Still More Surprises

The last couple of days since I moved out of the Bretcave have gone by quickly. Yesterday, I had to take a trip to Huntington to have the Nissan dealership take a look at some moldings on the Altima that blew off during a freak car wash accident last week. I was still pretty exhausted from the move the previous day, so it was tough getting up earlier one more time.

As it turns out, though, it was well worth it, as the day developed into another one where life hands you a pleasant surprise out of nowhere. I was eating lunch, thumbing through my latest book purchase (The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2004 anthology) when Lacy, one of my friends from high school who was working at the restaurant, came by my table to say hi. I hadn't seen her for at least four years, so it was really cool catching up and remarking on what things had changed, how little we had actually changed when we thought about it, and where we were going with life. Very cool indeed.

... In website news, I'm almost finished backlogging the "lost year" of photos on my Flickr photostream. Eventually, I'll index every Flickr set on my main photo page for easier chronological browsing with the other galleries that are hosted on Project BS, but for the time being, you can start checking out what I've got on there. Flickr is one of the best things I've come across lately... plus it can be addicting to a photography nut like me.

... Firecracker, the fish I gave Gina for Christmas 2003, returned to that great Aquarium in the Sky a couple of days ago. Aptly named due to his red scales, Firecracker was a fighter. He survived numerous close calls with toilet bowls and water shortages. He served in the Aquarium Wars alongside Sapphire, Gina's other deceased fish, and he made serveral trips to Blacksburg, Maryland, and even Fort Gay. He was a veteran betta, though he had become a bit of a recluse in recent months, preferring to hide under a large fake rock in his tank.

Come to think of it, I don't think he liked me much, given that he nearly died the day I gave him to Gina, and the fact that he blew up his gills every time he saw me.

Ah well, time to let byfins be byfins... rest easy, 'cracker!

... Today, the world said goodbye to James Doohan, who played Scotty on, of course, the original Star Trek and the films featuring the original crew. I got his autograph once, at a convention that came to Charleston sometime in late middle school or early high school. He was a very engaging speaker and a very talented voice actor, beyond what you might expect from just his work as Montgomery Scott. And on a personal note, since I grew up watching Star Trek reruns with my brother, Scotty is certainly one of the reasons I headed down the engineering career path. He'll be missed.