of CitiGroup. He worked for them for 20 years and acquired stock. Now that stock is basically worthless. He was looking forward to retirement but doesn’t know how that will go.

He and his wife might sell their Manhattan apartment and live in Southampton and Arizona. If he’s worried about things then we’re all basically on shaky ground.

Greg also mentioned that I wouldn’t be getting a bonus this year. To tell you the truth I wasn’t really expecting one. I told him that, and also that I have had jobs where I didn’t get anything so not getting something that didn’t really exist isn’t really that much of a problem, though last year’s bonus was quite nice.

I think Vivek has a plan for me to work with another partner of his for a different company. It would be nice if more money was involved, but we have to have a sit down to discuss his plans for me.

Last night I watched the season finale of True Blood, which was very good. Edge of the seat type of thing. Turned out the woman that Tara was living with, with the musician known as Egg, wasn’t the devil. Still a scary chick though, that’s for sure.

It was very very good though and I won’t say anything else in case some of you hadn’t seen it yet and will wait for the DVD. Entourage was also very good, also a season finale with a happy ending and cameo appearances too.

My computer is still on the fritz but obviously it isn’t all bad since you’re still reading this.

And I suppose if all else fails employment wise, with my new skills sewing I could perhaps start a career as a tailor. Buttons only though, don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.

Ahem.

5 thoughts on “On Some Faraway Beach

  1. bhikkhu

    I didn’t know Ipods had a shelf life. It seems so unfair. I still have cassettes and walkmans, so I’m old school technology….congrats on the sewing. i should teach myself too…..yeah, I had CITIGROUP stock too. My old company (Salomon Bros.) that I worked for 7 years in NJ for got bought out by Citigroup, so I had lots of CITIGROUP stock. It was worht $23,000 two years ago, then 11k, then 7k, and I sold out at 5k. It’s worth single dollars now. I lost 18k, so, it’s a bad situation. If you have your 401k tied up in all it’s stock, it’s plummet-ville. I don’t think they are going to rebound…..glad you still have a job……

  2. johnozed Post author

    It’s funny in a fucked up way, but the iPod on the fritz (just reloaded the individual tracks to no avail. tooks hours) the computer also near flatlining (Rand might look at it tmrw) and the only thing that went well was sewing on buttons.

    Could this be a premonition? Or an omen? That faith in technology is on the wane and better get acclimated to the simpler things in life????

  3. betti cola

    Sewing is a great skill! I learned to sew at 5 or 6 ’cause my grandmother was a seamstress! My Grandma would be proud of you!

  4. betti cola

    Oh, and to you and bhikkhu – I lost nothing! Sometimes, rarely but sometimes it’s good to be poor!

  5. bhikkhu

    Ah, it was all money just on paper. A few dollars each week out of my paycheck. So it’s all found money to me, but still, 23K qould have been nicer than 5K……I’m not upset.

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