i prefer pi

Scabrous

I haven’t had a really good scab in a long time. The little boy within me is struggling to refrain from picking at it.

Links a-plenty

Christopher Lydon’s “Open Source” radio program is good stuff, especially June 16th’s Blogsday entry — a stream of consciousness tribute to Bloomsday, possibly the most famous single day in all of literature. In fact, I would listen to a show like that one on a regular basis; sort of a cross between Writers on Writing or The Writer’s Almanac and a daily documentary.

If I’m ever going to have any time to do non-computer-related activities at home, I think that it’s going to require dismantling my PC. I have a fat stack of books that I keep picking up, and my progress is embarassingly slow. Time for action!

(and supper…)

((and sleep))

My injuries are healing nicely, thanks in large part to that box of Band-Aids that I packed at the last minute and Microsoft’s extensive First Aid cabinets.

Ouch

To make a long story short, I climbed up a good bit of Mount Rainier today, and on the way back, I took a bit of a tumble that resulted in some nasty scrapes and bruises — it’s a good thing that I was wearing a helmet.

Actually, that’s making a long story too short.

I climbed up a good bit of Mount Rainier today, from the Visitor’s Center up to around 7300 feet and back down. The trails stop around 6800 feet, so beyond that point, you’re on your own. It was amazing to take a break and stop and listen to the silence — it’s so quiet and so far removed from ambient people-sounds that you can hear the eagle flapping its wings as it takes off, the water bubbling and gurgling and rushing as the snow melts and heads down the mountain, the conversation of the skiiers several hundred feet below. While we were up there, we ran across two marmots engaged in a ferocious duel, which was fun to watch (the WWE has nothing on these guys). Eventually, a third one bounded up the rocks and chased off one of the two. We wondered if they ate the chipmunks that we saw running around…

We left at 5:30 and got back around 8:00, and Jacob, Luke and I ate dinner at Kiko Sushi near our apartment. I had the Tekka-Don, which is sliced tuna sashimi (yes, that’s raw) over sushi rice, and it was good and filling. We biked down to Fred Meyer, where I bought some Aloe Vera for the sunburn that I’ve been nursing for the last two days. On the way back at the intersection nearest our apartment, I was trying to be smooth and push the crosswalk button as I biked by (with my right hand), but I was coming in too quickly, so I had to brake (with my left hand); this, of course, caused my front wheel to lock. As I still had plenty of forward momentum to spare, I took a trip over my handlebars and onto the pavement, ripping my cyclometer off as I went. Palm, knee, and elbow were sacrificed to save head, bike, and body (it’s a good thing that I was wearing a helmet), but after a few hours of first aid and general restoration (bath, shower, aloe and shave), I feel mostly human again.

P.S. Happy Birthday to Joel!

TINSTAAFL

Actually, that’s a lie. This morning, I had free donuts and coffee while I listened to Microsoft’s scheme for global domination domination of the console market (I have to admit, I think that they’ll probably do it). Our team had a morale event this afternoon, and there were free burgers, hot dogs, and drinks a-plenty. Two rounds of kickball, a pretty ferocious sunburn (who knew that you burn even in Washington weather?), and a few hours later, I got a call from the Carrolls, some old family friends who are taking their vacation in Seattle this year. They took me out to dinner, and we walked around Borders afterwards, where I grabbed a copy of Gaudy Night. It is now my plan to lay on the couch, drink some chai tea, and read until I fall asleep, which probably won’t be that long…

Tonight was my first Soup Night, and it went really well. I think that thirteen people were fed, everyone got full, and all of the soup was eaten. More importantly, however, I got the chance to meet with someone who is looking for people to pray with in the mornings. I’m looking forward to it.

P.S. I also baked banana nut bread for dessert, did the dishes, and cleaned up the kitchen and living room.
P.P.S. I’m single. Can you believe it?
P.P.P.S. Actually, you should be able to believe it. The male-to-female ratio at Microsoft is probably stacked eight-to-one against us.:-\

Everything is Bigger in Texas, Except for the Slugs

Seriously — I saw one last night that was as big as my face.

Irony

While Jacob and I were at Fred Meyer a little while ago, we stopped on the “picnic” aisle to look for disposable bowls and spoons for soup night. We found it particularly amusing that there was a brand called “Nice ‘n Elegant.”

Nice ‘n Elegant.