The weather has been mostly luscious this week. Warm. Sunny. Simply gorgeous. Friday in particular was much too nice to be indoors. The weekend sparkled. And we have two white lilac blooms in the back yard (yummmm).
I love Spring.
During the Autumn and Wet seasons, the ornamental plum tree in the back yard became infected with lichen and what looks like spanish moss. I was quite worried for its survival. However, it's fighting back and it's putting out leaves (although there were no blossoms this spring). on Monday morning (before Work) and several afternoons this week, I went out and stripped a bunch of grey-green stuff off the branches. I figure a little bit here, a little bit there, and maybe it will help.
Monday night we drove into the City to a Chinese restaurant we like. We sat next to the fish tank so I could watch the fish. There was a bulgy-eyed black koi and a white one with colors who was picking up gravel in his mouth (eating things off of it?). I especially enjoyed watching the "vacuum cleaner fish" (Bristlenose catfish) who spent most of the meal sleeping but then woke up and roved around the tank, nibbling algae off of everything The most fun was when he was cleaning the tubes for the filter. His little whiskers stuck out on both sides of the tube. But then, it was also fun to watch him go up and down the glass (slurp slurp).
Tuesday was foggy in the morning and early evening but sunny by afternoon and clear after 9pm.
Tuesday was Rich's birthday. We went to Todai for dinner . We do't usually go for dinner as it's more expensive than lunch but they give a free meal on your birthday which evened things out considerably. I like dinner and weekend lunches – they have unagi 😉 We got there at 8:15 (they close at 9) We really shouldn't go quite so late. We felt we needed to load our plates because we weren't sure if we would be able to go back or if they'd run out of something. Full up to HERE. Blorfl! But good.
Rich gave a talk at SLAC on Thursday. He said it went pretty well (although one computer scientist thought it was a little "light").
Afterward, he spent half an hour or so conferring with the folks from the SLAC library. We hope they can find some money to hire him for some work.
I got some very strange spam on Saturday. Chinese subject (as near as I could tell). Three pictures. No text.
I had one of my better dreams during my nap on Saturday (the kind with a plot). Even more interesting, this was a dream within a dream. The inner one (the one with the plot) seems to have been a movie we caught on a New York television station.
Under the belief that if you can't beat 'em, laugh at 'em, some friends and I play "fun with spam" on occasion. This week I added two more bits to my collection.
This week I read The Door into Summer, by Robert Heinlein (I think I read it once before; it was familiar in spots). I also read Posted to Death and Faked to Death by Dean James. These are British cozy mysteries, featuring American author Simon Kirby-Jones, who now lives in the small English village of Snupperton Mumsley. Under his own name, Simon writes historical biographies. Under two different (female) pseudonyms he also writes best selling Regency Romances and Hard-boiled detective fiction. Simon is also gay. And a vampire. The books are quirky but fun.
In between and around the rest, I've had almost enough naps and plenty of snuggles with the cats. There have been good meals and interesting conversations with Spouse and friends. I've had a few chats with my Dad and exchanged email with my mom.
Oh, and I did my 2004 taxes (rah!). Turbo Tax is a wonderful app. I'd go mad without it.
Onward and Upward.
Slightly Off KIlter 