So...its been a busy few days. This weekend, instead of sitting around twiddling my thumbs as can happen, I was out and about for the most part. Friday night I saw Hairspray with two friends. The movie turned out to be a good surprise. Although, I must say that while John Travolta was funny in his role, it was more of a "I'm laughing because John Travolta as a woman is ridiculous" than "I'm laughing because this movie is genuinely funny and well written." In other words, for the integrity of the play, I don't think he should have been cast in it, but forgetting anything other than the experience of the movie, it was amusing.

Saturday, one of the most gorgeous days ever, was spent with a visit to the farmer's market (more lovely flowers) and helping out with a party for Light In Winter, an organization that I am now a board member for. I was, probably by far, the youngest person at the party, but it was still mostly fun. The party was hosted at the home of two local big philanthropists and it was certainly impressive. They have a lakeview and some lakefront property, all that a girl could want. The owners also had four birds which were a delight. Ever since I've met my friend H. and her five birds, I've learned to appreciate these guys as pets. I never ever thought I'd be interested in getting a bird, but maybe someday.

And Sunday was the Grassroots festival. I never managed to locate A., but still had a fab time. Thoroughly enjoyed the set by The Duhks, the main reason I decided to head over to the fairgrounds on Sunday. The hippies were out in full force at the festival with all their long skirts, batik sundresses, bralessness, and long loose hair. Twas rather amusing.

I also managed to finish SnowCrash after the festival. It wasn't a super favorite, but it definitely was worth the read. The first sequence is really well written and throws you into the novel well, but then the novel slows down, get a little heavy handed, and mixed up chronologically for a bit. For example, Stephenson takes a while to explain what avatars are, which may have been necessary in 1992, but for me in 2007 seemed annoying. I prefer Gibson who throws you into the tech landscape and expects you to figure it out. The novel speeds up again though and gets into some interesting ideas : i.e. viruses as ideas and religions. Stephenson also makes use of an ancient Sumerian myth featuring Enki, Inanna, and others which was a thread in the Book of All Hours. I was surprised to encounter the myth again so shortly after having discovered it for the first time with Hal Duncan. I don't actually have SnowCrash with me, or I'd write a bit more, but I'm writing on my lunch break at work as my computer at home is crashing on me and I don't really feel like paying to have it fixed again!