It’s hard to schedule break time. Your best bet is to work until you are fried and then give yourself a breather. I worked for a few hours yesterday and then took a break for a zoo visit with Jes. I live really close to the zoo and it is free, so concerns of cost and transit are essentially nil. We took her motorcycle so that eliminates parking concerns.

We saw an Orangutan eat pears, an old lion chew on his paw, and lots of Giraffes. We also reconnected with my friend Glen who is a keeper in the reptile house. I haven’t seen him in a few months. Schedules and finances are so tight that we made plans to go out for sushi in November.

I am also always one for the last minute BBQ. I have yet to learn that while this worked well in Kville, people in urban areas need more time to plan. Still, we did have Beth and Erica over last night for the Cardinal’s defeat, fresh herb and lemon salmon, and Cajun brats. One benefit of the weekend BBQ is that it gives you leftovers to live on through the early part of the week when cooking time is scarce. The downside is that brats for breakfast, lunch and dinner can get old.

I made my guests sit outside in the early evening chill last night after the game. That’s one more lesson that I need to learn, I prefer cold more than most people I know. The thing is that it’s gone from too hot to too cold without any middle temperate space. I need to get a fire pit. My neighbor, who works for the landlord, had floodlights installed in back this week. They are dusk to dawn lights. My patio set has Christmas lights in the seams of the umbrella. The new floods lights kill the ambiance affect and have no off switch. Ever the improviser, I climbed up her stoop and unscrewed the bulbs.

My boss is quitting at the job that I can’t discuss. It’s easy to see why. Let’s say that the mission of the institution is in flux. She’s actually transferring to a different department. She’s a fixer and now that she’s solved most of our problems she’s needed elsewhere. I was out there for a few hours on Saturday and I’ve got to be there again for a few hours tonight. It’s hard to justify how much time this thing takes when I think about my classes, and yet one has to eat. It’s also academic work so in a sense it informs my studies as much as it distracts from them. In discussing the nameless job I feel I can share these sorts of musings as they do not in any way reflect proprietary information.

I’m excited about this weekend. Friends of mine from the ville will be playing at Third Degree’s Third Friday event. I hope to see many of you there.