Phillip and I did our Saturday trip to the libraries to play Neopets together today. I chose to return to the Central Library, downtown.

I love that building. It's full of wide open, light spaces. If you want a quiet, hidden corner to curl up with a book, there are plenty of those, too.

I was glad to see that the library is handling the little idiosyncrasies - those little details where design meets real life - quite nicely. On the day that we went to the grand opening (May 23 of last year), I was concerned about the spaces where columns are less than 90 degrees, as well as the spaces beneath the escalators. The only thing keeping someone from walking into those spaces, and banging their head, were two-foot-high railings. It seemed like a tripping hazard to me, especially for small children. (I guess that Rem Koolhaas has more faith in the general public than I do.) Today, those spaces were protected by bight yellow ropes.

A few weeks ago, there was a late-night fire in one of the top floor apartments in the three-story building directly across the street from us. Apparently, it closed the entire building. (It looks like the building is still empty.) There was a brief mention of "a fire on Capitol Hill" on Northwest Cable News, and a single telephoto shot from the NWCN studio on Dexter Avenue, but no other coverage that I could find.

This morning, there was a fire further up Capitol Hill, on Malden Street. It was in a single-dwelling house. Again, there was a telephoto shot on NWCN, but this morning there was "a news crew on the way." I could see the smoke from the bus stop, and two news helicopters (from different stations) in the sky. There's also a story on the NWCN web site. Plus, there's a story on The Seattle Times web aite.

I guess it's all in the timing.

We're trying another housing experiment with Gladden. This one is a finch house, like the last one, but with half the lid cut off. It was Phillip's idea. With only half a lid, Gladden can get in and out without needing to push the lid up - which he doesn't always seem to have the strength to do these days - and he can still sit on the roof, as he likes to do.

The latest issue of Utne magazine came last Saturday, along with a notice that my subscription is running out soon. I'd already decided not to renew it. I've been turned off by the "beautify your neighborhood through graffiti" tone the magazine keeps returning to.

That noted, there is an intriguing recipe in this latest Utne, reprinted from Readymade magazine, for a natural aftershave. Actually, it's two recipes - a "sweet" blend and a "spicy" blend. The recipe for the spicy blend is:

1/2 cup vodka
2 bay leaves, broken
15 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1/2 cup mineral water

Add the spices to the vodka in a glass jar, and let is steep for at least a week. Then strain the liquid and mix it with the mineral water.

(The spices for the sweet blend are: 1 whole star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half, and a 2-inch piece vanilla bean, cut in half.)

Phillip surprised me yesterday by picking up the ingredients for the spicy blend on his way home from work, and even starting it for me. That was nice of him. I also know that his motive was two-fold: it prevented me from buying a harsh, chemical aftershave (which I've done in the past), and it prevented me from making the sweet blend. (Phillip hates anise.) This is all fine with me.

Meanwhile, at my church, I am a member of the Church Council, as well as Council Secretary. I am a member of the inactive Web Team. I am also a member of the Welcome & Nurture Committee. For that last role, I worked the table at the church directory photo session last night. John and I took the 6 to 9 shift together. (Phillip and I had our photo scheduled for 5:50, and the photographer got to us at around 6:30.) John and I were there until nearly 10:00 last night. I was tired all day today.

John and I greeted people as they came through the door, signed them in, took care of paperwork, and generally assured people that everything was under control.

It turned out to be a worthwhile assignment for me. Ours is a medium-sized church, with a congregation of about 200 members. But I met several of my congregation who I had somehow never spoken to before. There were even people I don't remember even seeing before. Like most church goers, I tend to sit on the same side of the Sanctuary every Sunday - often in the same pew. I met at lot of people from the other side last night.

The photo sessions are going on tonight, also. I found last night so worthwhile that I almost - almost - asked if there was a volunteer opportunity tonight.

I saw Lela on the bus again this morning. She asked why I have an orange stripe on my (employee ID) badge.

The answer is that the person at the badge shop made a mistake. I don't know what all the badge stripe colors mean, and I later tried to find a list on a UW web site, so I could show the badge person that she'd made a mistake. I don't know what an orange stripe signifies. I do know that as a support person, who directly accesses medical care without performing it, I should have a green stripe just like all PSRs and PCCs do. Doctors and nurses have a light blue stripe. Non-medical staff, such as cafeteria employees, have another color, but I can't remember right now what it is - it's not orange.

When I pointed out to the badge employee that I thought I should have a green stripe, she replied, "Well, who are you working for, Harborview or the U?" I answered, "I'm working at Harborview, but my paychecks come from the University, just like everyone else's." (If I could figure out what her question meant, I might know why I was given the wrong color.)

If it weren't for the $20 replacement fee, I'd just lose my badge and hope for a green stripe. In the meantime, I'll just walk around with the wrong color.

Phillip and Lynn and I went to The Neptune this afternoon and saw the movie Constantine. The movie is getting mixed reviews from critics. I liked it a lot. Phillip liked it, too. Lynn wasn't impressed. It sparked a long post-show debate among the three of us. (None of us were familiar with the graphic novel on which the movie was based, but I especially enjoyed the way the movie captured the look of a graphic novel.)

After the movie the three of us drove to Ballard to Masalisa Tea House. That was Phillip's choice. Masalisa was closed for the day, however. We drove back to Wallingford, to Teahouse Kuan Yin. That had been my first choice.

At Teahouse Kuan Yin, I had Bai Hao, an oolong from Taiwan, made in the two pot method, and a slice of carrot cake.

Before the moving sale, Mom had invited Phillip and me to take things we wanted for ourselves. We took some cooking equipment, the bocce set, and some books. When picking out the books I wanted, I somehow overlooked Don't Know Much About® the Bible, by Kenneth C. Davis. I found it on Saturday, and bought it. Actually, I asked Phillip to buy it for me, because I didn't happen to have two quarters at the time. My sister wouldn't let me buy it, insisting that I just take it, because I could have taken it before the sale. When my sister wasn't looking, Phillip dropped fifty cents into the till anyway.

I can't put this book down. I've been reading it during every free moment since Saturday morning. I've just finished the chapter on the book of Ruth. (Don't Know Much About® the Bible follows the order of the King James Version, but doesn't ignore any of the other versions.) This is a fascinating book.

There are things I'm learning about the Bible which I sort of knew, but are now more clarified. The Bible is, of course, not "a book" but rather hundreds of years of oral legends and traditions finally set down in writing by at least five authors (or groups of authors) at various times and places. That explains why there are two different stories of Creation, and two different sets of the "Ten Commandments" - and, of course, there are plenty of mis-translations along the way.

Mostly, I am learning that I really don't know much about the Bible. I'd been reading recently about the festival of Eid al-Adha, and the disagreement over whether Abraham was meant to sacrifice Isaac or Ishmael. (The Jews and Christians say the former, the Muslims say the latter.) But I never really understood the controversy until I started reading Don't Know Much About® the Bible.

The three-day moving sale went well, my family agreed.

Getting rid of unneeded possessions - the clutter of life - is something I wish I could do, at times. But when it's my parents' possessions, it is a sad event.

I really needed to go to church today, but this was more important. I asked our pastor to say a prayer today.