I’m in kind of a countdown mode lately, both working my ass off and spinning my wheels at the same time. That description seems contradictory, but if you’ve found yourself staring down a big change on the horizon with enough time to brace for it and put a few lingering affairs in order before the wave breaks, I suspect you can probably relate.

The last couple of weeks around this remotely hosted drive platter have been largely limited to the occasional link to some interesting piece of music, or a few sentences that probably ought to have just gone up on twitter instead, if it weren’t for my self-imposed requirement to get something up in the space on a semi-regular basis. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s noticed that the caliber of writing over the past year hasn’t been up to par, and on some level, that bugs me. However, as this year’s been a bit more hectic and eventful than the last few – I’ve been pushing myself really hard to do my best at work, along with pushing myself pretty hard to GET to work everyday. Despite the fact that I don’t have much extra time, the bits I do have I’ve been filling up with social engagements with my surprisingly large and diverse group of friends, that I really hadn’t even noticed I’d built up over the past three or four years. You guys are awesome by the way.

So, I haven’t had a lot of free brain space to gin up philosophical thoughts – I’ve largely been in survival mode (and barring that, social mode, which, for we introverted types, is a bit of work in itself, however rewarding), which has been taking up most of my time.

I’m not complaining, though; not really. In an effor to cope, I’ve found solutions to other lingering problems that weren’t as pronounced, and I’ve learned that I’m actually pretty resourceful when it comes to finding my way through a less-than-always-hospitable environment. Adversity teaches us lessons, right? I’m sure someone said that.

In any case…that’s gonna be the extent of the vague philosophical musings. It’s the best I can do right now; it’s not particularly clever, but it’s true, which counts for something.

As for the mechanical and logistical details of the last couple of weeks, there hasn’t been much – lots of commute related driving (see the last post), though I did make it to the local minor league ball park for a game, and to see some of the ladies in my life, along with fifty or so of their closest friends, sing the National Anthem before the game; got together with some of the same friends (as well as some new ones) for a good old backyard bbq Labor Day weekend, and spent Labor Day Monday doing something new – some dear work friends finally got me out to play 18 holes of golf – I was patently terrible, but my ratio of good shots to bad ones was slightly above average for someone who’s never done it before. Also, driving the cart was fun.

So yeah, it’s been a full life – I also found the time to get a few books in. I did The Silver Linings Playbook on audio, which was pretty good – I haven’t seen the movie yet, though I expect it’s somewhat different; I don’t expect it’s so darkly funny if it appealed as it did to so many mainstream housewives. I also had my hold at the library come in for Robert Gailbraith’s The Cuckoo’s Calling. Galbraith, of course, is actually J.K. Rowling, attempting to see if her writing can stand on it’s own merits without the benefit of her name and reputation hanging over it. I’m happy to say that it does. The book’s a pretty solid, quirky, droll, and clever British mystery novel featuring an eccentric P.I. in the lead (just to the realistic side of eccentric – just balancing on the edge of tipping into Douglas Adams territory, which, honestly, wouldn’t be a bad thing). I’ve said several times now since the Potter series started winding down, that I was really interested in seeing what Rowling would write next, and hoped it was a big departure from her most famous series. With two non-Potter novels now under her belt, I can say that I’m pleased with the result, and look forward to her continued output.

Oh, and school started this week. All three kids in school now, and one each in the regular levels – Elementary, Middle, and High School. All seems to be going well, though my spouse doesn’t know what to do with herself with a quiet house during the day. I’m sure she’ll figure it out.

That’s about it, really. The playlist below was generated out of pandora, shuffled out of the following stations: Americana, Hair Bands, Indie Rock, 80s Alternative, TMBG, Queen, The Badlees, The Replacements, and R.E.M.:

1. “Chicago” – Sufjan Stevens
2. “Talk About the Passion” – R.E.M.
3. “Nothing Better” – The Postal Service
4. “Armageddon It” – Def Leppard
5. “Waitress in the Sky” – The Replacements
6. “Thinking In Ways” – The Badlees
7. “Turn Up The Radio” – Autograph
8. “I Melt With You- Modern English
9. “Seventeen” – Winger
10. “I Fought The Law” – The Clash

Have a good weekend, everyone. I’m going to try and keep it quiet one.