Bemusing...

Folks at work have been spreading the meme about my being interviewed for Real Genius. I'm not sure exactly who it was that found out to start, but it's now going everywhere, and it's bemusing.

Especially when one lady asked me, "Were you really that... hyper?"

*sigh*

I still remember the head swivel everyone did when the Horde watched the movie with me present at the first scene with Jordan.

Now I feel slow and old. Ah well.

I'm realizing that I've gone a very long ways from where I was... I feel my older and slower and politically cautious and more tired, now. Maybe it's good for me to stop and rest and revisit and recapture who and what I really want to be as myself again. Maybe the costs of success were higher than I'd originally counted. It is a good thing to know.

Bemusing...

Folks at work have been spreading the meme about my being interviewed for Real Genius. I'm not sure exactly who it was that found out to start, but it's now going everywhere, and it's bemusing.

Especially when one lady asked me, "Were you really that... hyper?"

*sigh*

I still remember the head swivel everyone did when the Horde watched the movie with me present at the first scene with Jordan.

Now I feel slow and old. Ah well.

I'm realizing that I've gone a very long ways from where I was... I feel my older and slower and politically cautious and more tired, now. Maybe it's good for me to stop and rest and revisit and recapture who and what I really want to be as myself again. Maybe the costs of success were higher than I'd originally counted. It is a good thing to know.

A Late Lament

I've been denying it for the last week, but I'm afraid that my old Pikachu GS2 really is lost and gone forever.

I've been carrying some form of a Pikachu pedometer since well before Jet was born, between the very old yellow one and the last GS2. I'd retired the yellow one when the battery went dead when Kathy gave me this GS2 as it was cooler, had color, and the very keen week long record of the steps for that day. Plus it allowed me to play after 1,000,000 steps. The yellow one I had to reset at 1,000,000, and when I first got this one I'd assumed I had to when I reached it but it surprised me by playing the victory tune once and then just going on!

Subsequently I realized I could play that tune any time I wanted to, plus I did reset it that time and then kept going the second time as I thought I'd try that, too. So there were three million steps on various pikachu before this last long run.

It was a run that went more than 9 million steps. I was trying for 10 million to see if there was another decimal place on the display. *grin*

But it went through a lot to get there. Dozens of vacations, getting dropped and even drop kicked by accident just about everywhere, getting lost and found, and even a stretch of a few years where I just stuffed it in a drawer and ignored it. After reviving it I let it go and go and go until it was so dim I couldn't quite see it so I had a watch repair person replace the battery last year. And since then it wasn't quite the same, flickering in and out and occasionally trying to reset on me. I don't know if the battery was wrong or there were some connections lost in it since I'd dropped it so many times, but it still counted. Though it did act a bit senile occasionally and it would drop all my steps for some days.

Poor old thing.

Anyway... I think I lost it sometime two weeks ago. I then pulled out the one I'd gotten on ebay a couple of years ago when I last thought I'd lost the old one, and pulled the battery stop. I left the protective film on the face, just in case, but after a week of realizing the the battery in this "new" one was actually quite old, I asked John to buy a new battery for me and we replaced it quite carefully ourselves.

The new one has a very smooth face, it has crisp buttons, not smooshy and reluctant the way the older one had gotten. The belt grip is tight and solid. The display is now crisp and clean, constant and always bright. It doesn't have a million steps yet, so won't always wake up at night to let me play Acey Ducey with it. *grin*

I don't even have a full week on it, yet, and we're already pretty good friends. I know what it likes. *grin* I think it'll be a good, long friendship; but I kind of miss the old one. I think if I find it now, I'll likely just retire it to the same drawer the old yellow one now lives in and thank it for its long service. But I'm awfully glad to have its cousin on my belt now, encouraging me with little chirps to just keep walking.

A Late Lament

I've been denying it for the last week, but I'm afraid that my old Pikachu GS2 really is lost and gone forever.

I've been carrying some form of a Pikachu pedometer since well before Jet was born, between the very old yellow one and the last GS2. I'd retired the yellow one when the battery went dead when Kathy gave me this GS2 as it was cooler, had color, and the very keen week long record of the steps for that day. Plus it allowed me to play after 1,000,000 steps. The yellow one I had to reset at 1,000,000, and when I first got this one I'd assumed I had to when I reached it but it surprised me by playing the victory tune once and then just going on!

Subsequently I realized I could play that tune any time I wanted to, plus I did reset it that time and then kept going the second time as I thought I'd try that, too. So there were three million steps on various pikachu before this last long run.

It was a run that went more than 9 million steps. I was trying for 10 million to see if there was another decimal place on the display. *grin*

But it went through a lot to get there. Dozens of vacations, getting dropped and even drop kicked by accident just about everywhere, getting lost and found, and even a stretch of a few years where I just stuffed it in a drawer and ignored it. After reviving it I let it go and go and go until it was so dim I couldn't quite see it so I had a watch repair person replace the battery last year. And since then it wasn't quite the same, flickering in and out and occasionally trying to reset on me. I don't know if the battery was wrong or there were some connections lost in it since I'd dropped it so many times, but it still counted. Though it did act a bit senile occasionally and it would drop all my steps for some days.

Poor old thing.

Anyway... I think I lost it sometime two weeks ago. I then pulled out the one I'd gotten on ebay a couple of years ago when I last thought I'd lost the old one, and pulled the battery stop. I left the protective film on the face, just in case, but after a week of realizing the the battery in this "new" one was actually quite old, I asked John to buy a new battery for me and we replaced it quite carefully ourselves.

The new one has a very smooth face, it has crisp buttons, not smooshy and reluctant the way the older one had gotten. The belt grip is tight and solid. The display is now crisp and clean, constant and always bright. It doesn't have a million steps yet, so won't always wake up at night to let me play Acey Ducey with it. *grin*

I don't even have a full week on it, yet, and we're already pretty good friends. I know what it likes. *grin* I think it'll be a good, long friendship; but I kind of miss the old one. I think if I find it now, I'll likely just retire it to the same drawer the old yellow one now lives in and thank it for its long service. But I'm awfully glad to have its cousin on my belt now, encouraging me with little chirps to just keep walking.

Mobo Sushi and Much Fish Was Eaten

On Thursday evening, after a social function at work that was fun and good to see folks before I went on leave went to 5, I hopped into my SUV in the parking lot, found my celphone and called Carl to tell him I was going to be late for a 6pm dinner engagement. I also asked for instructions on how to come in and he was good enough to hand me over to Gretchen. She talked me in and asked me how long I would be and I said, "I'm at 85 and 17." "Oh, you'll be about twenty minutes then." "Uhm... maybe a bit longer..." and I left it at that.

It was rush hour, on 17, headed out to Santa Cruz. I figured if she told Carl where I was at, he'd compensate appropriately. And he did!

Getting that SUV through the tight curves of the 17 in the dark in rush hour traffic wasn't that bad for the first 15 minutes or so, as the traffic was so jammed packed it wasn't going anywhere very fast. That was easy. Then, when my ears popped for the first time, things started opening up. I just stayed in the right lane, out of the way of the locals, and did my best. The Exterra's suspension was no worse than a Land Rover's, but the power steering was squishy and I didn't like that at all.

But I made it before 6:15, and Carl had made 6:30 reservations, so we were able to just zoom from Gretchen's house, with aelfsciene, Carl, and I in the SUV. It was very tall, and I'd parked much too close to a truck, so it was hard for everyone to get out. Oops. I offered to repark, but... well, we didn't.

Mobo Sushi was not as packed as we'd feared, but it may well have been because we had reservations. *grin*

It was great to eat sushi and talk with aelfsciene and Carl. aelfsciene is vegetarian and normally doesn't get the kinds of variety Mobo Sushi has for vegetarian sushi. They have an astonishing array of vegetarian makki in gorgeous combinations that made for a very, very Enthusiastic aelfsciene. That was *great*.

I had to have the Sunrise, which is tobiko with quail egg, but it's also wrapped around with tuna. Yum. I also had a Scooter roll, which I think of as an upscale Spider roll (i.e. soft-shell crab with many yummy bits), and this time I tried the Mad Dog roll simply because the idea of katsuo (which was a seared fish not the deep fried pork) with lime and a spicy sauce intrigued me. I enjoyed both, though the latter took a little experience with it before the combination really took for me. But it was excellent.

Carl and I ordered sushi to go for our hosts, and aelfsciene took off for the bead store.

She met us in the Trader Joe's while I waffled over wasabi mayonnaise and wild mushroom risotto. I finally decided not to get them or the whole grain pasta, but I did get another standard mayo along with a lot of very only for the holidays gingerbread cake as well as a pistacho based toffee that I just couldn't by-pass. I also got something for Mr. Dean that I know he'll like, and I figured I'd have nearly no room in my luggage. It was true, too.

When we got back to Gretchen's, aelfsciene gave me a very square two pom-pom hat!! Woo! She had crochetted it for me and it's very funny and soft and when I tilt my head the pom poms flop very well. I gave her a Trader Joe's gift card while in line as she'd given me the easy way out and said she'd like one and needed it for later as well. So I'm glad. Gretchen gave me a French silver tea set! Woah. It is gorgeous. And I had little to return this time around. But I'm sure I'll be able to get something for them later. :-)

We sat and talked and thumped Moose quite happily until fairly late in the evening. We left all at about the same time, as they were tired and we were tired and it was a good time to just zoom.

Mobo Sushi and Much Fish Was Eaten

On Thursday evening, after a social function at work that was fun and good to see folks before I went on leave went to 5, I hopped into my SUV in the parking lot, found my celphone and called Carl to tell him I was going to be late for a 6pm dinner engagement. I also asked for instructions on how to come in and he was good enough to hand me over to Gretchen. She talked me in and asked me how long I would be and I said, "I'm at 85 and 17." "Oh, you'll be about twenty minutes then." "Uhm... maybe a bit longer..." and I left it at that.

It was rush hour, on 17, headed out to Santa Cruz. I figured if she told Carl where I was at, he'd compensate appropriately. And he did!

Getting that SUV through the tight curves of the 17 in the dark in rush hour traffic wasn't that bad for the first 15 minutes or so, as the traffic was so jammed packed it wasn't going anywhere very fast. That was easy. Then, when my ears popped for the first time, things started opening up. I just stayed in the right lane, out of the way of the locals, and did my best. The Exterra's suspension was no worse than a Land Rover's, but the power steering was squishy and I didn't like that at all.

But I made it before 6:15, and Carl had made 6:30 reservations, so we were able to just zoom from Gretchen's house, with aelfsciene, Carl, and I in the SUV. It was very tall, and I'd parked much too close to a truck, so it was hard for everyone to get out. Oops. I offered to repark, but... well, we didn't.

Mobo Sushi was not as packed as we'd feared, but it may well have been because we had reservations. *grin*

It was great to eat sushi and talk with aelfsciene and Carl. aelfsciene is vegetarian and normally doesn't get the kinds of variety Mobo Sushi has for vegetarian sushi. They have an astonishing array of vegetarian makki in gorgeous combinations that made for a very, very Enthusiastic aelfsciene. That was *great*.

I had to have the Sunrise, which is tobiko with quail egg, but it's also wrapped around with tuna. Yum. I also had a Scooter roll, which I think of as an upscale Spider roll (i.e. soft-shell crab with many yummy bits), and this time I tried the Mad Dog roll simply because the idea of katsuo (which was a seared fish not the deep fried pork) with lime and a spicy sauce intrigued me. I enjoyed both, though the latter took a little experience with it before the combination really took for me. But it was excellent.

Carl and I ordered sushi to go for our hosts, and aelfsciene took off for the bead store.

She met us in the Trader Joe's while I waffled over wasabi mayonnaise and wild mushroom risotto. I finally decided not to get them or the whole grain pasta, but I did get another standard mayo along with a lot of very only for the holidays gingerbread cake as well as a pistacho based toffee that I just couldn't by-pass. I also got something for Mr. Dean that I know he'll like, and I figured I'd have nearly no room in my luggage. It was true, too.

When we got back to Gretchen's, aelfsciene gave me a very square two pom-pom hat!! Woo! She had crochetted it for me and it's very funny and soft and when I tilt my head the pom poms flop very well. I gave her a Trader Joe's gift card while in line as she'd given me the easy way out and said she'd like one and needed it for later as well. So I'm glad. Gretchen gave me a French silver tea set! Woah. It is gorgeous. And I had little to return this time around. But I'm sure I'll be able to get something for them later. :-)

We sat and talked and thumped Moose quite happily until fairly late in the evening. We left all at about the same time, as they were tired and we were tired and it was a good time to just zoom.