I have a dirty mind

As I boarded the commuter train this morning, I spotted a magazine that someone had left behind, "Network Computing." I picked it up and carried to my seat. As I was browsing through it, I spotted a little profile of one Louis Yuan, Enterprise Engineer. They had set a quote in the middle of the column in big, bold type: "There's more stuff going on in the back end than anybody realizes."

Tee hee!

Arg! Y'got me!

gregmce lobbed a meme-bomb my way. So here we go...

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?
The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis. I think there's a lot of wisdom in this book and I enjoy rereading it from time to time. I wouldn't want to be burned, though. :-\

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
No, not really, although I would have liked to be the one to seduce Vanyel in Mercedes Lackey's trilogy of the Last Herald-Mage. As it happened, some other guy named Stephen got him. :-)

The last book you bought was?
Handbook For The Soul, edited by Richard Carlson and Benjamin Shield, a book of original essays by many different authors that discuss things like "nourishing your soul," "rekindling your soul," and "soul communion." I pick it up and read an essay or two when I'm in the mood.

What's the last book you read?
Hm. I think it was Burning Bright by Mercedes Lackey. No, wait -- it was Time Enough For Love by Robert A. Heinlein, a gift from mai_neh.

What are you currently reading?
Well, Handbook For The Soul is on the list. Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening by Stephen Batchelor is another one I'm working through at a slow pace. I should start The Rise Of Endymion by Dan Simmons, so I can return it to todc.

Name five books you would take to a deserted island.

• The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis.
• Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks
• Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
• A Practical Guide To Making Almost Anything Out Of Coconuts, by The Professor (the edition with the special supplement on HIV meds!)
• A blank journal

Who are you going to pass this stick to (three persons) and why?

Nobody. Because I like my friends! :-)

A story from my boss

As Robyn and I were walking to lunch, he told me that he was going to write a letter to Steve Jobs to thank him for an excellent product, the iBook.

As I have related, my boss wrecked his car about two weeks ago. Today, he added that as the paramedics were getting ready to strap him to the spine board (or whatever he called it), somebody ran up with his iBook, which had been flung out of the car as it rolled.

Robyn wanted to check the laptop to see if it was in working order. The paramedic sternly gave him twenty-five seconds before they were going to strap him in. Robyn opened the laptop, saw the screen light up with his windows all the way he left them, and shut it, putting it to sleep again.

Impressed, the paramedic said, "I'm sold! I was going to buy a Dell before I saw that!"

So Robyn's friend Steve (my ex-boss) and Moira, Steve's girlfriend (who works in marketing) encouraged him to write up his story and send it Apple. :-)

Payday!

Previous balance: $1.51
Deposit: $962.50
New balance: $964.01

To celebrate, I walked down to the Inner Harbor to purchase the soundtrack to Oklahoma! I stopped at Sam Goody in Gallery Place, but they didn't have it. I tromped over to Barnes and Noble, where I found three different versions! I selected the original New York cast recording with Alfred Drake as Curly and Joan Roberts as Laurey.

I'm enjoying it as I write this entry, and (for those who are keeping track) I've added "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning" to my list of cheerful songs. :-)

I had a marvelous time at the theatre last night with Wilbur, Rich's partner. Rich was having a dizzy spell, so he stayed home. The show was absolutely amazing, I was completely enchanted.

Wilbur and I compared notes on the attractiveness of most of the male cast members. My favorite was a long haired, bearded blonde man who played Jake, one of the cowboys. The conductor was also very cute, although I didn't get a look at his face until the intermission. That's okay, he was slender, with nice arms. He had a tight little haircut, and I find the back of a man's neck to be one of the sexiest places to put a kiss.

After the show, we stopped at a convenience store where I picked up a hot chocolate and Wilbur got a candy bar. As we left the store, who should walk by? My little dancer! I called out a compliment on the show and he turned his head to thank me, but didn't even break stride. Darn!

A planned impuse purchase

I've applied for a credit card, and I've decided to allow myself one purchase to take advantage of the 0% interest period: a new digital camera.

The camera I have is a hand-me-down from my parents, who purchased it back in 1998. It's about the size of a pair of binoculars and it has only a one megapixel CCD. I've been lusting after a more modern camera for about a year.