Summer excitement

I spent an intense week, culminating last night, preparing for and then migrating the department services from an old server to a new one. It's a server we've had for about 10 years and it has everything running on it. I was primarily responsible for migrating the file and web services -- including a complex scientific web application. Last night, I was in the office until 3am trying to stitch things back together. Today, most things are sort of working, but many things aren't quite right. Still -- we did it and the world did not end. Now we can go forward and make things better.

Today, we went to see Jonathan Coulton perform with his new band. He played a mix of old and new songs. The Iron Horse was packed with his fans, who sang along with all the old favorites and listened raptly each time he performed something new. We always enjoy seeing him perform, although its quite different when he doesn't have Paul and Storm to warm up the audience. On stage, he affects having quite an edge, which works for him pretty well.

I had seen that John Hodgman was going to be there and when he saw that I was going to be there he mentioned via twitter (I guess that's called "tweeting it" to use the vernacular.) Within minutes, I had another half-dozen followers on twitter. I wonder how long before they discover that, instead of some interesting funny man, they're following some weirdo who writes Esperanto-language haiku.

Afterwards, I posted two comments, I said

limako was not just soft-rocked by @jonathancoulton & actually touched @hodgman with (his) hand / devas nun gardi la manon kontraŭ memorigaĵ-stelistoj

and

famulo staras inter la homar'... kvazaŭ mem homo / the celebrity stands among the people... as if one himself. #hajko #haiku #senrujo

It was nice to meet John Hodgman. I shook his hand and he spoke with me for a few moments. He was very genuine and thanked me effusively for the little translation I made for him several months ago. He invited me to speak with him further after the concert, but he was swarmed with people, so I just remembered myself to him in passing as I left, with his earnest thanks following me. I was pleased that Lucy got a copy of the book that had that bit for Richard for his birthday.

After we got back, we finished packing for St. Croix. Tomorrow we leave early for our next big adventure.