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Mar. 5th, 2009 10:59 amI've got a short software job in Davis, to which I "commuted" yesterday. A hundred and fifty miles, of which a hundred is scenic cliff-hanging roads and canyons that beg to be carved up on a motorcycle. Alas, it was raining. I have been thinking of selling the Beetle, but it certainly is nice to be able to drive it on roads like this.
This is a bit of a blast from the past - just as when we started out 18 years ago, John has lined up a nepotistic data analysis job for me. He does quite a bit of work for this company himself but doesn't get a salary; as chief scientific officer he does get some equity though. I, on the other hand, will be paid. Maybe 40 hours of work. Gotta tell you, though; the idea that physical work is "real work" and desk work is just "pushing paper" is bull. It is much easier to do a full day of kitchen work than to gather software requirements for even a few hours. Having not done the consultant thing for a while, I was exhausted after just the afternoon.
Afterwards, we went for dinner at Bistro Jeanty, in Yountville, arguably a town "on the way home". I checked my to-do list; this has been on the list of "restaurants to go to" since November of 2001. Don't ever accuse me of being spontaneous! LOL.
Anyway - it was very good. Straight up old fashioned bistro food done more perfectly than would seem possible. Between the two of us we had pike quenelles in lobster sauce, lamb tongue and potato salad, braised pork shoulder with squash and brussels sprouts, a choucroute plate with sourkraut, bacon, ham, and sausages, and a little banana cream pie that was caramelized on top like a creme brulee. I also had a glass of a Calvados called "poire prisonniere", which featured a whole pear trapped inside the bottle. We don't eat out much these days but it sure lifts my spirits to have a nice dinner like that.
This is a bit of a blast from the past - just as when we started out 18 years ago, John has lined up a nepotistic data analysis job for me. He does quite a bit of work for this company himself but doesn't get a salary; as chief scientific officer he does get some equity though. I, on the other hand, will be paid. Maybe 40 hours of work. Gotta tell you, though; the idea that physical work is "real work" and desk work is just "pushing paper" is bull. It is much easier to do a full day of kitchen work than to gather software requirements for even a few hours. Having not done the consultant thing for a while, I was exhausted after just the afternoon.
Afterwards, we went for dinner at Bistro Jeanty, in Yountville, arguably a town "on the way home". I checked my to-do list; this has been on the list of "restaurants to go to" since November of 2001. Don't ever accuse me of being spontaneous! LOL.
Anyway - it was very good. Straight up old fashioned bistro food done more perfectly than would seem possible. Between the two of us we had pike quenelles in lobster sauce, lamb tongue and potato salad, braised pork shoulder with squash and brussels sprouts, a choucroute plate with sourkraut, bacon, ham, and sausages, and a little banana cream pie that was caramelized on top like a creme brulee. I also had a glass of a Calvados called "poire prisonniere", which featured a whole pear trapped inside the bottle. We don't eat out much these days but it sure lifts my spirits to have a nice dinner like that.
