My weekend was a like a deep, cleansing breath. It was a pause between moments of frantic chaos. It was nice, and very appreciated.
I did not have high hopes for much peace in the immediate future as Friday approached last week. Everything was one technical crisis after another. To top it all off, Fate somehow decided that the networking request we'd put in, oh about a month ago, was finally going to be fulfilled at 2pm on the Friday before Thanksgiving. Since I was the only one around to do much of the work, I ended staying in a computer lab at Company O. until about 10:30pm on a Friday night.
My plans for Saturday were to return to my old grad school stomping grounds to see J., get my hair cut, and visit with a grad student who has my old job (more or less). The afternoon turned out to be a wonderful bit of nostalgia. The grad student lives on campus about two buildings over from where I lived when I first arrived from the Land Of My Birth. We spent a couple easy going hours with me explaining some of the bits of how the system I helped build, and he helps to maintain. He then took me out for a beer on the other side of campus to thank me for my trouble. We walked there and back, and I was reminded how absolutely, positively lovely the campus was... and how many good times I had there.
As a small added bonus, I found some nice canvas grocery shopping bags. I don't like paper or plastic grocery bags... they just seem to build up around the apartment, and I always forget to bring the plastic bags back to the store to be recycled. I first hopped on the canvas bag train almost 15 years ago, and I still have those bags. I've gotten more bags in the interim, but recently damaged them by forgetting that canvas bags are most definitely "line dry only". A lot of grocery stores around here have stopped carrying them... even though nearby municipalities are threatening to tax grocery bags because of their contribution to the landfill. They carry these things made out of recycled plastic fibers that feel flimsy to me. In any case, I found some great canvas bags, with a nice bright, colorful image on one side.
Sunday was dedicated to a major sporting event. A member of a local sports team was retiring... and we decided to attend the game where his retirement was celebrated. I was not in the best of moods to be amongst a large crowd of screaming fans... but I had a good time. I didn't yell or scream at all, but it was a good game to watch and it's always fun to see these things live instead of in your living room.
I also made the mistake of visiting an audio listening room in a nearby electronics store. I got to hear a side by side comparison of the mass-market stereo speakers (by a reputable maker) that I own with those in the next two higher product lines. Wow. My speakers really sound kind of muddy in comparison. *sigh* It gives me a case of gadget envy... but there's not much I can do about it. I haven't been spending much time listening to music on the speakers I have. I also don't have the money. So, I have to be an adult, and recognize that better speakers, like a performance car, are outside my reach right now. *double sigh*
In the end, the weekend was a very pleasant distraction. I was able to break routine in a good, low stress way. It gave me the perspective I needed to dive back into the chaos of this week, to get me to Wednesday and the start of Thanksgiving vacation.
said drgeek
on 2006-11-20 at 9:52 p.m.
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The Wayback Machine - To Infinity And Beyond
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