This has got to be the busiest day of the year at Lucky Lab. They're lined up at the beer and food counters, the place thick with dogs. Booths all around, a band. Somewhat heretically (in the manner of a heretic, ala Satanic Verses), I didn't bring my dog, Sarah Angel. We did have some quality time this morning though, complete with a belly rub and prolonged looking out the window together, watching the world.
Yesterday was officially the equinox. Neolithic Math teacher Glenn Stockton delivered one of the best talks yet, about the 26,000 year precessional cycle, about all manner of astral phenomenon, as mapped into cosmic stories. A cryptographer by training and predilection, Glenn is a master of putting 1 and 1 together and getting 4 (an allusion to Bucky there).
My day was action packed, as I chronicled on the FNB list (archive access requires subscription). We're enjoying a last blast of summer weather in Portland, and you can't beat the combination of exercise and community service. Even though hectic, this had all the marks of a good day. Praise Allah for Ali, who showed up out of the blue to make the food happen.
The line at Lucky Lab has gotten longer. I'm in route to a Python meetup where we'll be showing some of our Pycon talk proposals. Mine is about Pythonic Andragogy (an old meme with me), recast to include new developments. I'm at the top of my game on the Virtual Nations bit (see "micronations" in Wikipedia). Pythonia. Steve Holden's Mighty Python Empire. These come to mind as motifs, right next to the Programming Republic of Perl.
The talk has some Wittgenstein in it. The border zone between Philosophy and Ethnography provides plenty of grist for the mill.
Tara got through one of those rites of passage this week. We timed it to happen over lunch and free period: a visit to the DMV, to get in the database with a learner's permit. She succeeded, with literally not a minute to spare.
I've been wearing this Cuffka around, market testing. With my cutoffs and veg trailer, I must have looked quite the site. Mid-life crisis on steroids? Nah, Portland is just weird. I fit right in. I showed it to Melody who makes body wear out of bike tubing. Lindsey has sewed together her new Fall outfit, deliberately tattered yet fashionable. Many models would die for her scarecrow-ish figure. I'm surrounded by talented women (and a few good men).
Speaking of talented women, I'm feeling for Gin, down on her luck lately; another FNBer, waylaid by a bike accident in route to the church yesterday, after having her pack stolen.
Sarah Angel has been a real sweetheart of a dog, as mom and I were both remarking this morning. She bares her teeth and barks at strangers, but then she's billed as a "security dog" so those qualities are redeemed.
Oversight Meeting happened in there too. Something told me I couldn't just hang out with the guys and Lindsey at the local watering hole. Sure enough, we had scheduled a meeting on a Thursday night (most unusual), in hopes of attracting more of our committee. With no assistant clerk, I'd say we're in disarray.
We talked about "membership" quite a lot. For an attender, I'm mighty active these days, but then that's been a pattern, as many Friends have been led by the Spirit to opt out of older language games, and to co-invent some newer ones.
