Sunset over Manhattan, and Other Tid Bits

Have you noticed? The days are getting longer already! The solstice is not quite a month old, and the amount of daylight gained is already noticeable. That means I can again see the setting sun when I emerge from the East River Tunnel of the N train. The view is from the Queens side of the East River, looking at the East side of Manhattan. The sun sets behind the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building, forming a gorgeous silhouette of the still mighty skyline.

• Bill Richardson dropped out of the presidential race after a 4th place showing in both Iowa and New Hampshire. I would have liked to hear more from him, as his experience in government is vast. Along with his stint as governor of New Mexico, he was a congressman, energy secretary and ambassador to the UN. He is clearly intelligent, but in the debates in New Hampshire, he almost looked bored. Maybe that isn't the right term...not fully engaged, perhaps. I think, even if he couldn't win, he could have influenced the dialog. But I think this will be another "It's The Economy, Stupid" election that got the first Clinton in the White House. Not saying Hillary will win, but I think that the economy will be the deciding issue.

• I took a day trip with my boss up to New Hampshire to visit our biggest client. I think they are happy with us a vendor, they just wanted to pressure us on cost. So, for the second time in two years, we adjusted our pricing downward, contingent on them giving us more business. We'll see. But having your biggest client sing your praises to your boss right before review time does not suck!

And let me tell you, not all rental cars are created equal! We would up driving into a snow squall and found out that our windshield wipers were HORRIBLE. The car went from not bad to a freaking hazard in no time!

• I just read a very interesting article from a link on the msn.com site: How She Learned to Stop Hating Her Mother. Good article, though I wish it was longer. The story seemed too encapsulated to be completely satisfying. That said, it slowed me down a little. One day I will write an entry about my experience with my mother.

• A good friend of mine was scratched by his cat recently. She is a playful beastie, but she doesn't realize that her claws are rather sharp. Trav didn't think much of the scratch at the time, other than to angrily shoo the cat away. Turns out that the scratch gave him a case of sepsis. After some research, I found out that cat scratches can cause this along with meningitis and encephalitis. YIKES. I've owned cats my entire life, and like Travis, thought nothing of getting scratched. I will certainly make sure to wash up and treat any and all nicks from this point forward.

r.