a closed door

i watched the first hour of defiance, read a few pages of the metamorphosis, had a cheering-up chat with my mum, and spilled ginger ale everywhere (shouldn't have had the tequila *before* opening the bottle).

i got a late start this morning, and actually got a lift with somebody else from our unit when my usual ride failed to pitch. that was lucky!

i got some real work done this morning by accident, unfortunately i didn't do anything different from what i attempted yesterday. not satisfying to discover that it was a wasted effort because the testing system sucks.

at 9.30 i put on black pants and a white shirt (that felt weird!) and went off to be briefed, but after watching us hang around for a while they told us to come back an hour later. i went back, and romped at my desk for a bit (the new headphone policy coupled with my team-mates sitting with their backs to me affords a good opportunity to bop my head wildly) before returning again.

the briefing was simple. man a table. take fake money. if the person who paid wins, give him a multiple of that money. repeat if necessary.

i got the table that attracted the dodgiest that the base had to offer, some real weasels. i was on a bit of a downer, but their antics were so stupidly amusing that i actually started enjoying myself.

then came the competition for best-dressed. it was a traumatic experience, one of the worst performances i have ever seen and by the time i snuck out i was practically drooling and my head was spinning from the sheer... i don't know, there were too many things wrong and unfunny with what they were doing. it was quite surreal.

i poured over code for the rest of the afternoon, pausing for a good chat with my previous TL (he made me feel really, really good about moving into my new apartment and after grilling me about my issues with our section he was fairly supportive and understanding), and a pointless half an argument with the idiot girl who's responsible for the poor sod i was assigned to make up riddles for being very confused.

that's a horrible sentence. let me try again.

every year we have a gift-trading thing that goes on for a few days, and whoever you (secretly) give your gifts to has to identify you in time to give you a gift on the last day. i participated in this a couple of years ago. it was awkward, primarily because i'm not israeli-born and both my sense of humour and my puzzles contain leaps. israelis don't deal well with things that aren't direct, kind of like most americans i know.

so this year, i told the organizers that i wouldn't be participating because it's not fair or fun for whoever my target is, and after giving up begging and pleading they went so far as to lie to me, telling me that this year we wouldn't be doing the anonymous thing so no riddles would be necessary.

so now the aforementioned poor sod was left in the uncomfortable position of not being able to identify me even after he'd received assistance from a number of other brainiacs (and i'm not being snide, they're very smart people) in his section, and on sunday i'm going to have to sit with him and explain the riddles.

...

i have a sense of closure now that's i've decided, once and for all, that i won't be signing. i'm counting down already.

i'm going to see eatliz again now, i hope i won't be going alone.

last.fm is fantastic!