if you want to say hello (or something less pleasant) get thee to the messageboard.

last night i met C at Whole Foods for dinner.

after dinner i bought 80% organic hypoallergenic moisturizer that has not been tested on animals, and an almond gelato.

then we went to REI because i had a member coupon and it's their big sale. i wanted C to get a Sigg bottle because of the bisphenol A scare, but he didn't like any of the patterns, so we decided to look for one online. we looked at travel backpacks (still trying to decide if we're going to europe with the rolling carryons or not). i bought a bunch of Smartwool socks because they were on sale for less than half price. C got pants with articulated knees and a hemp/cotton blend shirt.

we were able to agree that no human needs a $450 unlined windbreaker. but C looked so good in it i actually thought about how to budget it and i think it was then i realized that i had to write this post.

i picked up my film festival pass today. the picture isn't bad.

i wrote this post and then looked up the links, not the other way around.

ETA: a comma for scarlettina.

i had a truly wonderful weekend, in spite of the cold, but all i can do is cry.

i'm pretty sure that LiftPort is done for. i'm not sure that i've written about them before, but they are both romantic and practical in a way that fires my imagination. Michael Laine is a charismatic man, (i've seen him speak several times now, at SFM, Norwescon, etc) but he constantly tempers his enthusiasm with honesty. they've actually built a prototype elevator robot. they've done trials. they're working to get the materials science up to speed to produce what they need. they've thought it through so carefully that they know the project will take 24 years, they're...out of money.

they're being sued. and Laine is losing the office building he owned before he started this crazy thing. a real press release is supposed to happen tomorrow.

i would give up the lovely new library across the street for a space elevator. i say that because saying that i don't give a fuck about vaccinating kids in Africa is pointless - it has no impact on me. i love that library, i use it often, and i know that the Gates foundation paid for a lot of it. these people deserve to have a philanthropist on their side, someone who wants to be remembered for something more than how they made their money. it's not me (or it can't be in time) but it has to be someone. i've mentioned here before that the first $20 million of my imaginary lottery winnings would go to sending me into space with the Russians. really that money should be venture capital or something like the X-Prize. humanity must get its nose out of its fucking navel and start getting off the planet before we destroy it. where is an eccentric billionaire when you need one? Mr. Allen?

C made it to work safely this morning. not so much for other folks. i watched two people in a row go down running for the bus, and then arrived at work to find someone's car wrapped around the pole by the skybridge and the fire dept everywhere. someone else just drove off the viaduct.

(for the more distant folks on the f-list, Seattle has snow and freezing temperatures that are unusual in November. the snow isn't quite sticking, so there are lovely patches of slick mud and black ice. plus half the drivers are completely confused by ice and snow.)

be careful out there.

(also, one of the suggestions for skybridge from the eljay spellchecker is "Kubrick.")

someone mentioned yesterday that i hadn't been posting lately, and i realized that i've been a little quiet. there are big thoughts smashing around my head, and no good place to put them.

i've got too much information in my head this week about humans using other humans. it's something i abhor. i respect that it's a part of daily life, but i like to think that when i get something from someone else i am offering something of value in return. it's hard for me to live in a world where business is tangled with personal in order to serve the business. or perhaps i don't care so much about the manipulation if there's a consistent standard set.

so, since there's a few unrelated things going on here, i can just say that i hate it when people are completely self-serving and mean. it doesn't matter if i know the victim well or not.

i also have no comfort in the knowledge that i am right or have the moral high ground if it means pain for someone else.

i spent brunch this morning asking C to give me some happy examples of human nature. he didn't do too well. but as i think about it, last night was a grand example of goodness, where a whole lot of people got together and did something nice for scarlettina as she starts her hundred days. lots of people were there, and it was written up all over; i can't do it justice here. the thing is that we got together and did something a little absurd (each guest donated a nonperishable food item or other useful treat) to diffuse the dread associated with unemployment. perhaps we all could use a little more of that spirit in our lives. there was a little love with every can of cranberry sauce, bag of cat treats, and postage stamp. that's the kind of truth i want right now.