Lori has a birthday today. She consistently has one every year about this time. She’s very reliable that way. Normally we observe the occasion by doing a death march at Robert H. Treman Park in weather worthy of Satan’s hothouse.

This year was different on two fronts: the weather is uncharacteristically cool and Lori’s “on call” for customer service problems, limiting her flexibility. (It’s a new program her employer justifies by saying it helps software engineers develop customer awareness, much in the same way that requiring surgeons to rotate air-conditioning maintenance chores helps them develop operating environment awareness. Incidentally, in both cases money is saved by the employer–it’s a win-win! Except for the people laid off who used to do those jobs.)

This year we decided to visit Stewart Park in Ithaca; Lori had never been there and I hadn’t been there since my age was in the single digits. A windy cool day kept picnickers at bay but the park is quite the gem in any case. We will be back. We topped off the experience by having lunch at Ithaca Bakery, an old reliable favorite.