A Dragon in Sheep’s Clothing

This last week was particularly exhausting. We had a 2-day strategy “retreat” (we retreated from normal work, I guess) for our department (all 6 of us). I think we made great progress: clearly defined objectives for the next 12 months, improved the way we build strategies and tasks, reaffirmed the atmosphere of teamwork and “we can do it even with minimal resources” attitude.

We went to a Tides baseball game in the middle of our first retreat day. I haven’t been to a ballgame since junior high, I think. Interestingly, because our team is now owned by the Orioles, the Tides uniforms are orange instead of the blue or gray you would expect with a name like Tides. However, blue and orange are a great sporty color combination, and there is a lot of blue left in the signage and mascot, etc., so it actually works. The Tides are a “farm” team, meaning the players could get called up to the Orioles to play in the Majors.

I also ate a lot during the retreat. The first day we had a buffet at the ballgame (there is a restaurant off right field). I couldn’t resist getting a beer brat and potato salad, although there was no kraut or spicy brown mustard for the brat. Then we continued the meeting on a shaded deck at a pub at Waterside. I had several Diet Pepsi’s. Gorgeous sunny day, about a week since we saw the sun last, so it was nice to be in the fresh air. Then we all went to dinner at Freemason Abbey. My first time there. I had the penne pasta with beef, button mushrooms and broccoli in a smoked gouda cheese sauce. Yum! I also had an Abbey Rose: light rum, dark rum, and several fruity additions (banana, strawberry, raspberry, etc.).  Very delicious as both appetizer and dessert (it lasted the whole meal). My stomach felt rather stretched out by the time I went home.

So this weekend I don’t have anything scheduled. I will likely work on the software for the side project with Jeredb, do some laundry, clean up a bit, and give my body a rest from the rich food this week. Other than that, I’m following my whims. That might mean staying in my pajamas, reading, and napping, or making a shopping trip to Kohl’s (extra savings this weekend) and the mall, or spending a lot of time at my PC, coding, gaming, or Photoshopping.

Hello weekend, welcome!