Sheep Guarding Llama

Worked from home this morning for just a little bit because I needed to go give a talk on, and review some storage recommendations, for a small network overhaul project.  This was one of those “everyone you have spoken to is crazy and trying to take massive advantage of you” talks that actually went over exceedingly well and everyone was able to understand the actual business implications of what I was saying and appreciated me bringing a technical, rather than a sales, approach to the entire process.  I left feeling very good about the process and feeling appreciated for having actually saved someone money and protected them from both overspending and from overall technical risk.  A major win on the personal success scale.

Then it was into the office and I worked through the lunch hour.  No food for me today since it is Thursday and I have to go to Medifast this afternoon for my check in.  I always avoid eating on Thursdays so that my weight in isn’t so bad.

I had my Medifast meeting at twenty till three, then back to the office.  This evening, after work, I drove down to Arlington to go to the Brickhouse to do salsa dancing for the evening.  That went pretty well and, for the first time, I was introduced to people as a trainer!  I spent almost the entire night not learning salsa but actually teaching the steps to others, mostly new people but some of the existing students as well.  That was really encouraging that they felt good enough to have me introducing new people to salsa dancing already.

Another “nothing in particular” day.  I worked from home today so got to see the girls all day.  Pretty slow day.  Work has been super slow recently.  I like that.

I am heading to Chicago in less than a week.  That should be fun, flying up and back in 24 hours.  I haven’t been to Chicago, except the airport, more than twice in my life.  Once for a weekend when I was about twelve and once for just a few minutes in my early twenties doing a quick drive from Rochester to Gary, Indiana and back to help someone move stuff from their apartment really quickly – that trip was twenty hours total including both legs and all of the time loading the truck.  So it will be nice to get to spend a little time, very little, in Chicago and see it again.  It has been at least twenty two years if not twenty six since I stood downtown.

Went to Redneck early tonight.  Not sure why I was there early.  I don’t remember at this point.  But according to FourSquare I was there just after nine which means that Liesl was still awake but Luciana was not.  I don’t normally go out that early because I wait for them to be asleep and normally for Dominica to be heading to bed before I go out so I was probably meeting someone like Watson for drinks but I honestly can’t remember.  So I’ll just speculate that I was hanging out with Watson tonight and was home early.

In the office today.  It has been nearly seven years that I’ve been with the same firm, so “going to the office” is pretty awfully generic.  Every day is basically like any other.  It is nice because it is low key and not stressful in any real way but it is bad because there is no adventure or excitement.  For the most part, it is really quite boring.  Even busy days are only busy, not challenging.

At lunch, Dan and I went to Redneck, big surprise.  After work I stopped off at Our Place, which comes highly recommended for their Indian cuisine, and got takeout to bring back home to Dominica. She really likes it when I bring home dinner – which I really should not do because it is never as healthy as eating at home but it is so hard to resist.

So we ate our Indian curries and watched Dr. Who this evening as a family.

Normal Monday at the office.  After work today I came home for a bit and then drove out to Arlington to go out dancing for my regular Monday night lessons except that tonight the normal place where we get our lessons, the Studios at Las Colinas, were closed so instead we were dancing at Septembers at the Hilton in Arlington, so I had to drive way out there.  Chris and I got there long before anyone else.   It made for an interesting night since the venue did not realize that we were coming and they already had stuff going on.  So we had to fit in around everyone else.  Still, learned some new things and it was, by far, the largest audience that I have had while ballroom dancing.  I did not like having to do the really long drive, though.  I could do without that.

More or less a quiet day around the Miller household.  Early in the afternoon we drove out to Willowbrook Mall and did some shopping at Target.  Then we hit Men’s Warehouse as I have no good clothes that fit me anymore.  I really needed some stuff so we picked up two new suits, one of which is basically identical to my old olive suit that I only got to wear once or twice but doesn’t fit anymore since I lost the weight, and a charcoal one plus two sport coats, two new shirts and two new ties.  It was the buy one, get one sale there so it worked out pretty well.

On the way back from ordering my new clothes we stopped off at the Roti Grill where we like to get Indian and got some take out to take back to the house.  I stayed in the car with the girls who had fallen asleep while Dominica got our food.

We went back to the house and ate our food while watching Dr. Who.  We have been working our way back through the entire show again.  Liesl is now old enough to be able to follow along and she really loves it.  She is starting to ask for it as what she wants to watch.  We are so proud of her 🙂