End of the Fiscal Year, and Drink

I managed adequate, although not excellent, production for the fourth quarter, and therefore for the whole Fiscal Year, and then I went out to Thai Square for dinner to celebrate. I ate tofu with bean sprouts (and a little other vegetable matter), and then sticky rice with black beans for dessert.

I went in to the Patent Office complex in Carlyle on Tuesday, put in a day’s work, and then came home and ate dinner. I decided to celebrate having a job for a while longer by opening my bottle of Grand Marnier (which I bought several years ago, and is still more than half full), and poured myself a drink. The splash which I had poured into a wineglass was more than I wanted, so after a few sips, I put the glass into the refrigerator for tomorrow evening. Brandy should not be drunk like wine, still less like lemonade, and I don’t have a high tolerance for alcohol.

I might manage a level of production to be proud of, not just scrape by as adequate, but the past few years, higher-ups have demanded that examiners jump through more hoops to do Office Actions, without getting more time to do them.

Arlington and NIMBYism

Arlington, Virginia, where I have lived for close to half my life, is in the news over housing issues. The County Board enacted a rather modest measure to permit the construction of multi-family housing in certain neighborhoods, the local Nimbies sued, and a judge recently ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. I don’t much like the result, although I express no opinion on the legal merits of the case. I voted for pro-Expanded Housing Options candidates, and did not respond to appeals to contribute to financing the lawsuit.