Operation Chillax
by Scott Hardie on May 23, 2009

Today begins a week-long vacation from work, my first break since GooCon last October. Well, not quite begins, since I still have more work to do tomorrow. But then I'm free! Many thanks to my coworkers for sending me off with birthday decorations all around my cubicle and birthday sweets piled high. I invited people to my desk all day to take some and I still had two bags of brownies and cookies and cake and donuts to bring home. My team rules.
Anyway, here's looking forward to the week ahead. Kelly and I are broke, so we didn't plan to go anywhere, until my mom gave me the terrific birthday present of funding a night's stay in Orlando and some tickets. We'll probably skip the theme parks and go to smaller attractions like Blue Man Group, Pirates Adventure Dinner Show, Medieval Times, DisneyQuest, and so on. There are a lot of things that we've always talked about trying there. We also want to spend a day in Tampa seeing things and visiting friends, and there are still a few attractions we haven't even seen in Sarasota despite living here for five years now.
On the home front, Kelly is spending a lot of time building her new web site, which I think means that I'll spend a lot of time working on my web site. I'll probably catch up on some books and games that I haven't had time for lately. Mostly what I want is a break from work; the last four months have been very stressful and very demanding of my time and energy. After a back sprain last week and finally getting some bills paid off this week, I'm ready to have some fun and relax, or chillax as we have said since visiting Kelly's parents. Her brother will tell Mom to chillax, and she'll ask what it means, and he'll explain it, and she'll ask what it means again, and Dad will tell him to stop using that word because it confuses her. They all need to chillax.
Two Replies to Operation Chillax
Ryan Dunn | May 23, 2009
[hidden by author request]
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »

Thorough Performance Reviews
I'm not around much this week because it's time for the annual performance reviews at work. I'm staying up till the wee hours each night writing the reviews so that the two-day marathon of face-to-face chats at the end of the week will go well. It's a win-win: For the employees doing a great job, it's my chance to offer serious praise without it sounding phony or arbitrary. Go »
Random News
Russian reporter murdered by the state. When I observed to a Bulgarian friend that Russia seems to be sinking back into its old fascist state by breaking one inviolable law at a time, he remarked that it always was that way and always will be that way. Whatever things we may dislike about our Congress or President, thank goodness they don't murder us for saying so. Go »
I Want to Play Sega with Harrison Ford
Behold the bizarre, pop-culture-inspired visions of Brandon Bird: (link) Thanks, Maggie. Go »
Hungry Hungry Kitty
When you want your dinner, you want your dinner: (link) I do the same thing at China Buffet when they try to take the chicken lo mein off the line. Go »
Kissingerian
Another of Fareed Zakaria's perfectly lucid articles today, suggesting the only way out of Iraq: (link) Go »
Aaron Shurtleff | May 23, 2009
Have a great time, Scott! You certainly deserve it!