Moving along

Life continues to be busy! Tahoe was fun and the snow grand. I really enjoyed snow shoeing and think I’d like to do that more next year. Work is heading into it’s first big event – honestly I can’t believe I’m working in an IT world – hilarious. The Presidential primaries continue to tumble on. Obama seems to be turning the tide but it’s never that clear here. I haven’t got anything particularly exciting planned in the next few weeks but the weather has turned which brings me ever closer to buying the bike.
I've had a lovely blast from the past having been contacted by a "friend" from long ago. It was an unexpected email and welcome. I think that when you live in a world that seldom (if ever) references who you were having a reminder of someone who knew you well (or some days those that know you best) always makes for a moment of reflection and (at least in my case) quiet laughter. I have all too often taken myself all too seriously........not so much these days!

Oddities

This is one of those oddities that appeals to me.........check out the slide show.

ifly

Still getting over being sick but much better! Went to ifly and it was amazing, odd, outside the box.......well worth the trip. It's not like parachuting as there isn't a moment when you fling yourself out of the plane. But it is a blast - well a wind blast - the instructor is in there with you. When you have your body at the right angle you can fly alone - otherwise you need him to adjust your body position....it was odd but fun! And I confess......I'm am a little sore the day after - muscles long unused and I'd still rate myself as fitter than many....but clearly not as fit as some.....okay maybe even a lot of others! Hrumpf.
Elections trundle on and it's deeply fascinating to watch it roll out. Because I don't have a television I get quite a different view of it........TV news reporting here is appalling. Here's a fascinating thing. I've never had an ounce of fascination around celebrity reporting but have become much more interested. Why? I have a theory. On a daily basis I am bombarded with news - information - complexity - stuff and more stuff. Celebrity news is easy, lite (although it is shocking to think that hollywood is probably the only industry in the western world that would tolerate such a high rate of "accidental" deaths............and feel compelled to do nothing about it).
We've broken the back of the bad weather. Nice. Today Alex, Sharon, Maddie and I went to a dog park on the bay - it was lovely. Just to be outside. Kite flyers in abundance including a group of four who flew their kites in formation. I have a stunt kite in NZ that I brought in Montreal many years ago. I'm going to buy another one - I felt strangely envious watching the kite flyers today!
We're off to Tahoe (snow country) on Thursday. Going to try snow shoeing. Will take my camera - I promise to load up some photos. Maddie is coming along and it will be her first time in the snow!

It's just a theory

It is my personal theory, not widely accepted, that like everything else in Amercia, bugs are BIG. I have been sick for the last week...........although suffering heavy bouts of denial. Everyone tells me it's not that the bugs are big here it's just that THIS YEAR they are particularly harsh........hrumpf. This comment sits in the same space as "it doesn't USUALLY RAIN this much". Not unlike New Mexico where it was "the BIGGEST SNOW we've had in 50 years". Either everything is going to hell in a handcart or people are making it up! Rant aside, groundhog day has been and gone and I'm now coming to work in daylight hours and getting home before it is dark - nice.
Work moved into a new flash building. All open plan, with a pool table, bean bags etc etc. Open plan seems to be a surprise to some. Better yet - we hot desk. I like this because moving around all the time freaks people out. It keeps me entertained to watch people look a little startled when they find me sitting at "their" desk! Random fact. The San Jose Cisco campus (yep that's what they call it) has no less than 27 buildings between two and three stories high. There are 12 Smart Carts (shuttles) that ferry us between buildings and I am reliably told that each of them does around 100 miles per day. There are also shuttles that take us to various transit points to catch public transport (that is how I get to Walnut Creek each week - shuttle to the nearest train - BART, a half hour away, catch a train, switch trains and arrive in Walnut Creek where Sharon picks me up from the BART station - she lives within spitting distance but it is very very nice to be met at the station door. All up takes about 2 hrs with a good run). Commuting stories are like talking about the weather here - everyone has a story.
Now check this out. A few weeks back it was Alex's birthday. He's not much into stuff (me neither) so I searched around and found ifly. It simulates free falling when parachuting......well it better.......that's what it promotes itself as. We are all off to have an introductory fly this weekend. The very cutest thing is Alex likes to do adventurous things that "appear dangerous but aren't really" (this according to his mother). This is perfect!