Woo, London! Have a good trip, transcending the chump lounge constraint

I’m sorry lisah.

Safe travels, Brenda!

So apparently Musk is trying to get access to the US Treasury. [link]

How much is going to end up in his virtual pockets?

Brenda, have a great time in my favorite city!

I’m watching the news, which I should not be because everything is awful.

I’m in a better position than so many folks. We’d be fine for a while if I lost my job but, man, all this bullshit makes me so angry

How unfair to be relegated to the Chump Lounge!

I hope the otter cafe is/was all you'd hoped and more. Otters!

I warmed up for the Otter Cafe by going first to the Mini-Pig Cafe.

Perhaps sensing that I'd eaten bacon for breakfast, the pigs rejected me. I mean, I did get to cuddle a few, but one lady had three piglets happily piled on top of her and it took regular coercion and prompting from the staff for the pigs to hang with me. One pig finally deigned to lay his head on my leg and I did pet him.

Otters was more fun though less cuddling. (Which is to say zero cuddling.) It took a while to find the place because it was second floor (2F in Japan) in the shopping mall/arcade (there's a lot of stuff on 2F and B1 if you're looking for cool little bars and places. And dag they've got some tiny, claustrophobic elevators).

I waltzed in without a reservation and managed to land right in a lull. So it was me and one other guy having alone time with one hungry otter, so we got to feed Oagge a lot. Then we got to hang with his smaller daughter, Wasabi, at which point six other people arrived.

Really enjoyed the up close with the otters.

Then I spent too much money at a Japanese record store but the prices are pretty great with the exchange rate.

I'm hungry but my stomach feels wonky. What I really want is a bigass California salad and that is not going to be forthcoming.

I think I'll hit the Public Bath for a soak then go out later.

> I decided to give transitionals a try this time

I loved mine. Wore them all the time. Very convenient in sunny locations.

Happy travels, Brenda.

I am off to the airport to pick up the first wave of visitors. The 2nd wave is renting a car and arriving tomorrow.

I think I'll hit the Public Bath for a soak then go out later.

Ah. Enjoy.

Otter cafe beats stroller owls

The beautiful thing is, they apparently coexist without strife

BABY PIG CAFE!!!!

Having lived next door to a pet pig, the mini-pig cafe appeals a lot less to me than otters or owls. I prefer my pigs in the form of bacon or bbq.

It's taken a long time, but the bird feeder I put up on my office window is finally doing its job (entertaining my cats), as the local population of squirrels has discovered it and become frequent diners. And they don't seem particularly bothered by cat faces suddenly looming over them behind the glass.

Plans for today include trying to track down a local source of arepas, raking leaves, and catching up on some of my extensive streaming backlog.

One thing I forgot to mention that I’m super chuffed about. Friday night we have tickets to Cymbeline at the theater at the globe. Shakespeare at the Globe! By candlelight! And dinner at the fancy restaurant at the club beforehand too. It’s me and my boss and a guy I’ve worked with and had a low-key crush on for 10 years.

That’s a little bit tongue in cheek, but not entirely. Genuinely one of my favorite people, and one of those guys who could be a Most Interesting Man in the World (TM Dos Equis) candidate. So it will be great company and great conversation too. My boss is a Texas democrat with young children and desperate for some for some frank conversation in a different environment. We *really* don’t broach political subjects at work at all, but I accidentally wore a Harris T-shirt on a call once so now we can be a little more open.

Fortunately, getting a little more recreational time on this trip because the flight cost of traveling a little early and staying a little later, rather than keeping it all within the work week, was substantial. So I get tomorrow and Monday, plus next Saturday, on the work dime, but without specific work obligations. So while time is short, I am hoping to make the most of it.