End of the year views

Wow, last day of the year - changes for me coming up.
Ever since my boss gave me that Monday morning pep talk - the half hour yell fest terminating in "did you see yesterday's want ads - it wouldn't surprise me if on Wednesday or Thursday and fired everyone in IT but me" that motivated me to get my resume rewritten - I have been getting my resume in order. It ended this morning in my getting a written job offer, and thus my handing my boss later this morning a "hereby submit my resignation" letter. He just put his head on the desk and then said "well, you have to do what's best" and made no counter offer or questions on where I was going or nice to have you here - he didn't even talk to me for the rest of the day. So I am now officially unemployed. Starting the new job Monday (next year) at 8.
I spent the day installing some software that I have been working on for weeks (I'm a programmer). I tried yesterday, but kept getting errors, again this morning more errors, finally late morning it went in OK. This is an internal web program that gets hit by about 200 computers, it tests OK on my machine and ran fine for ten minutes, but then fell apart - probably when enough people hit one bad spot I couldn't figure out how they were getting to. But I changed it and it worked, then after running about three hours I installed a script part that depended on the first changes. This is the script that our phone operators read when people call in to cancel their new accounts. Kind of an official way to talk them into staying. This round is prompted by a lawsuit and a Federal Trade Commission investigation, had to be done by today and our CEO had to send off a certified affidavit to the FTC that the new words and options were in place.
I spend three hours with two of the new guys explaining what I was doing so they could take it over. And our CEO has lots more script changes coming down on Monday, so somebody will be busy learning the stuff I've taken six months to learn and rushing to get it done while being yelled at because it really had to be done by the 31st (today) and they were late. Glad I am no longer getting yelled at there.
So, hopefully a lot less stress and more time for fun stuff. At least no more 50 hour weeks plus "oh yeah, we're all coming in Saturday too to catch up". Off to a bank, with two week vacation a year (instead of 5 days), regular holidays (instead of 4pm Christmas eve and take Christmas day off) and regular 9 to 5 hours. I hope it is as good as it sounds.
On to what's happening in Vegas this week -
Started out last week with a cold spot -

our courtyard fountain demonstrating an early morning freeze up. Down to 27 one night. Back to mid 50's in the daytime.
This week was lots of rain - it was cloudy and small rain almost every day, but on Wednesday it really poured.

as our back yard shows. Vegas gets about four inches a year, so this does not happen too often. At least it was warmer at night - 41 when we got up this morning. But it is cold in the surrounding mountains. Driving home yesterday this is what it looked like around sunset to the west

as I drove past the loverly Wynn that was recently discussed. Further along, on the bridge over 15 it looked like this

about a 45 minute drive up to the ski resorts in Mt. Charleston, but as you can see snow down pretty low - probably the 2000 ft level. Vegas is around 1,100 ft above sea level. Last year we had the snow on New Year's Eve - sorry, I don't know how to link back to my post and photos then. So here is what the trees across the street from our house looked like a year ago

supposedly the first snow here in ten years - four inches - and one of our little dogs loved it. But of course, gone by sunset at the end of the day.
The strip is supposed to be the biggest party of the eve tonight, next to Times Square. But here you can get beer - one place in the middle of the strip has five cent beers, lots of drunks and lots of fights. So stay to the ends if you go. And supposedly the biggest fireworks display in the world - both for the new year and the start of the LV 100th birthday. I'll be staying home, probably asleep by then.
I am on to new adventures for the new year - new job, upcoming new grandkid, hopefully other things too. Best wishes to all, and to all a good night.