I got stuff done at work today. Well, in the sense that I now have some annotations and knowledge that I can point to and claim that that's how I've been spending my time. This is not to say that I've done anything productive per se; mainly I've been websurfing to gather information so I can write some IDS signatures, which I guess I'll start doing tomorrow. It's easy to write them--no one said they had to work, at least on the first go.
I did accomplish a number of things today, all of them fairly inane: filed my tax return electronically, made a 2001 contribution to my IRA so I don't have to eat cat food for dinner when I'm 70, bought sneakers and a nice-sized small duffel bag and boxer briefs (thinking about making the switch). Exciting, I realize.
I've spent a little bit of time reading up again on cohousing, which is a sort of mellowed-out relative of co-op or communal living. I've always liked the idea of hijacking some friends and setting everyone up within a block or two of each other so we can hang out and watch each other's kids. Not surprisingly other people had this idea too, since this is just How The World Used To Be, although I wasn't there at the time. I doubt I have the temerity to go through the actual building process, but I'm all for people living near each other on purpose.
I finally bought plane tickets today to go to New York City at the end of the month: the Dynamics, the a cappella group I started at Skidmore, is performing at Lincoln Center on the 28th, in the Finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A cappella. I thought about my priorities for all of thirty seconds before realizing that this was the sort of thing I'd hoped for the group ever since I started it, and I'd be stupid to not go and see how it's endured and flourished. So we're doing a ninja run, flying in on Friday evening and flying out Monday morning, and staying...somewhere. I'm figuring there's got to be someone's hotel room we can crash in or something.
Whoa. I just looked at the Dynamics repertoire, and I'm really looking forward to seeing them. Too bad it will only be a few songs.
Corresponding a little bit with my ex-girlfriend's mother, who is very nice and does a lot of alumni work for my alma mater (she's the President of the Alumni Board, actually). Said ex-girlfriend is apparently now going to grad school in Illinois, and has a horse and is really enjoying life, and I'm very happy for her. It got me thinking about how I and the people I went to school with have now moved on to build better and grander lives that we really enjoy: I'm really happy, and I don't want anyone else's life, because I like mine. Which doesn't mean I don't get jealous of other people for one reason or another, because I do. But all things considered, I'm happy with where I am, and the things that I'm not quite as thrilled with are all manageable in some way. Life is good.