sometimes I need to apologize, sometimes I need to admit that I ain't right, sometimes I should just keep my mouth shut, or only say hello, sometimes I still feel I'm walking alone

    Did I mention that I was planning on taking a couple of weeks off? I guess not. Well, there was that sleeping thing, which turned out to be a sinus infection and possible asthmatic bronchitis. Fifteen days' dose of thumb-sized antibiotics and a lot of sleep later, I'm pretty well back to normal. Whatever that means. Physically normal, I suppose. That's the best we can hope for.
     I'm waiting for a snowstorm to hit. "Winter Storm Q" is on its way. Allow me (thanks to NOAA) to illustrate.

Winter Storm Q

    There's not a whole lot going on out there (I mean, outdoors right here, right now--I realize that there is a major storm in existence!) but it's forecast to do a whole lot in a short period. More than an inch of snow an hour, and serious impact on the morning commute. So much for my early prediction that this would be another mild, dry winter, eh?
     One thing that I've taken a lot of time to think about over the past few weeks is the concept of 'snark' and its role in bullying. It's far too easy to hide behind sarcasm and painful wit, particularly online. People often make fun of or hurt others, even their friends, without specifically intending to do it, and sometimes even without thinking all the way through to the truth of what their words and actions do. Though it's true that one cannot always know with certainty what the results of our behavior will be, if you're a decent sort of person, you should probably think about what you say--especially to your friends--before you say it. If it's supposed to be funny, consider whether the humor is gained only at the expense of the person you're purporting to care about. If it is, then saying nothing at all is obviously the better choice. When in doubt (by which I mean, when your conscience is not utterly clear), don't make the wrong choice. Your victim is probably suffering in silence, and may eventually stop forgiving.
     I've recommitted to digitizing all my printed photographs. It's a long, slow process, but I've worked out a system so that I'm dealing with about ten sets per week. I scan them, label each scan, create an Excel file (actually a tab within a very large Excel spreadsheet) to describe each print in each set and the overall set, and then before they're stored, make sure that each print is labeled and the negatives are in order. At this rate it will take about a year. Nope, not kidding. At that point I can start working in earnest on sorting and labeling my photos that started out in digital format. Technology is awesome, except when it's a giant hassle. This is one of the projects (not the scanning part, but the organization) by  that's being made easier with the use of my new laptop.
     Over the past couple of months I've gained a stalker. It's not as dangerous or horrifying as it sounds; there's a very cute, fat & happy squirrel hanging out on the wall outside my office windows at work. This week, I managed to lure him closer, thanks to the careful placement of a quarter-cup or so of sprinkled peanuts on the (outside) window sill. He's spent probably two hours just sitting there, watching me work, munching away on slightly frozen, snow-covered peanuts. He's totally adorable. I have even been known to talk to him, which would be weird if there weren't someone else in the room to hear it.
     That's probably enough of an update. It's nearly 11, so it's time to get to bed anyway.
     Ooh, it's snowed more than I'd thought! There's almost an inch on the deck....

[the title quotation is by Billie Joe Armstrong]