The Mandelbear's Musings

A big day, finishing the taxes. It goes pretty smoothly after all the data-gathering is done. Somewhere toward the end of it I went for a nice st/roll with Colleen around the Rose Garden. A pretty good day altogether. And Cash & Carry across the street has 3/4lb bags of beef jerkey, the component of lunch-at-my-desk that I can't get at Trader Joe's.

I made a pretty good chili for dinner.

Among the links, you'll find Ahem! Are You Talking to Me? (Or Texting?) at NYTimes.com. Although coming down mostly on the side of those who consider taking a phone call in the middle of a conversation a serious social offense and bemoaning the end of 20^th Century polite society, it does give a nod to the other side:

But all is not vanity. For anybody with children, a job or a significant other, the expectation these days is that certain special people, usually beginning with our bosses, can reach us at any minute of any day. Every once in a while something truly important tumbles into our in-box that requires immediate attention.

As somebody with all three of the above, I'm glad I have my phone. If somebody calls me on it, I'll at least do them the courtesy of finding out who they are before deciding whether to send them to voice mail.