February 18, 2000

friday

Up early today. I'm still drifting through time zones, I guess. I fooled around with the journal, shopped bn.com for some copies of a great book SuRu found with pictures of statues of women in cemeteries. She made me guess one of them, but it was easy...I think I have a similar picture in my files. I also ordered some Lego Robot stuff for my 'adopted' grandson. Although I might have to test it to be sure it's right for him. I even did actual work this morning, yes I did.

Finally actually headed to work after 8:30. Of course, I'd already been working. The concept of working/not working never has meant much in the programming racket. Just dare me to stop thinking about my work when I walk out the door or to start just because I've shown up at a location or put my hands on a keyboard.

Ever wonder about those strangers caught in your old travel photos? Like the one taking a photo on the edge of this shot? Who are they? Today's 'Where in the World is LB?' is pretty obvious. (No, it's not Las Vegas!) BUT you have to give the year the picture was taken! For that matter...the month!

At work I gave a presentation that I have to turn in soon for a conference in May. Still not enough practice. And it runs too long. I think I know how to speed it up, though, and I'm starting to remember how I want to introduce the concepts and what to say on each slide.

Spent lunch with some old work buddies. We needed a bitch and ego burnishing. We sat on the patio at Brick Oven. No tables at Kyoto and none inside Brick Oven. No matter how many restaurants they build, it isn't enough. It was hot and humid. There were even spits of rain. I confess I had a glass of wine. After walking back I felt really hot.

I finished a few corrections to my presentation and read some other people's papers. I even talked about bugs with a couple of people. I threatened to leave early, but I didn't. Instead it was a little late.

We went to the symphony. They did the Overture from the Beethoven opera Fidelio, a Beethoven concerto for violin, cello and piano (featuring Eroica) and then the Eroica Symphony (Beethoven's Third in E-flat). Perhaps this will calm the staid fans upset by Peter Bay's upstart performances. Or not. The featured artists were girls, after all, and the piano player had her bench on this riser thing...that can't be the way it's supposed to be. I enjoyed it, but dozed a couple of times. I'm tired. We went to a party after but it was pretty crowded and we were just too tired to jostle for drinks and food too long. (Also, when I skipped dinner, a bunch of desserts isn't what I long for.) So we said 'Hi' to a bunch of people and then came home for nachos and beer.

Ah...a weekend looms. A weekend with no airplanes. Great! I've got to get this room straigtened up, though. I can barely get in and out.

"Is it possible to be a saint when there is no God? This is the only concrete problem I know today."

Albert Camus, Le Mythe de Sisyphe

countdown (click for bigger view)

Where is it? What year?