December 2006
I'm not going to do another tired review of the year. Here's a silly short story instead. If you prefer something technical then re-read this month's Implementing a state engine using instance behaviour.
She stretched, yawned and absently scratched behind her ear. She was sure she could hear her boss approach and that meant she'd better look busy.
Taking the security guard job allowed her to sit around and think a lot. It wasn't that she considered herself lazy, but sitting and thinking was certainly preferable to running around and doing. Sitting in the morning sun thinking and eating, eating and thinking. It was a shame her boss kept turning up.
There was a bench in front of the office she worked at which caught the morning sun, but was nicely shaded during the hottest part of the day. At the moment the other security guard, everyone called him Tiger, was sitting on it and napping again. Tiger was old, grizzled, and increasingly cantankerous but still wiry and strong. In the last year he'd developed a silver beard which gave him a certain gravitas. It wasn't that he needed it though, all the younger guards at the other offices on the street were in awe of him.
Beach Party — Photo published in DecemberTheir boss said hi to them on the way past into the building. Tiger took the chance to go and see how his friends down the road were doing.
She'd been losing weight steadily but knew she was still over weight. She wasn't even as lively as Tiger yet she was much younger than he. If anything actually happened she wouldn't be much use at actually securing anything, except for maybe her lunch. She smiled at the thought of lunch time which wasn't too far off now. It didn't matter though, Tiger enjoyed shouting at people if he thought they were being too noisy, or didn't belong in the area, or if he'd not had a chance to shout at anybody for a while. At times he'd get into a fight and have bruises and scratches all over his face for a week or two. Despite his old age he always seemed to win.
Her boss came back outside with some papers. He often sat on the bench to read during the day when there weren't too many mosquitoes about. This looked to be no exception. As he was making himself comfortable Tiger wandered over and sat next to him. Tiger always did this and it annoyed her. Most of the day he'd be off chatting with the other guards, but the moment the boss turned up he'd be there ingratiating himself. She felt a pang of jealousy and got angry again.
To take her boss's mind off Tiger she licked his foot and then his knee. When he smiled at her she wagged her tail. Hang the diet! Maybe he'd give her some food?
