Tonight, Quiet

Our house is normally quiet anyway, but it is more so at the moment, as my wife is in at work. She's been there all day, and expects to be there about another hour. This really is 'part of the job', as we say, and not one of those things that non-technicians like to assume that we're more than willing to do, just for the pleasure of the action and the greater glory of the company; at one time, it might well have been true, but reductions in staff and increases in workload have not only made us less likely to feel that way about the extra work, but to feel that way about the regular things, too. Last Sunday, for the first time, I think, ever, I shut off my pager, which had just gone off, thinking 'I'm not on call; no one should be trying to contact me.' And I only felt a little guilty.

We had a bachelors meal -- my daughter had a Stouffeurs French Bread Pizza, and I had a Flatbread Pizza. She had a tiny slice of mine, and chewed it thoughtfully, offering the opinion that it was different, but nice. I asked if she'd want it again; she said probably not. While she was doing homework afterward, I offered her a small chunk of Perugina chocolate with raspberry filling; unlike me, pretty much just popping it into my mouth, she looked carefully at it and then asked if that was, in fact, a gryphon embossed on the chocolate. And decided that yes, it was. We're different in some other ways, too -- I had a CD of Emmanual Ax playing softly while we ate; afterwards, she asked if I would mind if she switched to one of her CDs, as Ax was getting a little 'annoying'. Emmanual Ax, annoying -- imagine that! But we did get the chance to talk about CD players as a result, and I recalled that I had promised to buy her a new portable player if she did well, this marking period, and she did: first honors, again. So, tomorrow morning, while her mother undoubtedly and deservedly sleeps in, we'll off to Circuit City -- and possibly to the pet store for some GP food.

I can't wait for her mother to get back.