Yesterday was a really fun day
First I met someone new while riding near home and we rode together for an hour, avoiding obvious areas of disagreement like bits and horseshoes and focusing instead on how well her young horse was doing on his first ride out with another equine! Then it was into the city for a Perth Atheists Meetup to discuss the convention in Melbourne last month (which I still intend to get around to posting about) and a great pizza at the Flying Scotsman in Mt Lawley. Getting up to share my highlights from the convention made me realise how long it's been since I've done any public speaking, and think that I should look for opportunities to do more. From there I headed to the Swancon hotel to meet bardiegrub "for coffee", though neither of us drink coffee! It was so nice to see her in a normal social setting, rather than at a job neither of us liked very much. When we went back to the hotel I stood in the lobby talking to a number of interesting people I don't see very often. What struck me from that is that so many of us have unconvential work lives, with full time Mon-Fri jobs being the exception, even for those of us without children. (Of course, as some of us discussed, when you're partly or entirely self-employed it's all too easy for having a regular income to be the exception, too!) Two hours went by very quickly and next thing a group was on its way to dinner at Viet Ho, in the seamless way dinner groups form in the lobby at conventions. I had the self-assembled prawn skewer rice paper rolls with a big plate of lettuce, cucumber, mint and bean sprouts, which has to be one of the most interesting and healthiest inexpensive meals on offer in Perth. I raised my eyebrows at bardiegrub for ordering the same thing on the extensive menu every time, but maybe I'll be doing that too from now on. Plus, she could quote research that shows people are happier when they stick mostly to their favourite things, even if they think they like variety! Then it was back to the hotel once more for the Buffy discussion I've been waiting to have with bardiegrub and someone I hadn't met who joined in, while we watched various costumed beings assemble for the Masquerade. Finally I took a dark chocolate, cashew, ginger and coconut Easter egg (beat that if you can!) and drove home on a mostly deserted highway. Now that was a good day, which far exceeded my expectations of it when I woke up yesterday morning!