Last Monday was my birthday, and it was fun. My friend Haruki just reminded me via email that as an unmarried female member of the quarter-centuty club, I am -- in the eyes of Japanese culture -- a metaphorical piece of crusty, discounted Christmas cake, still on the shelf after December 25th. Delicious!

After approx fifty-four weeks, today is my first day unfettered from the railcar industry. Though I'm working elsewhere from Wednesday to Wednesday, this emancipation of a sort feels incredibly good. I'm currently bunking in my friend Danielle's Phoenix Lounge, and since the day is sunny and the wireless extends through the garden, I'm perched out back on a weather-worn picnic table and am listening to the marching band down the street complemented by the pleasant scraping of winchimes on the back porch. It almost doesn't feel like the city, except for the cars and airplanes and construction. But still, it's a glorious little milieu for blogging. Additionally, there's a mangy ginger tabby (no Maoxie, but a nice presence nonetheless) writhing blissfully here in the grass, and an angry squirrell hurlinng bits and pieces at it from the tree above. Nature verses Nature!

I dragged Danielle to Meditation clazz with me last Tuesday, which was interesting. There are three more installments over the next weeks, so I'll be sure to update. Our sensei, a Bob Brown or Frank Costanza to the naked eye, proclaimed his moniker as something Sanskrit-sounding, like Siddhartha or Sanjaya or (our preference by far) SiVaVaJayJay. Despite our displayed irreverence and my admitted (but normal and valid, I think) skepticism, I'm somewhat intrigued by the whole process. My sincere goal is to figure out how to get totally zenned out whilst yoga-ing. I think it's possible.

In that vein I'm about three-fifths of the way through Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and it is completely not what I'd expected. But it IS great, and is stretching my jellowey (wow, that should definitely be a word. Consider it coined NOW) brain in all sorts of weird ways.

Presently I'll have some funny pictures from such events as: It's Fun To Grill Meats At The Harbour 2007, Ultimate Fifth Place Spring Championship 2007, Birthday 2007 and Last Day Happy Hour 2007. Until then, then.