Yada yada yada

Bellagio Fountain
Originally uploaded by nordlys.

What have I been doing in my long vacation away from this blog? You may well ask. I'll try to hit some of the high spots, going back to early December. First, I went on a business trip (i.e. a bit of a boondoggle) to Las Vegas. Yep, you read that right: The gummint sent me to Sin City.

Effectively, I've never been there before since my only other visit was at the age of 13 and everyone knows Vegas has changed profoundly in the last few years anyhow. I had great fun with my colleagues, the conference was worthwhile, we had stupendous upgraded rooms at Caesar's Palace, I got to meet up with some friends, the weather was a welcome respite from the damp Northwest. It was all good. But it was weird, too -- artificial, noisy, irritating, plastic, jittery, slick, and just plain otherworldly. It seemed kind of like being in a science fiction movie. (You could not find a bookstore to save your life.) But I loved that this block in front of Bellagio's fountain show. (The fountains were also the view from my hotel room.) The only down side of this fine trip was that I began to fall a bit behind at work.

Rusty's patience is boundless
Originally uploaded by nordlys.

I was home for about a week before I headed to Ohio for Christmas vacation with all the cousins on my Mom's side of the family. We always stay in touch, but don't get to see each other that often. What have I been thinking?! I had an absolute blast and enjoyed everyone's company so much. No snow, but we had every other good Christmas thing.

Then it was back to work to rest up, where lo and behold, I was more behind than before. So, naturally, I decided to have a party. New Year's was out (too soon) and the Superbowl was out (not my cup of tea), so I had an Open House on January 28th. Thanks to a little help from my friends, it was pretty much of a success and I hope will become an annual event. (No pictures, alas.) Ruthie and Edgar had a good time being hosts, there was lots of delicious food (chili, ham, turkey, Norwegian cheeses, smoked salmon, the best ginger cookies in the world), delightful company. I 'd have to say it was a success and it was totally worth the three-plus weeks it took to plan, shop, cook, and spiff up the house. As a friend observed, you have a party and when it's over you have a clean house and a refrigerator full of food.

So, I'm still over my head at work. The Legislature's in session, my clients are hopping busy, but it's good to be useful and productive. Just a little less hectic might be nice. Stop by again, I'll try to make it (at least marginally) interesting.