March 20, 2002
Dear Everyone:
In my opinion, we get entirely too much mail these days. Most of it useless. Catalogs for things you probably won’t order. Pleas for money from worthy charitable organizations. Offers to get further and further into debt. All of which serves to bury the really important mail. Which explains why my Visa payment is going to be late this month.
Not that the Visa people are worried. They know I’m good for it. In fact, they will cheerfully tack on a late fee in next month’s bill, thus acquiring more money than they would have received if I’d paid the bill on time. Still, it wouldn’t be late if it hadn’t disappeared under a mountain of unwanted mail that I’m too tired to deal with at the end of a day spent dealing with paper.
At least with unwanted email, you can delete it without opening it. Snail mail needs to be studied in case it’s one of those “You’re already approved!” applications for another credit card that you don’t want, but would prefer some dumpster-diving low life didn’t acquire.
And I realize that I, myself, contribute to the mountain of mail by sending out these Letters every week. But I content myself with the belief that these missives are considered more valuable than announcements of the latest mortgage rates. However, next week, I will abstain from providing yet another entry in the snail mail marathon. Next week, there will be No Letter.
That’s because next week, “Jeannie” and I will once again attempt to take our oft-postponed vacation in Las Vegas. In October, 2000, I attended the annual ARMA, International Conference in Las Vegas. The original idea was that “Jeannie” would fly there with me. We would spend the weekend playing together; then she would fly home and I would attend the conference. Since neither of us is particularly interested in gambling or overpriced shows, we planned to tour all the mini-resort hotels, looking for fun rides.
Unfortunately, a judge in Placer County handed down a ruling that effectively trapped “Jeannie” at home that week and I had to go to Las Vegas alone. Not nearly as much fun. However, I did learn that the airline ticket that “Jeannie” didn’t use could be used as a voucher to pay for a new ticket within one year of the original ticket’s date.
So we decided to go the Vegas last August. Unfortunately, I “volunteered” to join the Move/Add/Change team and suddenly, instead of going to Las Vegas, I went to Maryland that week. Then, after September 11th, no one felt like traveling much.
But now, we’re going to go. I exchanged the unused tickets for new ones (paying the difference, of course). Made the reservation at the hotel (again). Picked two nights when the room only cost $79. We’ll fly out next Wednesday, play Wednesday night, all day Thursday and Friday morning, then fly home in the afternoon (the room rate goes up $90 on Friday).
At first, I was only going to take Thursday and Friday as vacation days. But then I realized that it would be better to leave Wednesday afternoon instead of waiting until after a full day of work. (Remember, I’m the one too tired to go through the mail at day’s end.) So I scheduled Wednesday as a vacation day, too. (I get 25 days paid vacation, plus one “Personal Choice Holiday”).
But then I realized that I wanted to take Monday as my Personal Choice Holiday as it’s the day after the Academy Awards; and the best way to enjoy the Awards show is to sleep in the day after it. At this point, it didn’t make much sense to go to work just on Tuesday, so I took the whole week off. Hence, no Letter next week. I’ll be too busy packing for two fun-filled days in Las Vegas.
In other news…
“Jeannie” and I saw Ice Age last weekend. This is an animated feature (have you noticed they get their own category at the Awards now?) about a group of animals coping with the encroaching glaciers. There’s Manny, the woolly mammoth. Sid the sloth, whom Manny helps in a rhinoceros-related crisis. And Diego, the saber-tooth tiger, who has a hidden agenda. Also, there’s an adorable saber-tooth squirrel who’s desperately trying to bury an acorn. Anywhere.
And there’s a human baby that the three main characters decide they should return to the human tribe because, as Manny explains, “That’s what herds do.” Along the way, of course, they run into many other animals, including a completely daffy flock of dodo birds who honestly believe three melons will sustain them through the approaching fast-freeze.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, although “Jeannie” pronounced that Monsters, Inc. was better. Like Monsters, Inc. there’s a lot there for the grownups as well as the kids. Someone has figured out that there’s money to be made here.
That’s it for now. This time next week, we’ll be looking for roller coasters and flight simulators in Vegas.
Love, as always,
Pete
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