Wednesday, February 7, 2007

N is for Neville who died of ennui

If you're a H.arry P.otter fan first and foremost, you might be thinking of Longsbottom. But in this case the phrase is from Edward Gorey, and I have no ill will toward NL.

Despite having an allergy induced sinus infection, I'm starting to come out of a fugue of several weeks duration. I can only hope my energy level stays up so I can do some productive things and enjoy them. I get this weird cyclic ennui coupled with periods of frenetic energy that I can't/won't tame. It's not bad enough to be something I would be medicated for (at least according to quizzes on the internet :) but it's still frustrating because it's hard to do anything involving routine - like wash dishes or exercise or pay bills. And that's why god made N.etbank autopay. The other stuff I just get to when I get to it and don't beat myself up when I don't.

Anyhow, I feel the fog lifting and I'm off to exercise, even though it's midnight. I had a nap earlier before seeing Astronaut, Captain Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, USN at an engineering society dinner. The timing was funny becuase of the bad press of the psycho astronaut this week. But S-Piper gave a great talk about what a space shuttle mission to the internatinoal space station is like along with pictures and videos. Once upon a time, I wanted to be an astronaut. But it turns out I'm not athletic or competetive enough and I have bad vision and even worse issues with bureaucratic authority. So while we both grew up in MN and went to MIT, I'm a process engineer and glass blower, and she's an astronaut. And I think I'm ok with that. Not that I'd turn down a ride into space.

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