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In sci-fi convention, life-forms that hadn't developed space travel were mere prehistory -- horse-shoe crabs of the cosmic scene -- and something of the humiliation of being stuck on a provincial planet in a galactic backwater has stayed with me ever since. |
Thursday, November 6, 1997
There is nothing like a bit of pain to make one appreciate its absence as a wonderful feeling. I had intended to work later tonight and then not go in tomorrow, but about four pm my tooth started to make its presence known. I took some ibuprofen and came home, so I'll have to go in tomorrow for a few hours. I did accomplish two loads of laundry, and got my outfits packed for this weekend.
I don't mind going short a few hours at work, but I've taken off too many Fridays lately. I had a good reason each time, so it wasn't that I just woke up and decided to stay home. Still, I don't want to make a habit of it. I wouldn't want them to think they could just as well get along without me!
I'm trying to update our team website at work. What a mess! It's been worked on by a lot of random people, so there is a huge amout of garbage; old files and directories, mystery files. I need to balance the desire for version control from the program management team with the dev lead's wish for directories that he can edit as he wishes.
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I am so looking forward to Orycon! I swear, this year I'll get my membership for next year before I leave Portland. I really like the community and solidaritiy of it all. We laugh sometimes that we drive three hours from Seattle to see the same people we see at Vanguard every month, but we get together with Portland and California fans too. Some even come from New York or farther!
The neighborhood of the hotel is rather strange. It's just over the bridge into Oregon. It's called Jantzen Beach, after an old resort cum amusement park that used to be there. So there aren't many streets to walk on, just a loop around the highway interchange. There's a peculiar pedestrian tunnel there, where Luke, Jane and I set off fireworks a few years ago when Westercon was at the same location.
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When I was in the basement doing the laundry, I met my neighbor R---. What a creep! He should never have been allowed to live in the building. It's a co-op, so you have to be approved by the board before you can buy in. He had some bad reports from the place where he lived before, but he buffaloed the board at the time by saying he would sue the building for discrimination. His case would never have been won (we had gay folks living in the building already!) but the board caved.
What really makes him an undesirable member is his practice of having unapproved roommates living with him. He has a responsible job (transit driver), but he makes it a habit to bring young drug addicts and alcoholics to live with him. It's the fact that these people are not approved by the board that is an evictable offense. We crossed swords constantly when I was board member and president a few years ago, but I didn't succeed in getting him out, darn it!
The unfortunate thing about all this is that his apartment is right below mine!
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