What luxury - I feel as though I'd been dipped in chocolate. I've just had a
conversation on books with a coworker who knows about them, really knows. I
don't get to do that often, not a real conversation in the flesh instead of on AIM
or in email. We talked about and the Free
Library of Philadelphia, Newton and Rosenbach, Gleick and Feynman, technical works
and books about books and the eight thousand books he's just inherited from a
professor. I only know him slightly and hadn't even realized he was a reader, but
I have a feeling we'll be talking again soon.
On Saturday, we won the
Tempe Boat Parade's Man-Powered Boats division. I forget whether thisis the third
or fourth time we've won. (I shouldn't really say "we"; I bought some supplies and
rowed in the boat but it's really Rudder's project, and he and T2 did most of the
work and planning.) This year the organizers were smart and considerate enough to
put together a prize that could be shared. Last year the prize was a single
autographed jersey; this year there was a brunch for two, a lunch for four, three
movie tickets, a dinner or two and a night at a nice hotel.
This
year we used a four and RUdder and T2 built a tall PVC frame frame that stood on
the riggers. At one end it supported guy lines to an 8' inflatable Santa with the
words "Row, Row, Row" spelled out in glowsticks, and at the other a tall saguaro
made of more PVC piping and green light strings. Other lights and glowsticks were
stong along the frame, the boat, and the rowers. Rudder coxed, either because he
was tired of hearing me talk about how hard it was last year (we had an eight and
the organizers clearly had no idea how maneuverable an eight-man shell isn't) or
because he just wanted to drive.
Then on Sunday we got most of our
packing done, so now we just need to keep putting in all the things we've
forgotten.
Tomorrow, I'll finish the HOliday Challenge. Not bad: done
on 12/16, nine days ahead of Christmas despite missing a few days when we were
away at Thanksgiving.