RL update and an interesting link

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So my dad had a whole series of cardiological tests this week. They put a heart monitor on him - which is some kind of device with electrodes attached to his chest. He's supposed to wear it for 24 hours, and then, after he takes it off, someone needs to deliver it to the hospital so they can read the results. That someone will be me, since my sister has already spent two days assisting with the other appointments. So, instead of going to work tomorrow, I get to sleep in a bit and then do a lot of driving, lol. Which is fine. I do need to catch up on my sleep - I haven't been too good about getting to bed by midnight these past few days, and I've also been trying to get up earlier, so I'm not outrageously late for work. Because of this new timesheet system that allows management to see the exact hour & minute employees arrive each day. The thing is, my boss has been on vacation for the past two weeks, and during her absence our timesheets are approved by HER boss, the head of the entire data operations department - who is much less flexible about all those pesky workplace rules.:P So that gave me a bit of a scare, and I've been making an effort.;) One day I actually arrived almost 10 minutes early - which amazed everyone (myself included, lol). Still, I was about 10 minutes late on two other occasions. *sigh* Btw, it's fucking COLD again and it takes FOREVER for the car engine to warm up in the morning - so if that means I'm late, then I'm late, bacause I can't afford another car if I let this one breathe its last. Anyway... the boss's boss hasn't said anything to me so far, and she immediately approved my day off request - so I suppose I'm not in trouble yet.:P

But speaking of trouble... I got a traffic ticket. A hundred bucks for turning right on red - which is not a dangerous violation by any stretch. It's just a way for the city of Chicago to make some money. And it's already the second time this happened to me over the past few months. *sigh* Different place, but exactly the same situation: I noticed the NO TURN ON RED sign a second too late. Or, to be precise, a second after I saw the flash of the camera taking a picture of my registration plates.:/ So much for being frugal and avoiding unnecessary expenses. Not to mention getting really nervous each time I approach a 'photo-enforced' intersection - which is pretty much every other intersection in Chicago these days. *sigh*

Also, RIP Howard Zinn. I only recently discovered this amazing man (thanks to Viggo, btw; which is not in itself surprising, since I discovered a lot of things thanks to Viggo), and now he's gone. I haven't read any of his books yet, but I stumbled upon the following video sometime last week - and it was enough to make me a fan. He may be saying things that seem pretty obvious - but sometimes it takes a lot of courage to state the obvious. Especially if the honest truth is considered 'unpatriotic'.

http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2010/1/8/howard_zinn_three_holy_wars