Polly wants a cracker

The day ended well, with belly full of great catered Asian fare. Caps win again (Varlamov the young 'un stoned the Blues in the net), and it's Thursday, just days before we take a break from the grind.

The day started, though, with what could have been a confrontational meeting with a client who specializes in micromanagement. A couple of nights ago I logged into my work email (first mistake) to take care of some minor business. I had to respond to an incendiary email from this client, though my finger hovered over the SEND button for a while since I'm no proponent of email wars and pissing contests. I've always believed that email is a prop for people who can't say in person what they really want to say, and is often the refuge of chickens. At that point I didn't care, and knew I would be seeing this guy today and tomorrow, so I sent it anyway, knowing that I may regret it later.

Didn't regret it, and let's just say that this person was chastened. Everthing was cool today, though the meeting was longer than anticipated, and everything is backed up at work again. By the time I got back to the office, I was a real grump, and was reminded of some Christmas office shindig that I was invited to by my partner. Didn't wanna go. Too much work. Just chill out and go already, he said. So I did. And had a very relaxing evening. The food was awesome, catered by Raku, and enjoyed by all. As it turns out this was at a consultant's office who shares a connection beyond work.

About 3 years ago, while I was cuising back through Kensington on the N2 with the usual suspects, I was talking with Mike D about work and life, the small talk that fills in the gaps after a decent base mileage ride. He's a pretty strong rider, and a good guy too. Small world moment, as we found out that his wife was the same person I had been dealing with on a very successful project in which she was the landscape architect. Since then her company has provided us services for landscape design, and it's pretty sweet work. Enjoying some holiday cheer with some other professionals in my field is yet another benefit of this relationship.

One last thing that indicates a return to some sense of normalcy: I literally dusted off my guitar (construction dust is still everywhere), tuned it, and started learning "Polly". Just a bunch of power chords, and I've always wanted to learn it, so there's no time like now. I just need to get back on the bike and everything'll be crackin'.