Author Archives: JJD
Back to the wild
After two days with temperatures in the mid-sixties, the ice block on my balcony finally melted. Time for the goldfish to move out of my refrigerator! First step was to place the vase inside the pond to allow the fridge water to equalize with the pond water temperature. Once the water temperature had equalized, I tipped them out […]
Done deal
Remember that deal that took over my life in December and had me living in a conference room in New York for weeks on end? Well, I’m happy to say that all the work paid off: The parties signed last week, and it was publicly announced this morning (click here to read the press release). Unofficial […]
Addendum
Okay, so you know that saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? Well, I read that as giving me permission to say whatever I want as long as I say something nice while doing so — which is why I put all the nice things I had to say […]
All the happy things
I hope everyone had as good a weekend as I did. Here are the highlights: I. There’s nothing like blowing off work on a Saturday afternoon to eat some tasty barbecue with good friends. My original plan had been to spend the bulk of the day working, trying to get a head start on the […]
I’ve got goldfish in my fridge
It’s one thing to leave your ornamental goldfish outside overnight when there’s a light freeze: The fish just keep swimming happily under the ice. I think they’re pretending to be killer whales, waiting for a baby seal to fall through the ice so they can eat it. It’s another thing altogether to leave them outside when […]
Inauguration Day
Today President Obama was inaugurated to his second term as president of the United States. Technically he was already sworn in, having officially taken his oath of office yesterday (January 20th being the prescribed Inauguration Day), but since yesterday was a Sunday, all of the public pomp and ceremony happened today. Four years ago I […]
Planes, paintings and long-lost relatives
Here’s a question from the “which Romantic hero(ine) are you” department: Have you ever moved across the country to where you think you are completely without kindred, only to discover that, in fact, you’ve got cousins in the neighborhood — and that you’ve already met them? I have. Turns out that plot point in Jane […]
Good friends, good food, and some very beginning ballet
Remember my little rant last week about friends and flakiness and sitting at home watching movies alone? Well, I’m happy to say that this weekend went much more smoothly. I. Yesterday morning dawned chilly and bright. I got up early and checked my work email — a slew of documents had come in overnight that […]
Okay, teeth — start moving!
Oh man. What have I gotten myself into? These may look like retainers, but right now they feel like a can of worms. My Invisalign adventure officially began a little over 24 hours ago, so I guess you could say I’m still in the honeymoon phase — assuming, of course, that by “honeymoon” you mean a period in which you acquire […]
The pros and cons of being social
I think I’ve mentioned before that, in an effort to expand and deepen my friendships, I’ve adopted the following rule: Whenever you have a choice between being social and not being social, be social. This weekend was an interesting study in how that rule can play out. I. On Friday night, I went to a reception for Maryam […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 