timing is everything
The two days in Columbus sort of flew by fast. The group I was teaching was as fun and lively as this client's employees always seem to be, so the days really flew. Thursday afternoon I was feeling a bit tight in the chest (still not sure -- too much caffeine? or allergies? or both) so I napped a bit after class and ended up missing the group for dinner. Ate at a "Bob Evans" across the parking lot from the hotel and read quite a bit in Bill Bryson's In A Sun-Burned Country. Then returned to the hotel, did some more light editing on "That Happy Kid" and some short story / essay reading. (Check out 365shortstories -- I actually have more negative than positive reviews this time out!)
It was raising yesterday after class ended, and I was arguing with myself about whether to just eat the leftovers I had from Wednesday's dinner or actually call a cab to go across the highway where the majority of the restaurants were, or to just trudge in the rain to Bob Evans again. I checked email and such while I was debating, and by the time I was ready to go eat ... the rain had stopped. It was still massively windy and overcast, but not raining and the ground seemed to have dried a bit already. I took Bryson and the taxi's phone number with me and decided to chance walking across the highway.
Timing really is everything, and in this case mostly to the good. The wind (and the extra gusts generated by passing trucks) beat me up a bit, but I made my way to a very crowded (especially for 5:30) Outback. Yes, there is something geeky-cool about reading Bryson's travel book about Australia while sitting in a vaguely Australian-themed restaurant.
By the time I was ready to walk back to the hotel, the sun was mostly shining from the west, making the east-moving dark clouds appear even darker. The wind wasn't so gusty, but the trucks were. Almost back to the hotel, I caught some movement from the corner of my eye in amongst the un-mowed grass on the verge, and saw a beautiful long-bodied hair with a short tail. It sat there facing away from me but very obviously watching me, and I enjoyed that for a few moments before moving on. Timing being everything, of course I had left my camera in the hotel because I didn't want to get it wet if the rain recommenced. So I didn't get pictures of the cool clouds or the cool rabbit.
I got involved editing something for Hunter and completely forgot Smallville was on (which is fine because the dvr at home is recording it). I did somehow remember that Merlin was on at 10 on SyFy. I've only seen one other episode, the season premiere from two weeks ago. Decided to tune in. Liked the episode. Will have to remember Fridays at 10pm for the next two weeks to try and catch it, and then set the dvr when I get home. There's something captivating about Merlin himself, but I like the tweaks on the standard Arthurian myth.
I'm sure there's a longer post to be made, discussing the idea of "taking risks with source material." Stephanie Meyer gets blasted for calling her sparkly, playing-baseball-in-the-sun supernatural types "vampires," a change to the source material. The folks behind Merlin seem to be getting plaudits for an equally brazen move: making Merlin, Arthur, Morgana and Gwenevere all the same age and having Prince Arthur be raised by his biological father in Camelot, among other changes (Mordred, a twelve-year-old kid, while Arthur is still obviously in his early 20s?) I wonder what other folks think about this topic. I need to think more on it myself. (Note, I'm not necessarily defending The Twilight Saga ... I still haven't been able to bring myself to read it.)
I got to the airport way too early this morning, as you can tell from the long rambling of this entry. Got here a little after 11 for a flight that departs at 2. So I've been enjoying a slow brunch in the Wolfgang Puck's in the terminal. Butternut squash soup, and a pesto chicken salad sandwich with fries. I'm pretty sure I won't need to eat anything during my two hour layover in Chicago.
It was raising yesterday after class ended, and I was arguing with myself about whether to just eat the leftovers I had from Wednesday's dinner or actually call a cab to go across the highway where the majority of the restaurants were, or to just trudge in the rain to Bob Evans again. I checked email and such while I was debating, and by the time I was ready to go eat ... the rain had stopped. It was still massively windy and overcast, but not raining and the ground seemed to have dried a bit already. I took Bryson and the taxi's phone number with me and decided to chance walking across the highway.
Timing really is everything, and in this case mostly to the good. The wind (and the extra gusts generated by passing trucks) beat me up a bit, but I made my way to a very crowded (especially for 5:30) Outback. Yes, there is something geeky-cool about reading Bryson's travel book about Australia while sitting in a vaguely Australian-themed restaurant.
By the time I was ready to walk back to the hotel, the sun was mostly shining from the west, making the east-moving dark clouds appear even darker. The wind wasn't so gusty, but the trucks were. Almost back to the hotel, I caught some movement from the corner of my eye in amongst the un-mowed grass on the verge, and saw a beautiful long-bodied hair with a short tail. It sat there facing away from me but very obviously watching me, and I enjoyed that for a few moments before moving on. Timing being everything, of course I had left my camera in the hotel because I didn't want to get it wet if the rain recommenced. So I didn't get pictures of the cool clouds or the cool rabbit.
I got involved editing something for Hunter and completely forgot Smallville was on (which is fine because the dvr at home is recording it). I did somehow remember that Merlin was on at 10 on SyFy. I've only seen one other episode, the season premiere from two weeks ago. Decided to tune in. Liked the episode. Will have to remember Fridays at 10pm for the next two weeks to try and catch it, and then set the dvr when I get home. There's something captivating about Merlin himself, but I like the tweaks on the standard Arthurian myth.
I'm sure there's a longer post to be made, discussing the idea of "taking risks with source material." Stephanie Meyer gets blasted for calling her sparkly, playing-baseball-in-the-sun supernatural types "vampires," a change to the source material. The folks behind Merlin seem to be getting plaudits for an equally brazen move: making Merlin, Arthur, Morgana and Gwenevere all the same age and having Prince Arthur be raised by his biological father in Camelot, among other changes (Mordred, a twelve-year-old kid, while Arthur is still obviously in his early 20s?) I wonder what other folks think about this topic. I need to think more on it myself. (Note, I'm not necessarily defending The Twilight Saga ... I still haven't been able to bring myself to read it.)
I got to the airport way too early this morning, as you can tell from the long rambling of this entry. Got here a little after 11 for a flight that departs at 2. So I've been enjoying a slow brunch in the Wolfgang Puck's in the terminal. Butternut squash soup, and a pesto chicken salad sandwich with fries. I'm pretty sure I won't need to eat anything during my two hour layover in Chicago.