I'm usually pretty much a homebody - I like staying at home with the cat and doing things like reading, cross stitching, playing on the computer. But this weekend I had two social events!
On Saturday I went to a "cocktail experience." There is a venue that is set up to look like a replica of a 1920s Pullman train car and it offers an immersive experience. The windows are screens that show where you are "travelling," in this case 1920s New York. The drinks are themed after people from those times - mobsters, notorious women, speakeasies. The servers are not only your "conductor" for the duration of your experience but will tell you the history behind the name of each drink. The car is plush, the drinks were awesome and it was an absolutely delightful time!
On Sunday afternoon I met up with a group of ladies for lunch. We all met while volunteering for a cat and dog rescue group. We started having twice yearly get-togethers - we're not quite sure when we started but we've been getting together for about 25 years! We call our gatherings the Crazy Cat Lady lunches. Today was really cool because one of the ladies we used to volunteer with who we hadn't seen for a dozen years was able to join us. She has since moved from cat rescue to horse rescue and it was really fun listening to her stories.
I never look forward to work but I'm particularly anxious about this week. We just don't have the staff to cover what the higher ups want covered. We never have. But after 2 1/2 years it's become a problem. My manager is having a department meeting with us to discuss the situation and figure out what to do about it. I'm afraid that the solution, instead of revisiting the unrealistic expectations of managment, will be to have us take on more hours and especially more call hours.
Reading
I finally finished Perilous Seas! I'm not sure why it took so long for me to get through it, other than my general spaciness. It is a good story and one I'm interested in. There is a 4th and final book in that series and I have it on the Kindle but I'm going to take a break. I bought the newest novella in the Penric and Desdemona series last night, Demon Daughter, and have already been enjoying it. And after that? I'm not sure. I just got a half-dozen books from a Kickstarter that aren't even what I Kickstarted - they were just bonus items for meeting pledge goals. And I have at least a half dozen books on the Kindle waiting to be read. I might have a book problem.
Watching
I found a new-to-me series to watch on PBS - The Durrels in Corfu. It's about an English widow who moves her family - 4 kids ages 11-21 - to the Greek island of Corfu. The show is based on a series of memoirs. It's been a fun watch so far and there are 4 seasons so that should keep me busy for a bit!
A few wrap-ups ago I mentioned I had stumbled upon AntsCanada and his ginormous vivarium, Pantdora, on YouTube. I am watching these episodes like a soap opera. He is sooo cartoonishly dramatic! I love it. In today's episode - Mites on the ants! Where did the golden skink go? Are there really spiderlings in Lady Death Strike's egg case? Mealy worms! Centipedes (ugh)! A mystery ant!
I've been watching a lot of videos about travelling on Amtrak. One of these days, when I have a lot of time and more money than I do now, I want to take the Coast Starlight from Phoenix (well, Maricopa, actually) all the way up to Seattle. Not sure about what to do after because for me the whole point is the train journey. To just sit in your space and be able to read/game/whatever while watching awesome views go by? Sounds so cool! I've traveled by train in Europe and enjoyed it. I've never done train travel in the US.
Well, I think that's about it for this week. I'm off to upload this and my entry for the 32-Bit Cafe Community Code Jam #3.