Mild Amusement

Lately, I have become the de facto present-wrapper in the house. It's just one of those things that happens over time; one person does a particular task a few times in a row, it becomes routine, and then next thing you know, you're the present-wrapper. It's not a bad thing, and it's not like the Mild Wife is incapable of wrapping presents. It's just that I usually do it. Now, the extra repetitions means that I have all sorts of opportunities for shenanigans (like the time when I used LOTS of tape for my younger cousin's present ). I'm a tad more grown these days, so the shenanigans have evolved over time. Instead, I end up having to figure out how to do things like gift wrap a beanie in an acceptable manner. You know those little pre-made bows that you can stick on top of presents ( like these )? I use those things now. There has occasionally been ribbon attached to the presents. Cards and red envelopes have been taped to the outside of the present. As y...

My current work crew is a fairly fun one to work with. First and foremost, they are good at what they do, so things get done. On more than one occasion, I have been reminded of the phrase, "iron sharpens iron," since I do feel like I've learned quite a bit from my peers. The best part, though, is that these folks are hilarious. At pretty much any given time, someone is laughing about something or another. It's a good time, all around. Now, we've all been working together for a while now, so we've gotten to know each other a bit. We know each other's habits and tendencies at least a little bit. It's only natural given that we spend an average of eight hours together every day. However, this particular fact recently took a turn for the hilarious. You see, we don't just habits, we each have our own little quirks. For example, I am wont to ask for a witness that I was useful on that particular day. It's a joke, but it's a running joke. Th...

The Mild Wife and I like to prep meals for the entire week, in part because it makes the logistics for us easy during the week. It's that much easier to bring lunch if you just grab a Tupperware container from the fridge. There are associated benefits with that (it's probably healthier to make your own food), but, honestly, the biggest draw for me is how much time it saves on a day-to-day basis. I just don't have to think about it. Grab a container, stick it in the lunch bag, and be on your way. However, no plan that involves people is completely fool-proof, so there are inevitably miscues during this process. You see, we usually the Tupperware containers for both individual meals and for left-overs that are meant to be shared. That means that some containers are meant to be used for lunch, and some are decidedly not meant to be taken to work for lunch. Guess who screwed that up once before ? Now, I like chili, and I will happily eat it alone for lunch, but that was not...

Recently, I've switched up my schedule at work. The long and short of it is that I've been working a longer day, because it's a better fit for the Mild Wife and I. We have some other activities at home and outside of work, so I want to make sure that we have time to do them. However, because I leave the office a bit later in the afternoon, that means that I will be leaving around the same time that the mid-afternoon traffic gets really bad. Even with the carpool lane, sitting in that traffic is not fun at all. So, the Mild Wife and I decided that I would take the bus to and from work. The idea is that neither of us should have to deal with that traffic. Sure, it means that I have less flexibility with my schedule, but it's a fair trade to not have to deal with that traffic. It's actually worked out pretty well for the both of us. For the purposes of this blog post, though, the relevant bit is that the Mild Wife occasionally has to wait for me as the bus gets to ...