Writer's Block: Around the world

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Saturn. Always wanted to see the rings up close.

Done midweek (20110322 Tu - 0324 Th)

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To be brief, not a whole lot. Was thoroughly embarrassed by the sudden realization that I'd scheduled my Cirque du Soleil ticket for the evening of the Younger Daughter's birthday. (I believe she ended up spending it with friends and BF, but still...) Considerable wailing and gnashing of teeth on the YD's part, but then she is studying acting.

It was also the starting-place for some good discussion of shame, guilt, self-esteem, and self-image. So not so much of an ill wind as it could have been.

Oh, yes. Work. Came back from Seattle Tuesday morning to find that I'd been moved once again, to code-review and maybe help fix the project with the currently-squeakiest wheel. I didn't mind nearly as much as the last time -- I seem to have reframed my job as "head troubleshooter and Old Guy Who Knows (something about) Everything." Heh. They're going to have fun trying to replace me when I go back to research.

That, or I'm now living at a stress level that makes it hard to notice the difference.

A few links under the cut, as usual.

Done yesterday (20110325 Fr)

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A very mixed day, all things considered. The going-away lunch for my long-time (a decade) coworker and friend Brad was very tasty, and I managed to find the one dish on the menu that had fish and no pasta. Yum. An improvement in the weather persuaded us to walk back. That turned out to have been a mistake; we were both well-and-truly drenched by the time we got back to the office.

My supposedly-waterproof jacket was still soaked by the time I headed out to the evening's big event, Cirque du Soleil's Quidam. It was very, very beautiful -- breathtaking in spots. Also very incomprehensible -- which I'm told is not an unusual view at all. The parts where they brought people up from the audience were, as in Zumanity in Las Vegas, uncomfortable for me to watch. I have no idea whether that's unusual. On the whole, highly worthwhile.

I think my favorite parts were the diabolos, the cloud swing and the final banquine. And there were a lot of haunting little vignettes, as well.

By the time I got ready to take a bath and go to bed around 11:30 I was aching all over. I'm inclined to blame something flu-like. I am presently emulating a vegetable. A vegetable cruelly ripped out of its bed, parboiled in something slimy, and awaiting the masher. But a vegetable.

Links include bullying and boobies. I expect the latter to garner more than the usual amount of comment spam, but I couldn't resist.