aquila_dominus

I have returned from Lost Wages.

As general highlights:

-  The nonstop flight from Albany to Las Vegas is very long, but well worth arranging to take the one flight a day offered.  Albany is a great airport to fly in and out of, being as it's quite small and they've done a great job keeping it comfortable.  Thus, no major airport psychosis before departure and Vegas is well... Vegas.

-  Got to hook up with jenna_thorn and himself while not at the conference, which was really fun.  I would have liked more time to hang with them, but this was not a vacation trip for me, it was work.  Still, we had a good time, saw a show and generally hung out, getting drunk and drunk dialing unclesiko, who apparently goes to bed way to early ;)

-  The conference went well.  I picked up lots of good information, made good contacts and got some actual business taken accomplished.

-  Our presentation was fantastic.  We had half a dozen 'names' from IBM in the audience, all of whom came up to thank and/or congradulate us on a good presentation.  Could not really have asked for better.

-  Got to see Spamalot and Zumanity.  I recommend Spamalot as a one time seeing.  I recommend Zumanity (not for the easily offended or sexually repressed) as many times as you can go.  We did not get to see all of the acts and I suspect they do that on purpose to keep you coming back.  In our show, during one of the audience participation bits, the retired English lady was... far from repressed.  At one point she had all of the actors focused on her; in a show were the actors are supposed to be keeping your focus on them.  The only act that gave me any issues was the 'Dislocation Artist'... I watched in fasciated horror.  Once he stopped dislocating his ribcage (yes, ribcage) it was just plain fascination.

-  Discovered that Vegas, most importantly the strip, is not where you go to eat healthy.  Healthy food seems to cost far more on the strip than I would have expected.  Still, I ate well and was as good as I could be.

-  Bring walking shoes (which I did).  Even with the above, I still managed to lose a little weight as I doubt the freshly laundered jeans I'm wearing this morning expanded in the wash.

-  The nonstop home from Vegas to Albany is a wonderful thing.  The flight is again long, but there are no transfers in the middle of the night.  The flight also gets in at midnight thirty, having you ready for bed even though it's only 9:30 Vegas time.  The caviate... get to the airport early.  Security in Vegas takes time... period.

-  Found many social statements when we got home... the cats will be boarded for New Zealand.

-  Found the hot water heater offline when we got home.  The boiler and circulator appear to be working fine, so it looks like it's the electronics on the boilermate.

-  Confirmed that getting contractors to arrive when they say they will is... nearly impossible.  I contacted the plumber at 10:00, said he'd be here between 12:00 and 2:00, called at 2:15 to say he'd be here in 45 minutes to an hour.  That was the last contact and we still have no hot water.  Looks like I'm showering at the office tomorrow.

-  I am very glad to be home.

Couple's meme

1. Who eats more?

Me, usually.

2. Who said "I love you" first?

OK now, we've been together just under a quarter century and you want me to remember that? I think I did though.

3. Who is the morning person?

Me because I have to get up to make it to work, though it takes me a good hour or more to get moving. Clue can just hop out of bed and be with it.

4. Who sings better?

Better? Hard question. We both sing quite well (at opposite ends of the scale). She memorizes music better but I can sight read better.

5. Who’s older?

Me. 14 months to the day.

6. Who’s smarter?

Depends entirely on the subject in question. We compliment each other quite well that way.

7. Whose temper is worse?

Wow, another tough one. She flairs faster but also moves through it faster. I am much slower to rise but I let it get far worse and it takes me much more to come down.

8. Who does the laundry?

Shared responsibility. I tend to be better at getting it through the machines but Clue tends to be much better a folding it when it comes out.

9. Who does the dishes?

Again, shared. A habit we recently picked up from my brother and sister-in-law; do them as they get dirtied and it takes far less time. The counts double for while cooking. If one is cooking, the other tends to clean up the dishes behind however.

10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?

Define 'right' side. We both sleep on the correct side. As you face the bed from the foot, I sleep on the right.

11. Whose feet are bigger?

Mine, no question.

12. Whose hair is longer?

Clue's, though 3 years ago it was mine.

13. Who’s better with the computer?

That would be me.

14. Do you have pets?

Three cats, two ball pythons.

15. Who pays the bills?

We 'pay' them together so we both know the state of the finances. I am the primary money earner however.

16. Who cooks dinner?

We prefer to cook together and when not, it falls more on Clue's side. That has more to do with the hour I get home from work than anything else.

17. Who drives when you are together?

Normally me. I do not passenger well, even when doped up on Tylenol 4 and Halcyon.

18. Who pays when you go out to dinner?

Whomever remembered their wallet. Same account so it really doesn't matter.

19. Who’s the most stubborn?

Whomever cares the most about the subject in question.

20. Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong?

We fight so infrequently that I'm not sure. Possibly me but I wouldn't hold to that.

21. Whose family do you see more?

Mine. We both like mine better.

22. Who named your pet?

The pets. Seriously. We try out names until the cats repsond. The snakes came with their names.

23. Who kissed who first?

She did, on the first date.

24. Who asked who out?

I asked her out, though I had to use my gaming character's name for her to realize who was asking her out.

26. Who’s more sensitive?

In general, likely me. I happen to be better at hiding it in most cases.

27. Who’s taller?

Me.

28. Who has more friends?

Ah, now we're into the tricky bits, especially after the last few years. Face to face types, we're about even and the number is lower than either of us would care for. Online, her, hands down.

29. Who has more siblings?

I have siblings, that makes it me.

30. Who wears the pants in the relationship?

I do. She tells me which ones to put on and I wear them ;-)