So, I’m done with work for the year (unless I get a note from my team about a certain meeting with security actually happening at some point? I dunno, I’m done worrying about it). I spent this week in class, learning all about schedule management. I passed the class with 98 of 100 points (I missed one question on the exam, and it was a stupid, but understandable mistake). One step closer to level III program management certification. Woo.

Today was my first official day of leave heading into the end of the calendar year (I always take my year end break as a gift to myself). My lovely spouse and I continued our tradition of going to see the new Star Wars early in the morning of opening day. I actually really enjoyed The Last Jedi; it was kind of a deconstruction of Star Wars films; not without flaws, but it did some interesting things with the mythos, and Mark Hammil is a freakin’ superstar. If anything, it felt like a satisfying ending to the series, not part eight of nine or wherever we are now; I’m honestly not sure where it’s going from here, and it doesn’t necessarily feel like it has to go anywhere, really.

The one thing that came out of all of this was my wife’s new love for the CGI stars of the film, the Porgs (as seen above with Chewbacca), these weird sorta-bird things that hang out with Luke Skywalker on his hermit island. She’s spent the rest of the day since we finished watching the movie around lunchtime looking for the perfect plush replica, and I guess I’m going to have go find one. Oh well, this is my duty as husband and partner, I guess.

Anyway, I don’t have a random eleven this week; I never got around to streaming or randomizing anything – I’ve mostly been listening to NPR or St. Vincent’s MASSEDUCTION record on repeat for the last week – one of my favorites of the year, frankly. Go seek it out.

Musically otherwise, I think I’m officially an old now, as Bon Jovi, my favorite band from middle school/high school (though I got better, right before they got all Nashville and ceased to be a rock band anymore), is in the class of 2018 of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also included are The Cars, The Moody Blues, Dire Straits, and Nina Simone, plus (and I wonder why she hasn’t been there from the beginning) early influence Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who if you haven’t heard of before, you need to go and dive in now (just click that link and go, my friend. Check out those guitar chops!)…not a bad group of folks.

Anyway, have a decent weekend, enjoy things, and start laying in for the holidays, folks. Happy whatever-it-is-you’re-celebrating!