Valentine's Day Considerations

 So, now that 2012 is in full swing, or at least in 4/61 swing, we can all look forward to the day that is the bane of (most) single women and attached men alike:  Valentine's Day!  Come on men, only 21 shopping days left, do you know what you're getting her? 

Some things that I've considered getting my wife, Alex, for Valentine's Day:

• Sasquatch Hunting Pack
• Grow Your Own VD Plant
• Authentic Dave Coulier used sweat socks contained in Tupperware (still moist!!)
• Vampire Awareness Kit
• How To Avoid Becoming a Zombie, by Don Stanstill
• What To Do If You've Been Bitten By a Zombie, by Dr. Sawoff Urownarm
• So You're a Zombie, by Tiernan Grey
• How To Realistically Paint Prison Walls In Your Home, by Martha Stewart
• History of Mid Eighteenth Century German Tax Law (parts 1-29, odd numbers only)

I've since tossed the idea of the VD plant out, as my lovely wife should not have to grown her own when I can grow it for her!  Unfortunately the Sasquatch Hunting Pack was totally unrealistic; she is already aware of vampires; and someone outbid me on the socks!  What a world we live in.  Oh well, hopefully someone's getting some Full House era Joey socks.  So, I'll keep looking if you will guys!

Single ladies, put your hands up (up); do not despair, either the timing is not right for you to have that special someone; or you do have him/her and just don't know it.  Look at your best friend who tags along to places they would normally never be caught dead at.  Look at your Starbucks barista, do they frequently put hearts all around your name on your cup full of caffeinated deliciousity?  All I'm saying, is that "Love Actually, is all around."  And if not: peanut butter and chocolate ice cream are really a delight.

OH!!  By the way, apparently one does not traditionally shorten Valentine's Day to "VD."  Still trying to figure that one out!

But What If My Head Gets Cold?

I find myself between a rock and a hard place.

You see, I want a hat.  Not just any hat, I have hats, but a fedora.  Not a standard fedora with a wide brim and whatnot, but a Neal Caffrey from White Collar sort of fedora, also know as a trilby hat.  This is probably the best hat in the world, with exception given to the Indiana Jones fedora (which I wouldn't look great in walking down the street), and it fits my head well.  However, if you've seen White Collar, you'll notice two things:

1. Neal Caffrey is incredibly more handsome than myself.
2. When Neal wears his trilby, he is also wearing a particularly snazzy suit.

 

Now I've tried on a trilby practically every time that I've been to Target in the last four months or so, including whilst gift shopping for Christmas, and have come upon a different idea every time.  I've found that the hat can look quite dashing when I am wearing a long sleeved, button-up shirt (with jeans or slacks); I've also discovered that the hat looks like utter rubbish with a long sleeved, casual T-shirt; and yet, the hat does go rather well with a (short sleeved) graphic tee and jeans.  I'm not even going to go into how I look in a suit, even without the hat.  I become Chris Farley stuffed into David Spades coat when I where suits.  Seriously, my wedding pics don't lie.

See? Decent, if only slightly chubby.

My dilemma is this:  I want the hat, because it goes well with my work clothes so I can wear it into work Dick Van Dyke or Mad Men style; or out on the town with a nice or casual shirt.  But, my wife has seen the hat on me when I am wearing a sweater or other casual long sleeved T-shirt many times, whereas she has only seen it on me, in a positive light, once.

So, because I value Alex's opinion, I haven't bought the hat, but I believe that I could potentially get a lot of use out of it, without looking like a complete douche-canoe.  So far, she says "No."

Thoughts?

I'm not really sure about this one...

"A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it only takes a woman's "Ugh" to send a man's pride down the toilet."

~Nathan Culley

I Spoke Too Soon

Have you ever been sick, taken a couple of days off of work, then gone back too soon?  I have!

It sucks to cough all night because you can't breathe; although I'm grateful that it's not pneumonia, I caught that last year and it was funless!  Yes: funless.

I went back to work Friday after leaving early on Tuesday, then taking Wednesday and Thursday off.  I shouldn't have come back, but I didn't want to leave my supervisor hanging.  Our office is going through a huge repainting/re-carpeting and, as IT Minion, it is my job, and Roberto's (IT supervisor), to move the weeks group of PCs to their temporary location(s).  I couldn't let him do it alone.  OK, actually, my OCD couldn't let him do it alone, because he wouldn't do it my way.  I've been doing it a specific way for four weeks (he was off bonding with his newborn, so I forgive him) so I had to at least be here..  Yes, and it would also have sucked for Roberto to have just come back to work and to have to run this on his own.

But that was last week..

This week, I'm feeling a lot better!  I CAN BREATHE!!  That is to say that the symptoms of bronchitis are gone; they have however, been replaced by cold symptoms! DAMN IT!!  But a cold I can deal with as long as there's no fever. *knock on wood*

UPDATED: Cough, cough, sniffle, WHINE!!

Welcome, my friends, to the new (if not improved) Clever By Accident!!  A new view for our new domain: oopsclever.com!!

In other news; I have been stricken with bronchitis and a sinus infection. WHOA NOW! Don't all pity me at once, take your time; it does take work to milk this kind of thing after all!  My lovely wife Alex has been taking wonderful care of me and I am beginning to feel a mite better.

On that note, I am sorry that I have been lacking in posts.  I shall make it up to you all next week (barring a sudden onset of pneumonia).

UPDATED: I'm still debugging some of the kinks, but please let me know in the comments whether you like the new layout or if you prefer the old one! Thanks folks!!