Bits and Pieces

Monday, September 14, 1998
One year ago: Mozart Out the Window

Sunday's entry has a Cacophony yard sale (no money involved, of course!) and a trip to the zoo to see the butterflies.

An example of the kind of thing I tend to comment on in other folk's journals: John "Journal of a Writing Man" Bailey did an entry yesterday about rainbows. I wrote to him, talking about how I've seen more rainbows in the ten years I've lived in Seattle than in the rest of my life before. We just have the right, mixed-up weather here. "I remember walking around the corner at a mall near my office, heading to the movie theater -- unaccountably in a separate building, not attached to the main shopping mall -- and being 'surprised by joy' on seeing a great rainbow!" I also mentioned Dee Dee Rainbow, a wonderful local woman who always dresses in rainbow colors. She's a great Seattle character!

When I was talking Star Trek with Andy Hooper on Saturday night, I was trying to tell him about the Door Repair Guy sagas, but I don't think I did them justice. These parodies, written by Doug McLeod, are some of the funniest stuff I've ever read, Trek-related or not! Anita sez "Check it out!"

I was listening today to one of the used CDs I bought last Monday, one with the Empire Brass (and "friends") playing Gabrieli. I had forgotten how much I loved this music! It takes me right back to college days. It's renaissance or early baroque music, divided brass choirs. It's a totally sensual high, with the echoing voices back and forth. Perfect for headphones, since I don't have a cathedral handy to go and listen in.

We had our regular program managers meeting this afternoon. I was quite amused by our group leader talking about the strategems he has had to use to deal with another product group. There are depths of intrigue at Microsoft that I'm still learning about, even after five years! But when he was asking how to improve these weekly meetings, I did have one idea. The meetings seem to him to be too much him talking in a monologue, and the rest of us sitting and listening. There is a lot of information that he needs to get conveyed to us! But I suggested that at least some of it could be sent to us in a mail message (if he can find the time to write it!) and that way we could think about it and have some reactions. I think people don't want to give snap reactions to some of these tough problems.

I'm spending so much time online these days, that when something struck me funny the other day, I literally said to myself, "LOL!" I said it, I wasn't writing it!