Follow the Leader

QT (Quick Trip) might be synonymous with organization... until now. For years, it's been my morning routine--
1) Park,
2) Enter through the right-handed door, turn left
3) Get a medium cup, sprinkle two pink packs of fake sugar,
4) Pour coffee over powder, slap on a lid,
5) Pay my 96 cents, say "Keep the pennies" (and feel like they think I'm being a dumbass),
6) Leave through the right-handed door,
7) Then, and only then, start my day.

Last week, QT changed their coffee bar and I am not happy-- there is cross-traffic.
It's interesting for me to see familiar faces, doing a familiar daily routine, with my familiar confusion.

The Ampersand

The ampersand does not get fair notoriety for it's value. (An exerpt from a conversation 12/24/2004 with Dave Morris)...

ampersand
"&" ASCII character 38.Common names: ITU-T, INTERCAL: ampersand; amper; and.
Rare: address (from {C}); reference (from C++); bitand;background (from sh); pretzel; amp.A common symbol for "and", used as the "address of" operator in {C}, the "reference" operator in C++ and a bitwise AND operator in several programming languages.UNIX shells use the character to indicate that a task should be run in the background.
The ampersand is a ligature (combination) of the cursive letters "e" and "t", invented in 63 BC by Marcus Tirus [Tiro?] as shorthand for the Latin word for "and", "et".The word ampersand is a conflation (combination) of "and, perse and". Per se means "by itself", and so the phrase translates to "&, standing by itself, means 'and'". This was at the end of the alphabet as it was recited by children in old English schools. The words ran together and were associated with "&". The "ampersand" spelling dates from 1837.

Watch What You Ask For!

Christmas was interesting at best.
Background:
We took a trip to Central and South America with my in-laws this summer. Fantastic trip- Stayed at Las Lagos, Costa Rico, went to Machu Pichu, Peru and toured everything (and then some) in Cusco. The only annoying thing (besides lack of relaxation) was the peddlers at Town Square. My solution? Talk to them, as if they knew Englist, and ask them if I could by "a very small goat, or perhaps a pot-bellied pig" for my lovely wife. I even offered to sell them the contents of my coat pocket -- (Kleenix and candy-bar wrappers). It was kind of rude, but it served my purpose and the children would walk away, confused.
4-Months Later:
Christmas morning, 9:15 a.m. I receive two envelopes from my father-in-law, Jim, that are addressed to Senor Williams. Inside the first envelope is a letter from Pedro Jeminez Rodriguez explaining that my actions in Peru cost him the love of his life. "By not purchasing my fine cards, I was not able to afford to marry." He was sending my garbage (in the second envelope) and his new life goal was to get me the baby goat that I had requested while in Peru. As a "man of my word" I shall forward the monies, including shipping, to him so he could start his new life.

After reading Pedro's letter I was introduced to "Billy"-- my new 2-week old family goat. Three words to describe it: 1)cute, 2)loud, 3)pain-in-the-ass. Oh, and he smells like a goat.

After midnight

Well, I almost screamed a couple minutes ago because all my info was almost wiped from my bLog. YIKES!! Gotta go, it's nappie time! G'night all!