Joann is evil.

So, the other day I went on a shopping trip with Meredith, her Mom, her sister, and our niece Shelby (3) and nephew Jared (almost 2). One of our stops was at Joann Fabrics.

As an aside - we found unfinished pine Adirondack chairs there for $40. So if you want some, that's the place to go.

Anyway, we had checked out, and were waiting at the front of the store. Shelby and Jared had gone out into the entrance area. It was one where there's a sliding door on the front of the store, then as you come in, a sliding door in front of you for the entrance, and on the side of you for the exit.

Jared saw us waiting by the checkout lines, and pressed himself up against the glass wall, trying to get our attention. I was playing with him, pointing at him, and started pretending to sneak up on him. My powers of stealth, however, were no match for the sensor on the sliding door. Across it came, plowing straight into Jared's side, sending him and his *very* surprised look flying across the entrance way.

He had already been: sick, stabbed with a pencil, and had his fingers slammed in a door that week. This was just too much for him, and he started bawling. After seeing he was ok, the rest of us found it pretty funny.

Great Quote

"I know a number of people who do great work, and it's the same with all of them. They have little discipline. They're all terrible procrastinators and find it almost impossible to make themselves do anything they're not interested in."

I think this describes me quite well. I think Meredith would agree. :)

Unloading, please, weight

One of my other resolutions is to trim down a little bit. Meredith and I have been going to spinning classes, and I'm currently in physical therapy for my shin and my shoulder. Pretty soon, I'll be able to start running again.

Since I didn't really post a good list, here's some other goals for 2005. Not all are likely, but that doesn't make them bad - just ambitious. More may be added as I think of them.

Tier 1: Time And Effort

Set a new personal best for a 5k race.
Run a half marathon or relay marathon.
Get down to 150 pounds or a 32 waist.
Paint the interior of our house.
Install lighting in our loft.
Pass the Sun Certified Programmer for Java test.

Tier 2: The Challenges

Run a marathon.
Do a triathlon.
Help my company turn a profit this year.
Get a raise.

Tier 3: Hope Springs Eternal

Pay off our house. This one may be on the list another 30 years. :)

Aaand, we're back.

Tonight is the end of my Christmas break, during which I haven't been at the computer much. It was nice to have a couple weeks off, though.

Our Christmas was a bit of an adventure. First, we ended up hosting for Meredith's family, because neither her parents nor her sister had power due to the blackouts all over Columbus. We're still cleaning up the debris from hurricanes Shelby and Jared (our niece and nephew).

Next, we braved the ice and snow to drive to my family in Cleveland. Somewhere around Mansfield, I-71 kind of disappeared for a while under the ice. We still made it without too much trouble, though. It was nice to see everyone up there.

We started one of our new years resolutions tonight: to wash the dishes after every dinner. We'll see how that goes. :)

Current Dishes in Sink: 0