Ah, I love the smell of Friday Blogging in the morning.

A Friday linkeroo from Bristol, with...love. I say go ahead and clear the undergrowth. The worst case scenario is that people get upset; but they'll find another place to get 'er done. The best case scenario is that the outdoor giggity continues, only now it draws viewership. Hell, the park could even start charging a nominal ticket price for people who just want to see the show. No to mention the opportunity for sales dollars from refreshments and memorabilia.

I'm going to honor the traditional Friday pastime and try to leave work early today. I have to go get a part for my weed-whacker today, and the store is in the opposite direction of my house. The upside is that I get to go home and tinker with a gas-powered machine. Nothing soothes the soul quite like that. I guess the other upside is that I'll be able to take the bypass back home, that goes around the city. That'll be a nice drive.

Speaking of driving, I've been getting awesome MPG lately. My car is rated by the EPA at 22/27. I noticed a few months ago that I was getting about 31mpg in mixed driving to and from work each day. I checked the oil, because sometimes a low oil level can drive MPG up. It needed about a quart, so I dropped some in. Then I went to fill up last weekend and it had gone to 32; almost 20% over the highest EPA estimate. Suck it OPEC!

Just finished one of the more stressful weeks of the year at work. We're putting together the expense and FTE budgets for FY09, and as usual, it's been a real bear. We try and project for every expense, and I mean every. CEO approval is required for any and all increases in the budget, and I've had to go to the mat for spends that are less than one one-hundredth of a percent of our gross revenue. I suppose that's a good thing though, to be fiscally responsible; especially when you're in a sector where 2% margins are par for the course. At any rate, work had been a little stressful, and I'm looking forward to a few days to myself.

Hope you enjoy yours too.