Fascination Place

First, a little background: Several weeks ago I was moved to a different team in my department. As with past such moves (and I’m unusual in this regard), I’m once again working on the same stuff, only on a new team and for a new manager. Additionally, the other half of our department, which moved off to another building a year and a half ago, has been reunited with us in our building (which is a different building from where we were when they left, but the point is that they’re back with us). So there are a whole bunch of different people in my work life, most of whom I knew before, but most of whom either weren’t really around or I didn’t interact with a lot.

And then there are some folks I didn’t really know before.

A couple weekends ago Debbi and I got together with one of these folks, Jacob, who’s a relatively new hire (earlier this year) on my new team, and his wife Lisa. We had breakfast together and then went to their house and played board games for the afternoon, which was fun. I told them about Subrata’s Wednesday night board gaming, which recently started up again, and this past Wednesday we met up to introduce them to the gaming crowd. It was a large night, so we split into two groups (I ended up getting crushed in my game, despite being the one who chose it). They played in the other group, had fun, and signed up for Subrata’s mailing list for gaming.

Then earlier this past week I went to lunch with the usual group at work, and another guy, Sean, tagged along. He’s in the group that moved to our building recently, and I know him a little because he’s interned with us in past years (he’s a full employee now). Well, it turns out that not only does he read comic books, but he also plays Magic. “How is it we don’t know each other better?” I asked him. “Probably because I’ve been in the other building for the last year and a half.” Well that makes sense. Anyway, I told him about our Monday night Magic game and it sounds like he might come on Monday. On the other hand, I might join him some Saturday for a Magic draft at the store he patronizes.

You’d think that working in a company full of geeks that I’d be surrounded by people I have lots of things in common with, but it mostly doesn’t seem to work out that way. My strongest interests are pretty specialized (and/or I make casual friends easily but find it difficult to make close friends, but that’s a different post), so this has been an unusual set of encounters.

I’m happy because several of my friends at work have moved into my building, after having been working in another building for the last year and a half. Before they moved they were my regular lunch and coffee buds, so I’m very happy to have them back (even though I’ve recruited other folks in the meantime – this does mean we’re going to have large lunch outings!).

But I’m sad because one of those friends is leaving Apple next week, to head back to grad school.

But then I’m amused that another friend, who had a day off today, decided to get out of the house and ended up at the same beach that Debbi and I went to when we went to Half Moon Bay on Saturday: Cowell Ranch State Beach. What a coincidence! It’s worth a visit if you’re in the area and want a nice secluded beach. While walking from the parking area, look for the blue whale gate:

This morning I had a doctor’s appointment at 9:15 at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Since it usually takes me 15 minutes, tops, to drive to the main clinic from home, I left myself half an hour. This turned out to be not nearly enough time, as I hit pretty much every single light, encountered several stupid and/or slow drivers, got stuck at a light as a train went by, and got stuck at a backup going past the high school (taking the route the clinic’s map suggested I take – I shoulda stuck with my original plan). I got there a couple of minutes late. Fortunately, it didn’t make a different.

This was in fact a follow-up appointment to last year’s world’s shortest doctor’s visit to see a dermatologist. Happily, the mole she wanted to keep an eye on has not gotten any larger in the last year. I also asked her again what term she used for the large bump on my upper chest, which hurts a bit when I mash it (e.g., when scrubbing in the shower), and she said it’s either a large mole, or it’s a neurofibroma. She said she could cut it off, but that there’s no reason to unless it’s really bothering me. Which it isn’t, really – at least not to the point that I want to cut things off. I have another one on my lower back, although that one never hurts, so maybe it’s a mole. I dunno.

Anyway, the appointment took less than 15 minutes. She suggested I come in in another 2 or 3 years, so they’ll send me a reminder. Easy enough.

I always enjoy telling the staffers at PAMF that I used to work on the office software they use (when I worked for Epic Systems). I also enjoy looking at the screens when they’re typing to see how much has changed in the look-and-feel of the software since I worked there (in the 1990s); it always looks pretty much the same to me, although the staffer today said that they find it a little frustrating that the workflows change with each major release. Epic was a very firm Microsoft shop when I was there, and I wonder if they’ve been getting pressure to provide tools for iPhones and iPads.

The physical set-up of the terminal in the office I was in was pretty interesting; probably a bit of a pain to put together, but I bet it’s very functional for the staffers who have to type at it:

While, like any other working stiff, I can’t say I look forward to the beginning of the work-week with great relish, I realized today that there are things I like about Mondays when I get up in the morning:

1. At the end of the weekend I’ve usually caught up on my sleep so I’m not dragging when I wake up.
2. Coffee! I try to limit my caffeine intake somewhat, so I typically only make morning coffee on Monday/Wednesday/Friday. So Mondays I have coffee!
3. Monday is the day for the new column by Mark Rosewater, my favorite columnist at Daily MTG.
4. Similarly, Monday is Magic night with my friends!

Tuesday is a bit rougher, since not only have I been up later than usual Monday night playing Magic, but Tuesdays and Thursdays are my bike-to-work days. I like biking, but I can’t say I really look forward to it. Maybe the bike problems I’ve had the last couple of years have dampened my enthusiasm. (On the other hand, I’ve gone about 200 miles on my new, beefier rear wheel without any problems, so maybe they’re finally behind me!)

It started when I realized that my friend Joar and his wife Karin are expecting their first child not sometime next month, but in fact next weekend. I realized if we were going to get together with them before sprog time then it would have to be this weekend. So we met them at their house and we walked over to Stacks for brunch. Debbi bought them a few baby gifts, and we had a good time enjoying the lovely weather.

Well, after we’d made those plans Debbi suggested that we get together with Mark and Yvette too, so we met them for dinner last night at The Counter, which they’d never been to before.

And then Deb suggested that we invite our friends Lisa and Michel and their daughter over for dinner tomorrow, so we’re going to do that too. All these people!

A nice change of pace after a turbulent week, which included my getting my ass kicked at a home poker game on Thursday. Someday maybe I’ll actually get good at that game… but not anytime soon, it seems.

This week the stuff is going out of the house. Specifically, today I sold a bunch of CDs and DVDs at Rasputin Music, tomorrow I’m taking a bunch of books to Bookbuyers, and Friday I’m taking a bunch of comic books to Comics Conspiracy. This will free up a considerable amount of shelf and closet space, and it’s way easier than selling stuff piecemeal on eBay.

At Rasputin’s today I shopped around the store while they were appraising my stuff, and of course found some new stuff. Most notably I found a hardcover copy of the graphic novel Star Trek: Debt of Honor, maybe the best original-cast Star Trek story between Star Trek III and the stuff John Byrne is doing today. It has some warts (Chris Claremont’s prose had gone deep purple by the 90s, and Adam Hughes overdoes the photo reference although his art otherwise looks gorgeous), but it’s still a lot of fun. It evokes the look and feel of the original series and the better movies, while revealing some details of Kirk’s life beyond what we saw on screen.

At least I came home with a lot less than I went in with (and with a few extra bucks besides – I sell good stuff!).