>> In all of my whining about termination, there is apparently a sweet fruit that can blossom from this bitter tree (… sorry). The nurse simply nodded after I spoke and then she said, “Well, I think this is a good thing for our clients. They now know that not all psychiatrists are mean people, that they can have a good relationship with a mental health provider. I mean, a lot of them have had terrible experiences in the past—now they will think differently.”

Awww. That was sweet.

>> When showing someone around a city, one gets to see the city in a different light. While playing tour guide over the long weekend, I

• ran around Lake Union and then some—that’s almost eight miles, baby!
• attended the Folklife Festival and ate a ton of junk food (… mmm… funnel cake.) I last attended the festival three years ago and at that time, I wrote about a trio of jugglers. I had commented that the one wearing orange was cute. My eyes alighted with recognition upon seeing the trio… though I did not find the man in orange cute this year. Tastes change. (And though I was at the festival when the shooting happened, I was probably in line for the Space Needle at the time of the incident. Now they’re saying the shooter has a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Hm.)
• saw the sun set from the top of the Space Needle. Seattle is gorgeous.
• gorged on seafood at Ivar’s Salmon House. The massive amount of food was overwhelming. We are so lucky to live in a country where there exist buffets that serve fresh salmon served in at least four ways (croquettes, grilled, smoked, baked), crab legs, prawns, fish and chips, multiple types of cheeses, seven types of fresh cut fruit, bagels, waffles, pancakes, sausages, chocolate-dipped strawberries, biscuits, gravy, eggs benedict, bacon, hash browns, chowder, omelettes, chocolate tarts, brownies, and a ton of other food items that I can’t even remember because it was just all too much. And to have the means to visit such a gluttonous place! (The chocolate chip cookie was disappointing. I have high standards.)
• visited the troll and Lenin in Fremont.

It was a satisfying way to enjoy the sights of the city before leaving for the Other Coast.

>> The Little Prince is a sad book. The only detail I had remembered about it was the drawing of the boa constrictor that had eaten the elephant (from the outside—I don’t remember the inside drawing). What a wonderful story and how true it is: ‘Tis the invisible things and those things and people we “tame” and spend time with that give meaning to our lives and experiences.

More regular posting in about a week. My exam is next Monday. (Egads!)

Time passes.