On Wednesday the 30th, I rolled a will save against sending an email to someone offering "support, moral or immoral" on the grounds that I didn't actually want to embarrass myself that badly to someone whose good opinion I valued (and if I didn't value their good opinion, why in the hell would I be offering immoral support?)

radius had said that he was probably leaving for Australia on New Year's Eve. That being a holiday, most sensible people were not in the workplace. He'd said that he got everything that needed shipping sent off with the removalists. (Earlier, he'd mentioned that he'd likely be left with some very odd odds and ends of food, but he was trying to use up what he could before he left. He'd had some ... innovative ... sandwiches prior to leaving on some previous trips.)

I wound up spending my Wednesday evening with some Star Wars, and discussing the new Star Wars with some of the other people who'd stayed until the end of the credits -- about whether a major character death might be survivable, about Empire engineering vs. US handrail regulations, and all sorts of lovely things.

I had a nice low-key new year's eve, and a nice low-key new year's day. I decided against getting the rather heavy piece of IKEA furniture which would have solved some of my space woes on the grounds that I wasn't sure I could wrestle it into and out of my car on my own, and I might want to save any such things for when there was a bigger vehicle and someone else to haul things with.

New Year's Day was also a day for laundry, checking the mail, and getting my new registration tag on Vash. Fuck yeah adulthood.

Saturday evening was my aunt's game party. I invited some of the guys (lb, Purple, jld). It was good to see jld! We had two tables playing CAH. Everyone had a lot of fun, and I think we did a good job in making a space in which it was safe to say "yeah, that's actually too terrible for me", since somebody promptly named one of the cards which was entirely unfunny to him, and we all said "yeah, fair" and resolved to discard it quietly if it came up. (Which it didn't.) Dick Cheney was this game's trump card.

Another quiet day Sunday, during which I slept (and then didn't sleep) through a number of uterus malfunctions.

By the time it hit 7am, I was awake, and reckoned I'd best get up. Fortunately, I got my coffee before the coffee machine went down. Non-Boring Manager was the first person to punch me ("That was more of a fist bump.") this year. Dogesitter Designer and Madam Standards were the second and third. I filed a coffee ticket, then wrote up how to do a pour-over by balancing the filter basket on top of the open airpot and using hot water from the espresso machine and anemic fizzer. It may not have been strictly good, but it was still coffee.

Purple's table wound up in the depths of B, below and somewhat within earshot of lb's table upstairs, as the cafeteria was overcrowded and the outside seats were all damp. Purple called me to make sure I wouldn't become lost.

lb approached us, waving a brightly printed something. Someone had left yeast packets on his desk that morning. He'd determined that no one else had received yeast. Purple speculated that it might be the corporate overlords' way of telling everyone that more beer was needed. lb eventually concluded that it must be from radius; the former officemate agreed that this was likely.

<some dude> because they do yeast inspections?
<lb> yes
<lb> there could be bullfrogs or rabies in that yeast

I chivvied Mr. Zune to join #adventuresofstnono, and contributed to technical help in the arrival.

There was also a digression about whether or not people can read Braille with their genitals. Apparently not, generally. (Purple and I would later spend time in the parking lot discussing possible schemes for making it easier. I suggested an array of piercings.)

I chatted with my emergency birthday twin on the team, about custody of my toolkit after the contract end. He'd had a lovely Alaska vacation, and they'd taken a number of my suggestions for good local fun. They did get some aurora sighting! Only level 3, but hooray them!

There was some strategy chatting with lb. phone had passed along a message. I expect that the Singing PM's message which hit inboxes back in December will start to get shoveled out soonish ... maybe.

radius, having arrived in Australia and recovered some from the journey, got back on the internet.

<lb> radius confirmed as the yeaster
<Azz> Happy Yeaster!

Yeaster, I clarified, is where we celebrate the rising of Yeezus.

Purple had spent much of the afternoon away from his computer. Later on, he popped back in, and inquired whether I'd just dropped by his office. I hadn't. He allowed as how it had likely been the evening janitor; the scent was close to mine but not quite the same. He then sort of tripped over himself in attempting to explain that he hadn't meant any of this as a bad thing, just a nose thing. I replied mentioning the day I'd dropped in to his office, inhaled, and from the scent/heat/humidity wound up with a fairly accurate estimate of how long the office had been uninhabited that day. (He'd been at a hack day, it turned out.)

radius notes that I would be likely to get on with his family, based on my sense of humor.