'Twas the Night before Christmas
Dec. 24th, 2020 11:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tcpipWell, there's no rodents stirring in the Asylum this year, just two cats and a turtle. One of the cats is positively angelic whilst the other has impulse control issues and is liable to draw blood if one looks at her the wrong way. If anything is stirring it's my small Freemason's clock which, despite its size, has a powerful tick-tock that echoes throughout the lounge-room, a credit to the designers. I believe that certain clock-makers deliberately designed such devices in such a manner to present a moral message, a constant tolling on the passing of time, to encourage and rise to action and as a reminder of our own temporality.
That itself had a sharp example earlier this week when I attended a funeral of an erstwhile friend from quite some years ago. A public persona that I remember as having a sharp mind, a rapier wit, and more than a touch of the sardonic. Such events provide the opportunity to be with others whom I used to associate, some of whom I hadn't seen for almost 25 years. Despite the circumstances, this was entirely pleasurable; as one ages such reunions occur more at funerals than weddings. But there was also circumstances that led me to be not entirely comfortable, my troubled thoughts elsewhere. I am fortunate that I had a good travelling companion who kept at least part of my mind in place.
Apart from that the past few days have largely been as expected. I've been powering my way through "Emails & Direct Deposits", which should be ready just in time for the Cyberpunk 2020 convention, which is still getting registrations right up to the last minute. I briefly had to return to work this week for a couple of days, but with low pressure and distractions, I felt that I could coast through the bioinformatics tutorials that I am preparing for cluster users. We had a work lunch on Tuesday; it had been several months since any of us had seen each other in person, so that was quite an opportunity for more visceral conversations. This must be a similar experience to many others in this state and perhaps also other parts of the world. Gradually, we will make tentative steps towards "covid-normal", with all what that implies.
That itself had a sharp example earlier this week when I attended a funeral of an erstwhile friend from quite some years ago. A public persona that I remember as having a sharp mind, a rapier wit, and more than a touch of the sardonic. Such events provide the opportunity to be with others whom I used to associate, some of whom I hadn't seen for almost 25 years. Despite the circumstances, this was entirely pleasurable; as one ages such reunions occur more at funerals than weddings. But there was also circumstances that led me to be not entirely comfortable, my troubled thoughts elsewhere. I am fortunate that I had a good travelling companion who kept at least part of my mind in place.
Apart from that the past few days have largely been as expected. I've been powering my way through "Emails & Direct Deposits", which should be ready just in time for the Cyberpunk 2020 convention, which is still getting registrations right up to the last minute. I briefly had to return to work this week for a couple of days, but with low pressure and distractions, I felt that I could coast through the bioinformatics tutorials that I am preparing for cluster users. We had a work lunch on Tuesday; it had been several months since any of us had seen each other in person, so that was quite an opportunity for more visceral conversations. This must be a similar experience to many others in this state and perhaps also other parts of the world. Gradually, we will make tentative steps towards "covid-normal", with all what that implies.
