journal features

rice and lentils

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Kawasaki, 2020.03.26

I've got food coming at me from all angles. I was given a bag of decaf coffee beans when attending that dinner the other night, but we left so quickly I left it behind. My dear (and patient) friend who gave it to me says she'll now mail it. And, Mari's parents are sending a care package with brown-rice cereal and toilet paper. And, Mari's ordered a bunch of food. And, I've ordered a lot of lentils and basmati rice. I may be eating well indeed for an overworked bachelor.

On the job front, a meeting with a host of IT folk and risk people and one business unit manager blew up when two of our developers had a fit. One of their seniors from the same department had suggested a course of action that involved a review by me (head of architecture team) and they didn't like that so after one abruptly left the meeting and the other rambled to a halt the business unit manager expressed her displeasure at us. The call ended, and the crazy emails began with a raft of accusations and stupid infantile stuff, most of it aimed at me.

I may be isolated from Mari and the kids but at least I'm not over-committing to this "move" should the whole thing blow up in my face. I took a couple of important steps and will resolve the BS by tomorrow but what a way to start a job. One of the risk people told me, when she learned that I'd been with the same company just before her arrival years ago, "It's much worse now." Yeah, I'm getting that.

rand()m quote

If I had my life to live over, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax, I would limber up, I would be crazier than I've been on this trip. I know very few things I'd take seriously any more. I'd certainly be less hygenic... I would take more chances, I would take more trips, I would scale more mountains, I would swim more rivers, and I would watch more sunsets. I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it all over again, I'd have many more of them, in fact I'd try not to have anything else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of my day. If I had it to do all over again, I'd travel lighter, much lighter than I have. I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and I'd stay that way later in the fall. And I would ride more merry-go-rounds, and catch more gold rings, and greet more people and pick more flowers and dance more often. If I had it to do all over again - but you see, I don't.

—Jorge Luis Borges