Thank God for animals

I had one of those Inverse Midas Touch days at work today... everything I touched turned to shit.

The I.M.T. is a concept introduced to me by my father, who, probably not coincidentally, was also a lifelong 'knowledge worker' in the computer industry. My father long treasured a handwritten note sent to him by a favorite manager after the successful completion of a particularly grueling project, which said: "We are constantly presented with brilliant opportunities cleverly disguised as insoluble problems... and we solve them, one at a time."

Well, I faced many Brilliant Opportunities today, and am still in the process of solving them one-at-a-time. I was late getting out, felt like I had been stuffed in a sack and beaten with sticks by the end of the day, and staggered home from the bus.

I was greeted at the door by three furry quadrupeds who couldn't have been more delighted to see me if I had been bearing a ten-pound platter of paté de fois gras and a sack of fresh catnip. Honestly, it was like being the guy showing up with the beer at a freshman mixer. Chow Bella, Chow Fun, and Mister Gato showered me with love and attention, and are now dozing happily near me as we all wait for Carrie to come home (she's just leaving now; the phone rang as I was typing this entry.)

Animals are the best.