(no subject)

Yesterday was my boss' last day. We threw her a big party and made her cry. We got a huge turnout too. (I think it helped that I mentioned cake in the invite.)

After the party, we had another one at a nearby bar so she could say goodbye to all the vendors she has worked with over the years. We had a pretty good turnout for that too. My department clearly not only excels at begging for donations, but also at throwing parties. :)

The bar was right next to the Mayflower, which is a hotel frequented by important people. Right now the Israeli Prime Minister is staying there, I think. For days, we've had police barricades, K9 units, and helicopters flying around. Yesterday we got to see the guy arrive back at the hotel with his whole entourage.

First big black vans pulled up. Before they even stopped, the doors and back of the van popped open and men in armor with rifles jumped out of the car. Then another set of vans pulled up with more armored guys that ran over the the don't-shoot-me tent, examined it, then opened it up.

After that, an ambulance pulled up and parked next to the tent. Just in case I guess. Finally a black limo with Israeli flags stuck to it pulled up, quickly followed by several more black vans with armored and armed guys jumping out. The limo went straight into the tent. As soon as it was completely in, the guys guarding it snapped the tent closed.

You could tell when the PM was finally safely inside, because all the very tense armored men relaxed right after.

It was all very action movie.

Book - Glinda of Oz

This is the last Oz book I have free access to and the last one Baum wrote.

In it, Ozma and Dorothy go on an adventure to prevent a war on the outskirts of Oz. They kinda fail miserably, ending up a prisoner of one of the warring sides, and Glinda has to gather together a rescue group.

I think this story had potential, but the lack of tension was a serious problem. You'd think there would be a sense of urgency if there was a war about to start. Instead everyone set about as if they were on vacation. With a good hard rewrite, the story could have been really enjoyable. It has war! Witches! (Both good and bad.) Submerged cities! Mountain fortresses! Captured princesses! How did you manage to make all that so dull, Baum?

Well, now I will need to find another book to read. I couldn't possibly get by reading only three books at a time.