hey jud

On the last day of the year, while sitting in the car waiting for Peter, I heard again the George Harrison song, 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. Though I guess I'd like to consider it healing, it was more a sadness to discover the song no longer affected me the way it did that Wednesday after September 11. It was hard to even figure out why I thought it had been specially chosen in rememberance that day, but when it got to the part about diverted, perverted, inverted, no one alerted you, I did remember. Then I glanced across at City Hall where the flags flying so majestically still had a special impact.

Later we walked into the city to see the lights and crowds of First Night, a celebration undeterred by those events and affirming the promise of the New Year.

Now that we finally got the shelves put up in the back office, they make a wonderful place for our very special loon. We have Loon #2, made by Bob Gurn in '99, but recently rehabbed so it could go back on display. I love having it perched above to keep me from going looney while I work on the computer below.

It's a new year and time for a new look for heyjud. I'm working on it now and the result should be on your blogstand by Monday. Perhaps I'll even add that gallery of shoe pix I've been thinking about ever since I collected the shots in Paris.

Oops, lots of problems with the new template. What worked just fine locally doesn't work at all as a blogger template. I'm back to work on it.

Okay, the new template is working now, though without a few of the neat vertical lines I'd been trying to include. Perhaps I can still get those working but certainly not tonight.

Ta da! I figured out how to get the skinny gray lines in place. Comments on the new pages are welcome.

These past few months, I've been relishing my time at home. It gives me the chance to be spontaneous about dinner plans or their lack, to sort out and rearrange things at leisure, not under the press of time, and to appreciate spaces in the house other than my office and my bed. For instance, this spot on the railing leading up to the third floor, the dancing people sculpture which fits there just right, and seeing it when the light makes them look like they're really dancing. Being laid off is not all bad.

Look what we have here! Fiber optic cable being laid on the next street to mine. And according to the man in orange, that means we should have cable modem access to the internet by February, or at the latest by March. I won't believe it until I'm actually connected but this new development makes it seem quite promising. I plan to be the first person to sign up for it.

All is well here in New England. We stayed up late last night to see the Patriot's come-from-behind win over Oakland and woke up this morning to a snow-covered view of the monument from our bedroom window. The copper kettle was steaming when I dropped Peter off at Government Center, and now I'm back home finishing the Globe and keeping my feet toasty warm in my L.L.Bean 'wicked good' shearling slippers. It's a perfect New England Sunday.

Another wonderful 'Rhymes with Orange' cartoon today, mentioning that there's only one palindrome year per century and we're in it right now in 2002. Since the current cartoon won't be displayed for some time on the site, here's the punch line. "I suppose it's come at the right time. With all the tumult in the world, no one's sure if they're coming or going."

Honk if you love shoes and then visit the gallery of shoes. The first installment is ready for you.

I've been missing my daily long walks not only for the exercise, but even more for the photo opportunities they provide. So with today's 60-degree temperature warmer than any time last April in Paris, I headed out with camera to enjoy the day. Though I drive the same route every morning, my walking view of the new construction around City Square made a much bigger impact. Looking down from the Charlestown Bridge into the construction hole below, activity was everywhere, resulting in a lot more change and progress than I would have expected since my pre-Christmas observations. Not everyone was an active contributor though. Check out this workman just sitting up above all the commotion, calmly enjoying an unusual end of January day.

Quite the opposite is the current weather in San Francisco where yesterday they had snow on Mt. Tam. The heavy clothes I haven't needed this week should be just right for our Friday trip to SF for Michael's graduation.