(no subject)

I *might* have spent most of today (and last night) reading the new Harry Potter book. No spoilers, but... It's good. I like it. The author avoided a really stupid thing that I was afraid was going to happen.

I liked the new Willy Wonka movie as well - it's a completely different vision of the character and the story, and the music interludes are a bit jarring, but I still quite like it. And Christopher Lee was brilliantly chosen for his role.

(no subject)

This week, Rob says:

In his commencement address to Stanford's graduating class, Apple CEO Steve Jobs reminisced about the time, many years ago, when he was sacked by the company he started. "It turned out that getting fired was the best thing that could have happened to me," he said. "The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life." In telling you this, Gemini, I am definitely not predicting that you will lose your job. My purpose is to encourage you to cultivate the frame of mind Jobs described. Here's another angle on the perspective I hope you'll make into your permanent modus operandi: "In times of change, learners inherit the earth," wrote Eric Hoffer, "while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists."

Actually, Rob, I *am* somewhere in the job-losing process. But I'll keep the whole beginner thing in mind.