Perseid Meteor Shower

The Perseid meteor shower peaked a few days ago, but we've had a few cloudy nights recently.  But it looks clear tonight, so I think I'm going to head outside soon (I'm writing this about 10.30 pm) and hopefully I can see some shooting stars.  Knowing my luck, all that will probably happen is that I'll get loads more insect bites...!

Dealing with Stress

I'm having a rather tough time of things at the moment.  I'm quite stressed with work, and the stress is manifesting itself in various ways.  I'm not eating or exercising as well as I should.  And I'm also very irritable at the moment - and I'm letting things bother me that really shouldn't bother me as much as they do.  Particularly, which is also normal for me when I'm stressed, is noise.  I'm bothered at home by the occasional noise from the neighbors who work on their loud off-road vehicles.  Or I'm bothered at work by the occasional noise from my cubicle neighbor.  I really need to chill out.  And I really need to spend less time at home and more time in the outdoors.  With my birthday coming up, I think I'm also on some level stressed out about getting older.  I know there has been a lot of negativity in my blog posts recently so I'll do my best to keep them more positive - but it might be a struggle!   

Mini Golf

Inexplicably, I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos of people playing mini golf.  And it's made me really want to play a round - it's been a while.  But I don't think I've ever played mini golf in the Seattle area.  And I'm not even sure where there are any courses.  I know there is a chain called the Flatstick Pub that has an indoor course, and a quick Google search reveals there are several other places nearby.  But none I've ever been to.  It might be time to change that soon. 

Failure

I tried installing one of those Lego light kits on one of my models today.  It was an abject failure.  The light kit was too small and too fiddly for my clumsy mitts.  And it was seemingly impossible to thread the wires through some of the gaps indicated in the instructions.  And even when you did, it looked weird and loosened some of the bricks.  So in the end I gave up.  What a waste of time and money.  I don't know whether I'll try one of these kits again.  All I know is that I need to rebuild the model because of the damage I did pulling apart the bricks trying to force in these stupid wires and lights and stuff.     

Breaking

I caught some highlights of "breaking" today - perhaps the most ridiculous and stupid "sport" I've ever seen.  I hope it's one and done in the Olympics.  Made me think of this:

Cubicle Hell

I'm in an absolutely foul mood today.  For the second time this week, I went into the office and promptly headed home after only a few hours.  It's not that I wanted to, I actually have quite a lot of work to do and was hoping to stay late in the office to get stuff done.  No, it's the person in the cubicle next to me who is really getting on my nerves.  It's not like they're doing anything wrong, but everything they do - whether it's typing away loudly on their keyboard, speaking Chinese on a call or asking to lower the window blinds on my side - were incredibly annoying.  I couldn't handle it - I had to first walk away from my desk, and finally just go home early.  It's especially grating on Friday, where literally nobody else is in the office apart from her right next to me.  I purposely come in on Fridays to get that peace and quiet - but now I don't have it, and I was so pissed.  I have made a few people aware of my frustrations, with the hope that maybe she can move (or be moved) to a different desk.  I'm not optimistic, but something has got to change.  Even if that means changing my schedule of when I go into the office, just to avoid her.  It's really sad that it's come to this.  Maybe I'm a bit oversensitive and a bit of an ass about the situation - but if you're going to make me come into the office, then you better make damn sure that the work environment is conducive to getting work done.  

Cowabunga

Went on a lunchtime walk around Lake Union yesterday.  On a sunny day, you can sometimes see into the water quite well - and so I was on the lookout for fish.  Imagine my surprise when I saw this instead:

This is, according to the internet, probably a painted turtle.  And, apparently, they are quite common in the waters here.  I have seen some before basking on a log in Green Lake, just north of Lake Union, but this is the first time seeing them here - on a walk that I've probably done hundreds of times.  Kind of cool.