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Photograph of Robert Bruce Thompson Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary

Week of 3 January 2005

Latest Update: Sunday January 9, 2005 3:40 p.m.


Monday, 3 January 2005

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Greetings on this first work day of the New Year. Ticket numbers were high this morning but not as bad as I thought they would be after four days.

Last night I went to bed at 8:45 and read until midnight to finish the Sister Fidelma. I was so close to the end I just had to see how it turned out.

I had a hair cut appointment this afternoon after which I ran some errands while I that side of town. It was about 6 o'clock when I finished up. I picked up take out on the way home.

Thanks to all my readers for visiting my  web site. I enjoy sharing with you the books I am reading as well as the daily life around the Thompson Techno Grotto. It will be, like everyone elses, a very busy year. Between working, taking care of the dogs, the yard, the house, helping my folks from time to time, working on my web site, and now starting to work on the astronomy  book I will not be lacking for anything to do. I have a couple of trips planned for year as a means of escape in addition to my time at the gym and on the golf course. Fortunately, I have always been able to organize my time and get a lot of things done in the hours I have to work with.

I hope all of you have a wonderful, healthy, and prosperous year.

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Tuesday, 4 January 2005

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Spring has sprung in January here in the Piedmont. I think we reached record highs today of something close to 80 degrees. You can bet we will pay for this later on down the road.

Not much in the way of news tonight. I need to pay some bills and balance the check book. Have a good evening.


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Wednesday, 5 January 2005

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The temperatures remain unseasonably warm, otherwise, there is not much in the way news. Tonight was step class at the gym.

I am still reading the Berenson mystery, Watchdog.

Time to give the dogs some attention and playtime.


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Thursday, 6 January 2005

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It has been a busy and rather tiring day. Just after lunch we were handed a big project to completed ASAP between working on the daily data base changes.

I am not allowed to work overtime which means there are a set number of hours to get things done.

On the way home I stopped at the grocery store. By the time I got home it was 5:30.

We finally had a little of the promised rain that has been predicted all week. The temperatures today are not as warm. This morning while I was taking my pre-lunch walk the wind was gusting to around 20 mph's. Once the rain got here the wind seemed to die down.

Glad tomorrow is Friday. That first week back after the holidays of on again off again working always seems to be extra long.



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Friday, 7 January 2005

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I have a new author to talk about, Sarah Stewart Taylor. I picked up her first book for Bob at the library, O'Artful Death. He enjoyed it and said I might like it so I thought I would give it a try last night after I finished up the Berensen. I must admit I was a little hesitant when I learned about the interest of her character, an art historian who specializes in the art of death.

However, I am glad I took the chance. I was hooked from the first chapter. Taylor's character, Sweeney St. George, lives in Boston teaching at Cambridge. I immediately liked Sweeney, Taylor's writing style, and the plot itself. When Sweeney's friend Toby shows her some photos of an unusual head stone in a graveyard in Vermont in the town of Byzantium. Home to a former arts colony in the late 1800's she becomes interested in the style of headstone, which is out of place for the time of the burial and the mystery surrounding the young girls death.

Toby invites Sweeney to abandon her plans to spend Christmas alone and instead go with him to his aunts farm in snowy Vermont to spend the holiday and check out the headstone as a possible topic for a chapter of a book she is working on. One of the girls descendants still lives in the town. Thinking she could just call the ancestor and get the scoop via telephone she soon becomes even more suspicious when she learns the woman was killed the night after talking with her on the telephone.

That is about as  far as I got last night before I fell asleep but I cannot wait to get back to reading tonight.





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Saturday, 8 January 2005

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Cleaning house, like a lot of other things, never ends. Although the house has undergone the major deep clean in most rooms, they all had to be vacuumed as usual this morning. I had a full list of things to get done today, but alas, they will be moved to another day.

First off, I slept until 8am, which is very late for me. After reading the paper and eating a bite of breakfast it was going on 9. I had already planned to miss spinning class this morning due my "scheduled list of things to get done".

So, with such a late start, I did not get as far as I had intended. I had Friends of the Library annual meeting today at 1 o'clock. That meant getting everything done this morning, showered, and ready to leave by noon. With my late start I barely managed to get the bathrooms cleaned along with the vacuuming and dusting before it was time for "our" shower.

It takes about half an hour or so to get both dogs bathed in the downstairs shower, one at a time. While we have to fight with Malcolm to get him to come into the shower, Duncan just walks right on in. I guess after ten years he as either decided he likes to get a bath or he knows there is no use in fighting the inevitable.

I left for the library a little before noon to give myself time to check the catalog for some books to reserve. We keep the annual meeting very informal, electing new board members, etc. Our program was a local author who discussed her books, writing them, etc.

I had planned to vacuum the downstairs closet this afternoon before putting away the Christmas decorations. By the time I got home it was after 3pm. The weather tonight is looking good for some observing. After getting things organized for that it left me just enough time to check my mail and get this post up.

Tomorrow is another day.

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Sunday, 9 January 2005

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We got about three hours of observing in last night before the clouds moved in. By that time we were getting tired anyway. For a January night the temperatures were actually fairly pleasant, in the low 50's to high 40's by the time we finished. On occasion, the breeze freshened from 3-5 mph to maybe 8-10. It was not too bad at all. Bob and I tried out the new multi-gloves I bought us for Christmas from Plow and Hearth. They worked very well. Since my hands are the one thing that does get cold I was impressed with how warm they stayed.

We were home by 11:30. After playing some ball then walking the Guys I was in bed before midnight. I read one chapter in my book then turned off the light. I was up at 6:30 this morning for golf.

It was a little cool when we teed off at 7:30, around 40 degrees, but dad and I both were dressed accordingly. By the time we turned the side around 9:10 to start the back nine it had warmed up enough to shed our outer jackets down to long sleeves and vests. The sky was crystal clear blue with some wind but nothing major.

As soon as I got home this afternoon I pulled the car up in front of the garage and gave it a good washing. Afterwards, I pulled it in for a good inside vacuuming and window cleaning. Bob reinstalled the extra screws to the dash left from when I had my radio put in. The guy said he could not get them all in. After getting the car cleaned up I brushed the dogs out good after yesterday's bath then came upstairs to relax and read the paper.

While I am in the kitchen preparing dinner, boiled red potatoes in their jackets and salads I will finish putting out the remaining knick knacks in the living room. The downstairs will have to wait until next weekend. I may work on my office after dinner.



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