Little Things

Sometimes, the little things can make you happy. Sure, taxes are high, the politicians are all pandering nutjobs, the economy is in the shitter, we just bombed another country, gas prices are unspeakable, cancer still exists and real driving, spawning, voting human beings actually watch Jersey Shore. But my new glasses fit perfectly, so I guess it's all okay now.

I got some sweet new frames, and updated my prescription. When the lenses came back, they were a bit off, so we got them recut, and they worked just fine. However, during all the adjustments, one of the temple frames had been lowered by a fraction of an inch, so one side sat on my face slightly higher. I wore them this way for a week, constantly pushing the right side up so they would be "even." No one but me could have noticed, but it drove me fucking crazy. I finally found time to go back and get them adjusted, and now all is right and balanced in the world. This sates my OCD and makes me immeasurably happy.

Also on the list of silly little things that spackle the holes in my black, cynical heart:

The vet where I put Mulder to sleep sent me a little clay paperweight with an impression of his paw. It's an odd color, almost like a Carolina blue, but it has a proud spot on my desk.

I just bought a new laptop for home. Ordered additional RAM, too, to self-install. And a nifty USB docking station. And a wireless printer. Upgraded to Office 2010 and Win 7 Pro. Installed a virtual machine running XP, to use legacy software. Moved all my documents and files and everything went swimmingly and without a hitch, except, of course, for iTunes. Good god do I hate Apple and their software. The clunkiness, lack of flexibility and walled-in bullshit surrounding their products is why I will never EVER use an iPhone. (And I say this as someone who had Macs for his first three computers). Finally, though, I was able to fight through the nonsense and get my library restored and synched, playlists, lyrics and ratings intact.

I also installed a new, spiffier wireless router. If you're looking for an inexpensive, superior-performing router for home, I highly recommend this one. They don't sell in big box stores, but all the glowing reviews on amazon are right. It's fantastic. (Plus, I contacted customer service via email to get copies of the manual and set up guide prior to its arrival and they responded rapidly. Very friendly and efficient). Reconnecting all the various devices (laptops, printer, blu-ray, BlackBerry) was a snap. Even better, I named my home network "TARDIS."

I can't sing the praises of Peapod enough. Click a few things, keep your regular shopping list online, and magically (okay, for eight bucks) groceries just show up at your door when you want, with no parking, no buggies, no cramped checkouts, no kids screaming for candy, no lugging bags from the car to the kitchen. Even some of the items I wouldn't have thought to be suitable for home delivery, like deli cut sandwich meat and butcher cut and trimmed steaks, have been absolutely top shelf. Heaven.

Baseball season started, filling the post-football void. Welcome back, Braves. (Also nice: listening to the Braves game with hometown announcers at work - where streaming is blocked - via the MLB At Bat app on my CrackBerry. Well worth the $14 price tag).

Geeky t-shirts, like this one, that just arrived at my door: