So things have been crazy, although my "crazy" includes a lot of stuff you'd call "unexciting and mundane." I filled up another journal, after three years of intermittent writing. I attended various low-key social functions. I have had constant but tedious work to do at my job.

At four o'clock this past Saturday, a bunch of us met up at the Flat Earth brewery for their first tour of the season. I've been on two other brewery tours, Heineken and Ganter, so it was a bit of a relief that this was just a Q&A and not a walking tour to demonstrate, once again, how a brewery works.

Unfortunately, I had just listened to the What Ale's Thee podcast where they interviewed Jeff and Cathie, so I didn't really learn anything new. We ran into John Gordon there, but I'm the only one who seems to appreciate that coincidence.

After finishing a few rounds of free sample drinks, everyone migrated over to Sweeney's for Jess' going-away party. Strangers and acquaintances soon arrived and the situation became boisterous.

I ended up hanging out until after midnight, and since I ended up not seeing Jess again before she left, I was glad that I'd stayed that long. I also got to see people try the bottle of mead I got at Cellars, a.k.a. the Liquor Store That Lied. I'd actually done some research on commercial mead, but I ended up having to buy some brand that I knew nothing at all about. Because of lies.

(Apparently it was only OK.)

It's weird to think that I won't see Jess again until June at the earliest, or possibly October, or for even longer if several of my nebulous plans fall through. Weirder still is that hers is just the first departure, and by the end of the summer Ben, Jenna, and Caitlin will also be gone.