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Zero Effect
From a drop of water a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of one or the other.
Sherlock Holmes, in A Study in Scarlet, pt. 1, ch. 2 (1887).
-- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Tuesday, February 3, 1998
When I left Jason's place on Saturday afternoon, I told him that it seemed like a long time till the next weekend (when we already had plans) and that I wished I could see him sooner. When he said I could drop by any evening after work, I said I'd prefer a specific invitation. Since I'm already busy Wednesday and Thursday, tonight, Tuesday, was it. I guess that does make the evening my idea, doesn't it?
I picked Jason up at his office, and we drove (the long way) to a newish mixed use development in Kirkland, called Kirkland Parkplace. We took the long way because I didn't know that Redmond Way, which connects Kirkland and Redmond, is also State road 908, which is what was marked on the map I printed out from Sidewalk. Luckily we had plenty of time, so it was ok to take the scenic route. I kept driving north until I knew we had gone too far, then took the most likely road east. That took us through strip mall land, and into a sucker lane that I couldn't get out of, so we were driving south on I-405. This must have been meant to be, because the next exit had the sign marking SR 908! So now I knew where we were, and we had no further trouble finding the place.
Parkplace is a human-scale shopping center/office development in downtown Kirkland, Retail shops, restaurants, and some residential buildings, are grouped around a large office building. Because it is built on a slope, there are walkways and stairs connecting different levels and areas. Jason and I walked all around it, both to stretch our legs and get a bit of exercise after sitting all day, or kneeling all day, in my case (I use one of those knee chairs), and to pick out the place we want to eat dinner. Neither of us had been there before, so we wanted to check it all out.
We ended up at Milan! (the exclamation mark is part of the name), an Italian cafe. The food was good, and the service casual but workable. Jason talked about what's been going on for him at work. The more I hear about his place, the more glad I am to be at Microsoft!
We drifted through the laserdisk store (I didn't buy anything since it was mostly rentals) and into the toy store. Jason bought an ill-made set of panpipes, and practiced on them while we sat on a bench beside a fountain. I didn't mind at all; I merely asked him not to play them in the movie theater! I did no better on them than he did; that's why I ascribe the difficulty to how they are made (and one can't ask for too much craft for three dollars).
When the movie started, all seemed normal for a few minutes. Then the framing drifted, till the heads of all characters were cut off. This lasted for a few minutes with no change, so I "owned the issue," darted up the aisle and told the workers who were standing about in the lobby. They ran off to tell the projectionist, and the movie proceeded normally.
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Zero Effect is a fun movie. I really like Sherlock Holmes, and this movie is an updated version of that trope. I always like Bill Pullman, and there is a good cast overall. The theme of the weird guy who wants to break through and contact humanity, but just can't bring himself to do it, has always touched me. (Spock was always a favorite, too, from elementary school days.) There was a lot of great humor and quirkiness, too!
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Any little difficulties Jason and I had this evening were due to that old bugaboo, lack of communication. It's the nature of such problems that one doesn't know the message isn't getting across until later; each assumes that the other is on the same wavelength. Once again I give Jason incredible credit for both acting honorably, and being sensitive to my moods and concerns. Thanks, Jason!
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