Blog by Sumana Harihareswara, Changeset founder
Sunday Nuddy Sunday
Hi, reader. I wrote this in 2003 and it's now more than five years old. So it may be very out of date; the world, and I, have changed a lot since I wrote it! I'm keeping this up for historical archive purposes, but the me of today may 100% disagree with what I said then. I rarely edit posts after publishing them, but if I do, I usually leave a note in italics to mark the edit and the reason. If this post is particularly offensive or breaches someone's privacy, please contact me.
Various medical people have been sticking needles in me over the past few weeks for the flu shot and to draw blood for routine medical tests. (I'm doing routine maintenance on my car and on my body. The medical process frustrates me more than the car maintenance process; maybe I'm selling the wrong thing.)
I have learned that showing up right after the lab opens almost ensures speedy and friendly service. Just like in college! Lazy people hate getting up early, so the 8am discussion sessions get you the most personal and dedicated attention.
Also, I used to conjugate Russian verbs or recite trivia to get my mind off the needle. Now I sing Down By the Riverside and Union Maid.
Yesterday I went to the lab, dropped off Leonard at the airport (amusingly, the road to Oakland Airport tries to pretend it is an elegant Parisian boulevard), and went to Berkeley to put in a shift at Cody's. I'm still on call there. I enjoyed seeing coworkers and Berkeley pals again (Alexei! Hal!), and also interacting with customers face-to-face and recommending books. I don't get to do that at Salon.
The medium of email alienates me from my customers. Many of them never write back. In person, at least, every transaction has an ending. Someone walks away.
Cody's sits right next to the Bay King bakery, and every night the aroma of pastry drifts into the kids' room. I'd forgotten that.
