Victoria

Well, hard to believe, but I'm back in Victoria now, back in the chilly Canadian wilderness, making my way to Starbucks as I have a couple of hours left in the weekend. Ahead of me is a leafless garry oak tree, which perfectly embodies this place -- cold, stark, beautiful in its own grey way. Contrast this to sunny Palo Alto and its perpetual springtime, with energetic students buzzing in sidewalk cafes.

Happy times as a child. The big bucket of legos -- spaceship legos and castle legos, with sunlight streaming into the family room. The marathon Super Nintendo sessions with Mort and Kwan. Art class. The GI Joe Amphibious Transport, the Space Shuttle rescue missions, the yellow submarine with its orange pincers. Grandiose dreams of creating a video game on my Apple IIc. Choose Your Own Adventure. Fantasy and multi-sided dice. The model aircraft and cars that never looked quite as good as the box. Playing soldiers in the bunker while waiting in the car. The perennial desire to build a fort. The love of candy. The Cosby Show, Star Blazers, and Captain Draw. Inventions of paper and wood. Word 2.0 and Corel Draw. Word 6.0.