I am tired in my chair, listening to cello and piano produced by my head. I have occasionally forgotten the solemn beauty that peaceful, old music can bring. Rather than the armchairs I have occupied in yesterlifetimes, however, I suffice with microvex polyvinyl and YouTube. It is comfortable. Yet I can hear the echoes off of wood from long ago even now.

Life moves entirely too slow and quickly for much in the way of details. So, the highlights:

*I celebrated my birthday for the first time in three years. The occasion of last year was to visit a graveyard and stay awhile. I acquainted corpses with 'Bela Lugosi is Dead'. It all seemed appropriate. Before I became as fixated with the dead as I am now, I preferred something quiet and elegant for my birthday, spending with those closest to me at the time. Given how...much this has changed over the years, it made every birthday unique. Several of the last in Los Angeles included Daniel and/or Acacia, my mother and grandmother, and myself.

Yet I broke with this new macabre tradition this year. Somehow I let slip or was asked by Emily about my birthday. I told her how I preferred my birthdays to be low-key. We had a lovely dinner at Murimoto's, sitting outside and being served by a pleasant chap. He truly seemed to enjoy his profession. He painted during the day and waited tables at night. I thought it was exquisite. I commented how I was much the same in living separate lives, as a scientist and photographer. Emily suggested with that lascivious grin of hers that he fancied me. At first of course I good-naturedly said no. After directing his attention and words to mostly me while entertaining both ourselves and two women eating/waiting for a friend, well, let's say I just smiled when she mouthed 'he loves you' as he went back in. Good looking, artistic guy. I'd likely date him if I were homosexual. I find few artists I can stomach due to the egotism.

We hopped to an italian place for tiramisu and drinks, ran into several couples we know in the process, and then...well wait, what did we do? I seem to think there's something after dessert but before Genna's.

Ahh now I remember. We went to the Silver Dollar. Apparently many work colleagues of Emily would be there. She wanted to go because she felt guilty about not spending more time doing a certain work function that she'd gotten clearance to leave early on. We rehearsed what I'd say when career questions came up. We were both satisfied. Oddly it only came up once when Becky asked. Emily didn't know this Becky well, as she works under a different head in her department I think, but she seemed pleasant and quite interested in my science banter. But not Emily's work Erin, no. I'd heard many a tale of this person. And when I finally met her in the flesh, I was not disappointed. For instance, when Becky asked me what I did, I said I was a Ph.D. candidate looking at how the immune system influences behavior and brain function in healthy people. Simple, clear, overgeneralized. Erin's reaction was that it was "more than I would have wanted to know." I was mildly insulted. It became obvious she was abrasive by design and not by alcohol. Emily's work Katie and her boyfriend were there as well; we didn't say much. After getting some free shots, looking pretty, and being friendly to help out Emily, we left.

We quickly ended up outside of Genna's with a more personal group of my friends and hers. They'd all been out drinking there already for some reason or another. I schmoozed with Drew some because I hadn't seen him in awhile. I also talked with some guy to my right who apparently did neuroimmunology stuff some years ago; I think he's an incoming first year. Brian was there too. It was exceptionally odd that these people all knew it was my birthday.

We then went to her place and slept well.

*I'm getting closer to producing results for the diet restriction study. I've been collaborating for months in the J lab over at the VA. I was learning the ropes for awhile, but I've achieved semi-independence, I think.

I've been able to get monkey brain scan pictures to line up more or less in synch with each other. I can then trace a common brain area of interest on all of them, then compare the diet restricted animals to normal ones. I'm expecting there'll be less iron deposits in a structure called the Globus Pallidus in diet vs. control animals. I just got everything in line to do that today, and finished refining the common area for 4 animals. But then...

*I went golfing with Emily and her friends Molly and Tim today. Well that and I had to get a CT scan of my sinuses for my consultation over maybe finally figuring out why I can't breathe through my nose properly. Anyway, we played 7 holes of golf. This was my first time. I sucked. At first I wasn't bad at driving the ball at the practice range, but my game just got worse. I overestimated how hard one needed to hit the ball typically. I got assurances that this or that shot was good or nice, which I quickly dismissed. I think everyone got the hint and did less of that as time went on--either that or it was bad enough where commenting wasn't appropriate. I actually did like golfing. It was odd being around so many khaki short old white motherfuckas, but what's an injun to do?

*Emily and I have off and on been watching The Tudors. Good show. I like historical re-enactments. I could do without Showtime's softcore porn angle on the series, but it's Showtime.

*I haven't found any new places to show my stuff. Too busy with work during the day and either seeing Emily, taking care of necessary life shit, or writing. Speaking of which...

*Writing for Redemption continues to go well. The team has stayed fairly productive. I'm inching toward finishing, probably, my 3rd novel worth of writing material for the game. I suppose most people might think I'm crazy. Well I hate narrative, love dialogue, and like games. So this fits well.

*Only one new polished photograph so far from the last jaunt in Detroit. I'm still annoyed about that crackhead breaking the rental car window. Speaking of which, I got a bill for that recently. I better send that shit off.

All in all, a productive summer, a good life...

No really, that's it.

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