Camilla: You, sir, should unmask.
Stranger: Indeed?
Cassilda: Indeed, it's time. We all have laid aside disguise but you.
Stranger: I wear no mask.
Camilla: (Terrified, aside to Cassilda.) No mask? No mask!

The King in Yellow (Act II, Scene ii)

Regnat non regitur qui nihil nisi quod vult facit

Today is the feast of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe. I was reminded that, had my daughter Victoria made the mistake of being born a boy, his name would have been Maximilian Josef.

In other meanderings, I was pall-bearer at my grandmother's funeral. It turns out that the woman I knew as Florence Janowski had been born Slavomira Sufleta. Apparently her first grade teacher couldn't pronounce "Slavomira" and decided that she "looked like a Florence". So there you go. I could probably say something profound about the names we wear, masks, and identity, but frankly I'm not capable of such higher brain functions just at the momement.

I worked most of Saturday flogging the school, and we gave out over 500 helium balloons with brochures attached. Several were let loose into the air by the children (and adults) holding them, so I'm hoping that somewhere in south Tacoma, a brochure from our school has literally fallen from the heavens on to someone who needs the information. I've got 13 callbacks set for this afternoon.

My laptop is currently winging its way to Cuppertino for repairs, so several projects for work and pleasure (Hârn, anyone?) are on hold for the moment.

It's almost 1:30 - I should find some lunch...

Quite a busy weekend, best evidenced by the fact that I'm only writing about it on the following Thursday.

Friday evening jaynefury and I saw the latest X-Men opus. It was, as the saying goes, not horrible. It did make me want to see the other two, which I had been avoiding. Thus, the past two nights have involved the DVD player, a comfy chair, and mutations galore. What impressed me most about the films, I think, is that the third is very neatly a complete inversion of the first.*

On Saturday we headed up to Seattle's FolkLife festival with Victoria, gaelfarce, pi_radical, and singing_barista and her James sans LJ. Before we left, I checked three different weather services, and each gave completely different forecasts. Hot? Cool? Raining? Sunny? They all said something different.

Odd thing was, they were all correct in turns. I took off and put on my jacket and sweater so many times, I could feel myself burning calories in the effort to maintain a constant body temperature and surface moisture.

So. Drumming, dancing, eating, and watching folks prance around with bells, sticks and waving hankies. Good times.

Sunday after church was some major Hârnination. A combination of transporting a large rock, various peoples prosecuting a Kaldoric civil war, and the odd insane Sheriff proved a nearly lethal trifecta for the players. I'll try harder next time.

Monday was a day of errands oft neglected, though we had a nice dinner with singing_barista and her James.

Meanwhile, at work we continue moving towards the hectic end of the year, preparing for next year, and dealing with a new pastor (a swell guy, but not yet arrived) and a new principal (not yet hired). No stress there. Huzzah!


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* Islands on opposite coasts, curing mutants vs. mutating everyone else, and lots of other things I can't quite remember just now.