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Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. Let them be your only diet drink and botanical medicines.
-- Henry David Thoreau
Friday, July 18, 1997
Today was the last day for Steve, one of the testers in the bay. He and the guy who sits next to him were play-arguing about the fate of a ball he might leave behind him, one of those squeezy balls that is supposed to help your hands, I think. I couldn't resist the opportunity to send a link to Scott's page about his underwear to those who work in the bay. Subject of my mail: "who's got the ball?" Response from a cow-orker: "I've got to wonder about your interests sometimes, Anita. <grin>"
I will confess to a few qualms, since I usually don't send stuff of this nature (where would I find stuff of this nature?) around, but the images are sooo funny! I couldn't resist.
* * * * * * * *
Does it mean my life is boring if I get excited when I see that the vending machine has a new variety of cracker? I prefer to think of it as being "in the moment" and appreciating the little things in life. But since I didn't have any change in my pocket, I didn't try out the Doritos Brand spicy cheez crackers yet. I've been reading a good writer who likes to rant about advertising and the Sunday paper inserts: Sunday Papers by Columbine.
* * * * * * * *
I stopped at Sunshine Produce on Madison on the way home from work. I had noticed that they were advertising Ranier cherries a few days ago, and I wanted to take some to the Clarion West party.
The produce store opens at 7 AM, and I am usually driving by in the morning about ten minutes before that, so my urge to bring fruit to work (for the better nutrition of my teammates and me) is usually frustrated. I like to take the beautiful wooden bowl my mother made, fill it with ripe nectarines or unusual apples, and put it near the door of my office so folks can help themselves as they walk by. In my mind this is connected with my mother making a huge bowl of cut-up fruit and including it when she made dinner for the homeless men that shared the rectory with our pastor when I was growing up. She was always sure that those men need to be eating more fruit!
So I bought a pound and a half of Ranier cherries (we are getting close to the end of the season for them) and two "stringless mangoes." When I got home, I cut up one of the mangoes the way Martha Stewart recommends. (Cut in half lengthwise, avoiding the large pit, then criss-cross cut the flesh right up to the skin. Turn the halves from concave to convex, so the little segments you cut are accessible, then eat with a spoon. Yum!) That was my dinner as I read my mail, then got ready for the party. I decided to bring the other as a gift for my friend Jon Singer. That way it wasn't up to me to figure out if it would be a good idea to serve this at the party, and I knew he'd appreciate the scrumptiousness of the mango.
The party was good, although I did miss the exit to the West Seattle Bridge and had to go farther south to Georgetown and hunt around for an alternate route. I was a little worried when I found myself in all the little industrial roads and access lanes underneath the bridge, because that's where my friend Wendy got in an accident last year. Those roads are totally confusing! But I got there without mishap.
Leslie had the fountain going in her backyard this year, and instead of tetherball, she had a badmintion net set up. The moon was full and so bright, the shadows cast were very noticeable. I spent some time talking with Andy Hooper about my idea of going to the British Corflu next year. Now is the time to start psyching myself up for this. I've been to Canada but never to Europe.
Tonight Ceej finally put together the threads of who Jon Singer is. People she knows have T-shirts that say "Friend of Jon Singer" on them. He knows many people in the software industry and many people in fandom (and these worlds intersect anyway), and even more people know him. He is a memorable guy! She had heard of him before, and even spoke to him last week, but tonight it clicked.
I was disappointed that Jane and Luke weren't there, nor Kate and Glenn. I feel like I missed out by being away in Delaware, missed Vanguard. I will make a better effort to touch base with them this week, because I won't make it to next week's party (start of ominous music). I'll be having my wisdom teeth out next Friday!
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