Back in the Saddle
Yes, Older Eyes is back in the saddle again. This morning I got up early (well, for me … 7 am), poured myself some coffee (already brewed in the coffee maker set to auto), and wandered down the hall to my office to start working. There are actually two jobs to be done, one which pays now and one that (maybe) pays later. The one that maybe pays later is a proposal that my business partner, Paul, and I have decided to submit with another company. It is part of an interesting small business initiative known as the Small Business Innovative Research program. Various government agencies publish a list of topics and small companies offer their ideas. If you win one, you get a small contract to prove that your idea just might work. Because the second phase is quite substantial, we usually end up working much harder than the original small contract justifies. That makes it VERY disappointing if you don’t win the second phase. The writing part is easy … I’m a writer, after all …
but there’s also some equation crunching required. Job number two is the consulting opportunity I mentioned in Shifting Sands. I can’t say much about the job because of client confidentiality except that it will require a substantial amount of equation munching. No capiche? Crunching, I’m making my own equations, munching I’m trying to understand someone elses. However, the munching is paid for, by the hour. Furthermore, it needs to be complete when I attend a two day meeting in Washington, DC, next week so for the moment I’m doing more munching than crunching. But the proposal is due a week from Friday. Munch. Crunch. Munch. Crunch. Yikes. Anyone wanna ghost write some posts?
So, it’s Top Sites Tuesday #104 – Two Thoughts on Tuesday. Thought Number One is this: Just as our muscles don’t respond at sixty like they did at forty (we won’t even mention twenty), the equation munching and crunching brain cells don’t sparkle at sixty either. Twice today, I had brain cramps and had to play five games of Minesweeper to work them out. Now, I’m actually looking forward to flying … there’s something about altitude that stimulates my brain, as I said back in 2010 in my post, Flying … and I may get to see some friends while I’m in DC. But Thought Number Two is: My, oh my, how the heck an I going to stay awake for two full days of meetings? I wonder if Five Hour Energy comes in quart bottles? And, oh, yes, it would certainly energize me if you’d push my button … gently … to make me Number One on Top Sites Tuesday #104.
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Tags: blogging, curmudgeonly rants, feeling older, humor, memes, postaday2011, Top Sites Tuesday, working
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June 21, 2011 at 8:21 am
I’m much better at crunching than munching. I could make up my own equations for days! They don’t have to make sense to anybody else. My mother once said math was her favorite science because it was the only one in which there was always only one correct answer. My reply: “Not when I do it.”
Enjoy your brain workouts! You know you can handle them!
June 23, 2011 at 9:25 am
What brain workouts? Oh, yeah. Sorry, senior moment.
June 21, 2011 at 9:22 am
Hi Bud, I too, am getting ready to go to DC. I am going on the 6th of July for a week, I think. Also, business related but I plan on getting in a bunch of site seeing.
I always find it invigorating to have a new project. Good luck with both of your projects: the proposal and the consulting gig.
As always, enjoy catching up with your every day. Here is your click.
Cheryl
June 23, 2011 at 9:33 am
I’ve reached a point in my life where I don’t like to be away from my wife for very long, otherwise I’d sightsee, too. I still hope to make it over to the National Gallery where they’re holding a Monet for me.
June 21, 2011 at 9:31 am
I think we are pretty much on the same page with our posts. LOL! wait till you read mine! LOL!
Here’s your click ………
Love and Blessings,
AngelBaby
June 23, 2011 at 9:26 am
We certainly were on the same page. Several commenters have noted that after a while, we bloggers end up on the same wavelength frequently.
June 21, 2011 at 10:21 am
Welcome to the “I can’t stay awake” club! I have to go to Pittsburgh this coming Friday for a check-up with the surgeon there and normally, it’s not that bad a drive -about 130 miles, give or take -and takes about 3 hours, depending on traffic. But for me to drive that far by myself it would take more like 5-7 hours to get there because after about 60-90 minutes in the car, whether riding or driving -I have this overwhelming urge to go to sleep -and would go to sleep while driving too if I were wandering down there alone. So my younger daughter is driving me down/back while older daughter will stay here with the two grandkids! Ah such fun and games! And on the way home, Mandy and I will get to stop and shop at one of our favorite Pittsburgh malls then too. Might as well take advantage of that when you can ya know!
Get busy now, get some kind of energizer stuff to ingest, and get those numbers crunched/munched and ready to roll! Good luck with the project too. Hope you and your partner take the prize!
June 23, 2011 at 9:31 am
I do run on coffee, although I find as I get older, my stomach and nervous system can’t take as much. I use a Five Hour Energy once in a while, in emergencies and they seem to work … but what are all those ingredients on the label?
June 21, 2011 at 10:38 am
If you figure out how to stay awake in meetings, please let me know. I could use some help in that area.
June 23, 2011 at 9:29 am
I used to work with a guy named Sam who used to sleep in meetings. Occasionally, someone would ask him a question without noticing he was asleep. He’d snort, shake himself awake, then answer the question … I want his secret.
June 21, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Back to work? Great news! And two amazing brain stumpers on top of that with a little travel throw in – you must be loving it!
Don’t forget to take some time to stumble through a Smithsonian while you’re in DC – Wolf and I actually built and finished the windows in the Castle some years back.
Clicks!
–Trina
June 21, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Hi Bud,
Number munching, thank you for making the distinction between crunching and munching.
I hope you enjoy your trip to Washington!
Clicks for you!
Wolf
June 23, 2011 at 9:27 am
Thanks, Wolf.