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Celebrity Death Watch: Ian Paisley was a Northern Irish Protestant politician. Tony Auth was an editorial cartoonist. Overall, not too interesting a list, but I will not sink to memorializing Scottish cats or claimants to the Russian throne.
Non-celebrity Death Watch: Ab Logan was a storyteller in Baltimore. I didn’t know him very well, but he was always kind to me in our interactions. I have a particularly fond memory of taking an early morning walk with him at the National Storytelling Conference in Pittsburgh some years ago.
Smart Elevators: I forgot to mention this when I wrote about my recent business trip. The hotel had so-called "smart elevators," which had no buttons inside them. Instead, you pressed the floor you wanted on a central keypad. Allegedly, this saves energy, though I am not actually convinced it does. It does stop the problem of idiot teenagers who press every button. Anyway, the whole thing was slightly creepy and reminded me of the elevators in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy that got depressed about knowing where you wanted to go before you did and ended up lurking in the basement.
Pink Martini: I went to see Pink Martini perform with the NSO Pops on Thursday night last week. They were also joined by the Von Trapps (the great-grandchildren of the Captain and Maria) and NPR reporter Ari Shapiro (who continues to resemble the groom doll from the top of a wedding cake). It was an excellent show and, as always, it was fun to count how many languages they sang in. (At least 7 by my reckoning.) Overall, it was well worth the inevitable earworms.
Neptune’s Health: I took my Neptune (my car) in for service this weekend. It proved to be fairly expensive, with a bunch of odds and ends to take care of, e.g. replacing the serpentine belt, replacing a cracked hose, and so on. Still, I can afford it. And a few hundred bucks is a lot less than the cost of a new car.
Division Party: My division head had a pool party at his house on Saturday. It was, literally, a wash out as it was chilly and pouring rain so we mostly stayed inside, partly in the living room and partly around the piano. Overall, it was relatively painless for a work-related social event. We also have good ammunition to use against him in the future, since he had given his address incorrectly in the party invitation.
Other stuff: I’ve been working on the story I am telling Thursday. That eats up a lot of mental energy. And I had a few things to do related to my MIT reunion gift committee, which will take up time soon enough. And then there are little things like work. No wonder my house is a mess.
Non-celebrity Death Watch: Ab Logan was a storyteller in Baltimore. I didn’t know him very well, but he was always kind to me in our interactions. I have a particularly fond memory of taking an early morning walk with him at the National Storytelling Conference in Pittsburgh some years ago.
Smart Elevators: I forgot to mention this when I wrote about my recent business trip. The hotel had so-called "smart elevators," which had no buttons inside them. Instead, you pressed the floor you wanted on a central keypad. Allegedly, this saves energy, though I am not actually convinced it does. It does stop the problem of idiot teenagers who press every button. Anyway, the whole thing was slightly creepy and reminded me of the elevators in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy that got depressed about knowing where you wanted to go before you did and ended up lurking in the basement.
Pink Martini: I went to see Pink Martini perform with the NSO Pops on Thursday night last week. They were also joined by the Von Trapps (the great-grandchildren of the Captain and Maria) and NPR reporter Ari Shapiro (who continues to resemble the groom doll from the top of a wedding cake). It was an excellent show and, as always, it was fun to count how many languages they sang in. (At least 7 by my reckoning.) Overall, it was well worth the inevitable earworms.
Neptune’s Health: I took my Neptune (my car) in for service this weekend. It proved to be fairly expensive, with a bunch of odds and ends to take care of, e.g. replacing the serpentine belt, replacing a cracked hose, and so on. Still, I can afford it. And a few hundred bucks is a lot less than the cost of a new car.
Division Party: My division head had a pool party at his house on Saturday. It was, literally, a wash out as it was chilly and pouring rain so we mostly stayed inside, partly in the living room and partly around the piano. Overall, it was relatively painless for a work-related social event. We also have good ammunition to use against him in the future, since he had given his address incorrectly in the party invitation.
Other stuff: I’ve been working on the story I am telling Thursday. That eats up a lot of mental energy. And I had a few things to do related to my MIT reunion gift committee, which will take up time soon enough. And then there are little things like work. No wonder my house is a mess.
