It's odd, trying to decompress from a month spent in involuntary government service. In its most asinine moments it was like the stereotypical nerd-stuck-in-high-school social boredom/drama. You're trapped, with people you didn't choose, and others dictate when and whether you have anything interesting to do as a group. But we got to help free innocent people and punish wrongdoers, and the hours were far shorter than at my real job. I wonder how disorientation will present tomorrow at work. It will be nice to be in a room full of people who can make interesting conversation.

I discovered a few years ago that I can be friends with with someone who doesn't share my beliefs as long as they demonstrate integrity and a work ethic. I've further discovered this month that respect for details is somehow tied into those criteria, and that the jurors who used the phrase "Who cares?" lost my respect pretty permanently.

Another very full weekend followed. I cleaned a bit, watched several more episodes of Babylon 5 (we're now well into Season 4), hung out extensively with at least two friends, read gobs of sci-fi (including a wonderful new story by Leonard), got back into my self-paced programming course, saw a play, tried out the new sushi place on Broadway, etc.

The news from Eastern Europe is just bewildering. Not to mention other shocking or saddening events of recent days (the church shooting in Tennessee and Bangalore bombings, for example). But Tblisi is in my thoughts.