Feeling completely rejuvinated is GOOD!

What a difference it can make to skip a day of work and go do something completely out of the ordinary. Yesterday I went with my parents down to see the King Tut exhibition in Ft. Lauderdale, which is about a 3.5 hours drive each way. Spending that much time with my parents, most of it either in excellent conversation about mathematical and psychological concepts that I haven't discussed with anyone in years, or reading a book, was a great break in and of itself. Add on the fact that Ft. Lauderdale is a completely different "Florida" than Orlando, often referred to as the Venice of America because of the waterways leading everywhere that are always full of boats and watercraft of all kinds. Then, mix in the chance to see some really cool egyptian artifacts. Many of them were actually quite disappointing, they were wood with gold over the top, the "jewels" are just colored glass, and the workmanship wasn't anything special. Still, the exhibit as a whole gave me a whole new look into and appreciation for that phase of egyptian culture, and there were a couple of pieces that were just astonishing, particularly a dagger that Tut had on him when he was mummified and buried, with granulated gold laid on in patterns to form the grip of the hilt. All in all, it was an extremely successful break from things here, and reminded me that perhaps one of the best investments I could make would be to take a day and spend it at the Orlando Science Museum. Museums, with all the mind-stretching you can do at them, has always been a big part of my life, but a part that I have been neglecting of late.

Today at work is even great, since Lisa isn't coming in it's just Pat and I, and we are getting along extremely well. I truly hope our mind games are over, so we can get on with being friends and coworkers.

Anyway, I *do* actually still have work to do, regardless of how relaxed and happy I'm feeling, so I will stop here, with one final warning: Plot 2 has been accomplished. Beef up the defenses and prepare for a retaliation.