Speaking of doom, earlier I was pondering my fear of revolving doors. Like most things, I’m not terribly secretive about this fear. Ok, maybe it’s not a fear. More like apprehension. And I discovered (surprise surprise) that I’m not alone in this. But I don’t fear that aliens will abduct me via revolving doors. Nor do I think they are inherently evil. Nor is it necessarily the fear of death and dismemberment. Or the fear of small places (though I guess I am a wee bit claustrophobic). My fear is of making myself vulnerable. It’s rooted in primal survival instincts. To me, walking into a set of revolving doors seems too much like walking into a trap. Allowing oneself to be boxed into a little compartment, at the mercy of complete strangers. Or worse yet, at the mercy of malicious foes. Do I have issues? You don’t know the half of it. So I habitually avoid revolving doors. I have a well-established routine that kicks in when I am faced with using them vs. going well out of my way to get around them. I will scope out my surroundings and wait until no one else is near said doors before pushing through them as quickly as possible. And yes, I have similar issues with elevators. But I’ve had to acquiesce on a daily basis…as my office is some 300+ feet aboveground. There are only so many stairs I can climb. But that would make for a great daily workout. Hmmmm.

Nothing to fear after all. The surprise turned out to be apple galettes. Recipe from the Millenium Cookbook. Divine.

A certain someone is, apparently, preparing a certain surprise dessert for me…to be enjoyed this evening. When pressed he fibbed (I hope) and told me it is an onion / fennel / pickle cake with bell pepper frosting. My least favorite foods…all in one convenient(ly digusting) package. Bah.

Silliness, yes, but what the heck. I can be just as silly today as any other…if not more so. It’s my birthday. And I’m at work (as is my father, whose birthday it also is - he is exactly twice my age today). At least I was able to go out for lunch today. As in leaving the building. And sitting down in a restaurant. And leisurely enjoy my food (instead of sitting at my desk, scarfing down leftovers with my headphones on).

…Ms. Unbounded Optimism must remind herself.

I’ve my reached saturation point. Sudden (and sodden) summer has brought with it:
Too much rain.
Too much heat and humidity.
Too much work…at the dayjob, around the house, and with the little man.
Too much coffee (trying to keep up with the above).
Too many social engagements.
Too many movies to try to see.
Too many concerts to attend.
Too many miscellaneous events around town.
After a winter spent hibernating, this is just too much. My brain feels soggy.
Oh yeah…and tomorrow is my birthday. Sigh.

Could have used any number of robot-related quotes, but I’m going through a little Buffy withdrawal. I’m sure this robot is neither gross nor obscene. But it did try to get away. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Yet.
Thanks go to slashdot.

This is so very sad.
“Midnight’s Children too onerous in the 552-page original? Try the 21-page summary on the SparkNotes Web site. The parable of A Handmaid’s Tale not obvious enough? The MAXnotes version comes with pictures. Coming soon from SparkNotes, a guide to Dave Eggers’s A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.”
Thanks go to TJIC. I think. Sigh.

After years of regularly sticking my foot in my mouth, you’d think I would know better. You’d think I would be able to figure out when its best to not say anything at all. And to not send email when I’m too tired/cranky/emotional. And to not send email that doesn’t make sense/isn’t rational/isn’t thought through. You’d think I’d learn to step back, think before I act, and be more considerate of the feelings of others and their viewpoints. You would certainly think I would have learned my lesson(s) after countless damaged, or at least bruised, friendships. But you would be wrong. Sometimes I am my own worst enemy.

Received my weekly edition of Need to Know this morning. I’ve learned to expect the unexpected from them, but this morning…wow. I had either heard, or heard of this piece before, but had never seen it. And seeing is believing. I highly suggest checking it out. In its entirety, if you can stand it. I’m still a bit creeped out. William Shatner has that affect on me, in general. But I did sort of enjoy his performance in Free Enterprise.