sigh...

So all weekend long I have the place to myself, well me and the pets. Sarah's in Michigan again, so I've got two days and three nights of bona-fide spare time. Watch some TV, play computer games until 6 in the morning, nap frequently with the other domesticated, but dirty, animals. Should I do something productive or fulfulling, like start a blog? Nooo... something like that is best suited for 2 in the afternoon, at WORK. And here I am.

So, I'm no saint. I do good work when I do it, and I do it with sustainable efficiency. The only person new and naive enough to question my work ethic is gone today anyway, so I declare a 2 hour lunch starting at 11:30 today! Ah, "exempt." That magic word meaning no more punch clock. Got that status 5 years ago, and for the first 3 I actually respected it. There were still people to impress back then. Nowadays I've been here longer than just about anyone, and by the time I meet the new hires, they know me by reputation. Who would questions it?

And they shouldn't after all. Like I said, the work is done, and done well. I go above and beyond as far as they can tell, so everyone's happy. I think sometimes about all the great stuff I could do, all the big ideas I could grow if I actually got around to finishing one of those books.

Any graphics person or other computer nerd knows what I'm talking about - you go to the bookstore, flip through the design magazines, thinking, "Wow, I really need to get around to learning that." Next stop, the Computing section, looking for just "the right" book - the one that'll really get you on your way. Well, more likely it's the one with the most pretty color pictures. Regardless, you drop your $45, take it home, do the first 2 chapters at the computer while you eat dinner. After that, it goes to the "reference shelf." Your "expertise" not working out for you tonight? That's fine, as long as the Help menu is up there. Can't find what you're looking for there? Hey, maybe it's in my Reference Shelf. Anyway, stocking up on that stuff is good for morale... Doctors and Lawyers have diplomas, graphic artists have their big, thick books and software boxes. Granted, there's no shelf space at home for all that, but here... I can hear them now, "Wow, look at all that stuff he read..."

Well, not long now and I'll be under the microscope again. 5 months and 3 weeks before our lease is up again, and another shot to move is here. It would have been Madison, Wisconsin, and it would have been 10 days ago, but we didn't like it so much. The downtown was nice, and if you're ever there look for a place on State street called "The Radical Rye." Taaasty ruebens. Of course, we couldn't afford to live downtown, so it would have to be the suburbs for us. And oh, the options!

1. Older, with character but few conveniences, or

2. Brand new, $1300 a month with plenty to do in a newly razed dust field that could be in the middle of Nebraska for all we could tell. One place (we visited 22) even wanted to add $80 a month for our PUG. Please.

Really though, it wasn't a bad place, but we're pretty spoiled here. From Dairy Queen, Starbucks, Chipotle and our favorite thai place straight across the street, to a huge brand new mall and 24-plex stadium seating theatre, and a 15 minute drive to the heart of downtown Denver or the foothills of Boulder - it's tough to match our situation. Still we will continue to investigate all point Midwest, as all of Sarah's family is up there. Besides Ciera (my daughter, 9) I have few strong relationships holding me here, and for those periods when Ciera IS with me, I'd just as soon be away from her mother's family anyhow. Even if they DO like me more.

And so, our daily obsession with beautiful Madison, rated time and time again as one of the nation's best places to live and work, is long gone. Next stop? Cleveland, Ohio.