Department Picnic 2022

 

Today started more quietly. I walked with my neighbor while Travalon chillaxed, and as we walked through the nearby restaurant's parking lot, she said she liked to walk there after the cruises come in because she often finds change. I laughed and said she's just like the dog I often dogsit, who once found a shrimp on the ground before I could grab it, so now she always wants to walk in the restaurant parking lot because there might be another shrimp. People: we're not so different from dogs. Then Travalon and I took a walk around Tiedeman's Pond and ran a couple of errands before meeting Anna Banana II, Jilly Moose, OK Cap, and Richard Bonomo for lunch at an Indian restaurant. We got a bunch of appetizers to share, so then I was so full that I only ate part of my main course. As we drove home, my neighbor texted to ask if I wanted to walk again, so we did as soon as I got home.

The big thing I had to do today was go to our department picnic. It was supposed to start at 4:30, but the food wasn't arriving until 5:30, so I figured if I got there around 4:30 I could help set up. To my surprise, the chair had everything set up, and a number of people were already there. I was a bit tired of socializing after my busy week, so at first Travalon and I sat off by ourselves, but a grad student who had brought her dog came over and talked to us, and we started talking about animal communication. I don't really enjoy small talk, but anyone who wants to talk about the deeper questions of life will always find a willing conversational partner in me. We also talked a lot to a grad student who is named after a sign of the zodiac, even though that is not his zodiac sign. The dog LOVED him, and I noted that if he is that good with animals, he could become a dolphin trainer if this doctorate in German gig doesn't work out. The most fascinating person of all was the chair's husband, who was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and ancient Greek Hawaiian shirt, and he seemed like he contained all the wisdom of the world. He told me about a band called Afro Celt Sound System, so after we came home, I listened to a few of their songs and found one called "Fissiri Wali Polka" that makes me feel like I'm becoming enlightened as I listen to it, so I listened to it over and over. The bassline alone is life-changing. This band plays a fusion of West African and traditional Irish music with an electronic twist, and the guy had said I would either love it or hate it, so apparently it's the former. I hope we get a chance to talk to the chair's husband again, because Travalon enjoyed talking to him too. It seems they are both Beatles fanatics.

Famous Hat