Blurt!Sben

The dude graduated from high school today. Grandmas and aunts and uncles were in attendance, and we couldn’t be more proud of the guy. He’s off at a PTA-sponsored all-night party; we’ll pick him up at 5:30am tomorrow.

Jun. 16, 2024, 10:04pm

The dude’s last day of school was yesterday. Today he and his classmates returned to their middle and elementary schools. He’s a little dazed by it all.

Jun. 13, 2024, 1:51pm

Finished reading The Design of Books by Debbie Berne. This is a casual overview of the process of, as it says on the cover, designing books, from cover to page layout to interacting with authors and editors. Very interesting, though of course not especially relevant to my life.

Jun. 12, 2024, 7:59am

This evening is perfect weather, and everybody is taking a walk, and it makes me think of an Italian passeggiata, and so I’ve decided (I’ll come to my senses and/or forget about this by tomorrow) that when I retire from software I’ll open a combination espresso bar / nut-free gelateria up near the new bookstore.

Jun. 8, 2024, 9:02pm

The bambina is at a neighbor’s house watching The Goonies in the driveway with a bunch of other kids.

Jun. 8, 2024, 8:54pm

The dude is off to his senior prom.

Jun. 8, 2024, 7:28pm

Tried to fix a problem with Mom’s email, and ended up on a 45-minute call with her ISP. Eventually achieved victory.

Jun. 8, 2024, 7:28pm

Getting my first new suit in … decades? Today: consulting on fabric and details, and measurements.

Jun. 8, 2024, 7:26pm

The kids marched in Portland’s Starlight Parade, so Meghan and I brought our moms down to watch. We all had a good time.

We stayed in the Alberta Arts District, where I’d never been — a super cool neighborhood.

Jun. 2, 2024, 5:19pm

Walked down to Gas Works via Green Lake, then to the U District, visiting Mom along the way: 22k steps, 11 miles, about 3h20m. Good weather for walking.

May 27, 2024, 4:26pm

Finished reading Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, and its accompanying novella “Ajax Penumbra 1969”. This was fun; it felt like a light Neal Stephenson novel, in length and intensity and depth, and earnest where Stephenson tends ironic.

May 25, 2024, 5:30pm (edited)

The kids had their last band concert last night; Mom and Billie and Greg and one of his came along.

May 24, 2024, 1:55pm

Meghan and the dude went shopping for his first suit: He chose a three-piece in plum.

May 22, 2024, 10:48pm

The dude and the bambina marched in the Ballard parade this evening.

May 17, 2024, 9:32pm

A coworker asked what season of Doctor Who they should start with, and I realized I’ve been training for this moment for my entire life.

May 15, 2024, 9:29pm