There are precious few times when I’m able to sit alone, quietly, in my own house. But this week is different. I’m out of school for the break, and the kids are in school through tomorrow. Every day I’ve watched them leave for school at 7:30am, followed soon after by Gerald leaving for the gym and the day’s errands. And then I’ve settled myself into my corner of the couch, diet vanilla coke at hand and powerbook on lap. I’ve had time to read, to think, to write (three posts in a row from me at Many-to-Many, no less—I’ve never managed that before ), to play.
I’m more relaxed right now than I’ve been in a long time. No big trips planned for a month or two, no major holiday shopping to do (we’re trying very hard to simplify the holidays). Some baking that I need to do in the morning and deliver to the women who work in our department office, a few gifts for the boys that need to be wrapped.
Amazingly, I’m almost caught up on blog reading, having plowed through hundreds of accumulated blog posts, not to mention Flickr photos from my friends. And I’ve even had time to follow interesting links! Tonight Ross posted a Flickr image of a new toy from Ambient Devices, makers of interesting objects that monitor information and present it to you in an environmental form—globes that glow different colors based on the stock market, cubes that reflect outside temperatures based on their hue. This new one, though, is the first one that I’ve found myself really lusting after. It’s called the Executive Dashboard, and it uses a retro analog needle approach to show you any three of a number of possible information flows in real-time—from number of email messages in your inbox to traffic congestion in your area to whether or not a “special someone” on your buddy list. Too cool.
Some of my technolust of the season has already been satisfied, however. Gerald (who’s constitutionally incapable of buying a gift and not giving it to the recipient immediately, and thus usually shops on Christmas eve) got me the Bluetooth headset I’ve been wanting. And it rocks! Works like a charm, and might even help protect me from all that nasty DNA damage I’ve been reading about…
And now I suppose I should actually go to sleep, since the boys will be waking me up tomorrow at 7:15 to say goodbye. Of course, I can just go back to sleep after that…one more day of true vacation bliss. Yum.
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