31 jul 2012

olympics. elections. kids going hungry. i sincerely spend a goodly amount of time considering what i should write here, and a portion of the aforementioned time is spent in loathing fits of burning shame over not tackling Big Issues. i ponder - if i were a more profound pontificator, perhaps folks would tarry here a spell. but then i consider the amount of coverage the Big Issues already receive -- by folks much more skilled than i (and with more time on their hands) and by folks much less skilled than i (but still with a measure more time on their hands), and i decide what the world needs is a goodly dose of Small Issues.

post-it notes. do you prefer the sort with lines or without? i prefer unlined and have a penchant for the neon brites. at the office i get my post-its via specifically designed desktop dispensing device. at home i generally use lame leftover logo-imprinted promotional post-its (if i use any at all).

how do you feel about flavoured teas? i feel that of both the hot and cold varietals there exist on the market a marked overabundance. who needs that much tea? grey was good enough for the earl, it's good enough for you!

how old were you when you learned to drive? i was old, like 14 or somesuch. never drove a go kart or dune buggy or golf cart or lawn mower -- went straight from bicycle to car. the first car i drove was a chevy station wagon and i drove it precisely one time before it was relegated to the junk heap. the first car i wrecked was a toyota corolla and i drove it many more times than one, but i did manage to relegate it to the junk heap, also. let's see... chevy station wagon, toyota corolla, chevy chevette (diesel), VW rabbit pickup (diesel), jeep CJ5, hyundai SL, nissan 200sx, jeep grand cherokee, chevy astro, ford windstar, ford econoline, honda civic, nissan frontier. looks like not counting rentals i've driven 13 vehicles. is that right? oh, the harley, yeah. can't forget the harley.

30 jul 2012

so.

we went to get her a new modem. we asked the sheldon at the buy more what did he recommend and he recommended the $99 one but agreed the $59 would do just fine. when we got over to her house and unpacked it and tried to plug it in there was no place for DSL because it was A CABLE MODEM! d'oh! thanks a lot, SHELDON. forjeez.

so we packed it up to take it back.

standing on line for exchange was a tidgebit confusing because there were two separate line entrances at separate ends of the counter. why? why, buy more, whyyyy?

two ladies were There First. they gave me the OhNoYouDont look. when Busy Clerk finished with her transaction, i turned to There First Ladies and was like, "have y'all been helped?" and TFLs go, "yes."

clearly - it was my turn.

i approached Busy Clerk and started in with "need to exchange..." and got about as far as "need to exchange..." when the TFLs come barreling down on us with "you SAID you would give US a refund! that IS what you SAID!!"

clearly - it was not my turn.

TFLs got their refund, Busy Clerk vacated the counter, and i was left presiding over Queue Of The Bewildered. we managed to flag down some help and all got out of there safely. (story ends with a fuzzle, not a boom.)

29 jul 2012

it was a nice day for a run.

i was only looking for an easy 30 minutes, so i laced up and jogged into the neighborhood, sort of undecided where i was headed. there're four good routes back in there, two of which i use a lot, one sometimes, and one rarely. i was headed to one of the two "a lot" routes when i changed my mind and went with rarelyroute.

rarelyroute is a 3-mile out and back. you go .7mi up a hill, .8 down the other side, then turn around and do the reverse -- .8 up, .7 down.

the weather was great - sort of warmish but not hot, slight breeze. i was jogging along well, good pace, even stride, really enjoying the sound of my footfalls and my breathing, wondering if people who use ipods while they're running have any idea what they're missing. my legs were feeling fine, not tired, so it wasn't slapping or dragging... just a sweet sound, shoe hitting pavement.

the .7 up isn't too hard because i'm still fresh, just listening to my feet and looking at my neighbors' lawnscapings. at .7 i tip downhill and it's really nice on the backside here, with some shade, an interesting rockwall, the downhillness. i'm wondering why i don't use this route more often. at the last .25 is a field and in that field there's a fine looking chestnut horse munching grass and i am like "hullow, horse" and horse just looks at me.

i am struck here by a profound sense of my being both alone and empowered. i start daydreaming that i am leading the olympic marathon. i am so far out in front that there's no one around. i am strong and happy.

circle the cul-de-sac and head into the .8 uphill. this is the part that always gets me. this is why i don't use this route. the .8 uphill is HARD. but, i am an olympian, right? what would an olympian do? certainly not stop. ergo: steady on, ace! i pull the old "next mailbox" trick out of my bag and steady on, steady on, up the hill. i put away my olympic thoughts and think about you. what i am going to tell you? i really want to tell you that i did not quit, so i do not quit. i am thinking an 11min pace on this section would be quite solid. i hit the high point and just before i tip back downhill, i glance at my garmin. pace = 9:37. THAT'S WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.

all that remains is .7 downhill home. easy peasy and that's it.

it was a nice day for a run.

28 jul 2012

so today i went to the cabinet to get stuff to clean the bathroom and when i looked in the box of toilet cleaning thingies, it was empty. um... wtf? i was not the last person to clean house, so i knew who'd left it empty. i could have let this go, out of appreciation for his having previously cleaned and whatnot, but he needed to be taught not to leave empty boxes in the cabinet. i ranted at him a bit then reached into the toilet and cleaned it by hand. ha! i know, right?? i really showed him!

27 jul 2012

this morning's television news (television on during breakfast which if it were up to me would be not the case) contained a story about mr barry gibb who is the last living brother of the bee gees singing group. all his brothers have died, and if you can imagine not only being the last living brother, but being also the last living bandmate, and then having that be the same thing... well? are you with me? so, anyway, this news story was about how mr gibb has wanted from the time he was like 12 years old (probably 50 years ago?) to sing on the grand ole opry and how just this week, he was invited by mr ricky skaggs to do that very thing in that very place. see? so it was touching and made me cry. i was going to tell you all about that but i've decided to go instead with silly pictures.

---

hmm... what is one thing kids need but aren't getting? a swift kick in the pants, that's what! if you were to go on to read this article, you would learn that kids aren't getting enough... water. that's right, water. as for my sibs and myself, we were raised on milk and kool-aid (okay, and beer), and we turned out just freaking fine. water? pffth! a swift kick in the pants!

---

wow. michael stipe used to have big hair. also, according to this photo... much bigger lips. wtf?! (i don't think it's him.)

---

best way to get rid of rotten sponge smell? get rid of rotten sponge. FACT.

---

two different guys of two different ages simultaneously discover a weird trick to slash electricity bills and - in both cases - "its" about to be banned?? what are the odds???

---

this concludes picture pages for today.

26 jul 2012

inspired by some comments in the online community which i inhabit, i started this post earlier today. it's not a new topic, so i wasn't surprised to see other folks posting about it also, but after reading what others had put together, my offering here looked weak and small. i got all sad and was fixing to erase it but then i remembered there are like 5 people who read this blog, so who cares. also, the whole point is to write something daily, and this is something i wrote today. wah-lah!
---

do you move other things around so that you can run, or do you move running around so that you can do other things? there's a balance, sure. a give&take. a push&pull. but you've got to set your priorities so you can make your choices, or you'll bounce through life like a pinball, letting circumstances push you around.

olympians face the balance when they make sacrifices to put running first, but after running consumes their entire life, the choices are over, right? okay, maybe it's not that simple but even so, those of us to whom running is only a piece of our whole life, we almost never get to put running first. it's a priority, sure, but it's not first.

how do you tell the runners from the people-who-run? the words they use give them away. "i have to go run today" versus "i get to go run today" -- the latter are the runners. the former... simply people-who-run. the people-who-run could wait all day but they'd never feel like going for a run. why do they spend time on something they don't enjoy? um... duh... it's a means to an end, not an end in itself.

i'd venture to guess that most folks who don't want to run, do run, because they want to get exercise and running's easy. i mean, everyone knows how. the equipment barrier is low. scheduling doesn't rely on teammates or facilities. see? easy. and, while you're at it, you can throw in a couple 5Ks here and there -- feed your competitive animal, curb that appetite so that maybe you won't go all roadrage on the afternoon commute.

for myself, i am a runner, and i had the privilege of going for a run today. it was hot as hell and now i am really tired and my brain is fuzzy. it's your turn. tell me what you think.

25 jul 2012

boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom.

up in the sky on a merry-go-round,
on a horse up and down.
ride around, ride around.
it's your day.
it's your day.
it's your unclouded day.

boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom.

come, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong,
and we'll all sing along
to the dusk from the dawn.
it's your day.
it's your day.
it's your unclouded day.

boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom.

down in the deep on a merry-go-round,
seahorse up, seahorse down.
ride around, ride around.
it's your day.
it's your day.
it's your unclouded day.

boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom.

come, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong,
and we'll all sing along
to the dusk from the dawn.
it's your day.
it's your day.
it's your unclouded day.

boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom-chaka-laka-laka. boom.

24 jul 2012

last place i saw it was either the desk or the dresser, but i looked both places and it wasn't in either place. then i thought maybe i took it to work, so i looked all around there at work and didn't find it. i was distraught. i wanted to have it and was sad to have lost it for its own sake, but i was pissed that i thought i knew where it was and went there and it wasn't there. even if it's something i don't even really want, if i go to find it and it's not there, i can get a little crazy looking for it. know what i mean? it's like - i went right there - boom - and looked - boom - and it was not there. did it vanish into thin air? where was it?? where??? wheeerrrreee????

i explained all this to him. he asked a couple follow-up questions, then went in the bedroom and returned with it in his hand. hey, what?! is he a magician?? hahaha. no. he had moved it to complete the housecleaning. it's not magic if you know where it is.

23 jul 2012

after i returned from today's run at utterly hellblazing hotness of heat midday, i stepped into the fitness center showers to rinse off the salt and sweat. i was just lah-lah-lah taking a shower when i felt a crawlie-ish feeling on my ankle. i presumed this to be a tired muscle having a shiver or perhaps a stream of water or somesuch. i shook my leg and it stopped. then, i glanced at my ankle to confirm it was indeed okay and caught site of a bug in the corner of the shower. so, the crawlie-ish feeling could be attributed to an actual crawling thing -- good, right? i mean, nice to know i am not crazy and whatnot.

except that this bug was the size of a collie and nearly as excitable. he was running all over the place, back and forth, looking for a way out of the shower. "what's the matter, lassie? did you fall in a well?"

so i am dancing around trying to stay out of his way and i yelled at him to GET OUT OF MY SHOWER - a command which, oddly, he did not obey. after a moment, i realised that he could not scale the 4" slick tile rim around the shower and was in a panic to get out because of the water flooding down on him. so, i turned off the water, stepped out, and waited for him to leave.

and, waited.

and, waited.

and, he sort of settled in down by the drain like he was fixing to have a nice little nap. bloody hell! i considered smacking him with my showershoe, but he was big enough to fight back, so i thought i would be better off to lure him out. to accomplish this luring scheme, i realised, i would have to give him something tractionable to further his wall-scaling efforts.

thinking with my usual creative alacrity, i pulled about 6ft of paper towels from the handy wall dispenser and draped said paper across shower floor, up 4inch wall, across outside-of-shower floor. he wasn't interested. so, i commenced to move this paper bridge around trying to get his attention, flopping it this way and that, and it's getting wet, and i am starting to smack it all over the shower floor, and now he's scared of it and keeps running away.

so, i stopped flailing it around, placed it gently in bridge formation, turned the shower back on to drive him to the bridge, and hid on the other side of the wall waiting for him to, i don't know, march over the bridge like brad pitt in 'meet joe black'. when it became obvious that this wasn't going to happen, i tugged gently on the bridge, pulling it slowly towards me, slowly, slowly, sslloowwyy.... until YIKES! he's coming right at me!

i flung the paper towels across the room, jumped in the shower, and the rest is history.

bug:

22 jul 2012

there are a million things going on and i can't think of a single thing to say to you. i mean, there's the tragedy in aurora, but who wants to talk about that and besides, what can be said that's original... or even better - useful. penn state's in a disgraceful mess, but again, what's there to say that hasn't been said, that would make a difference, that would add value. and so on and so forth. it's not even original to say that there's nothing to say.

we're ceaselessly bombarded by pieces of news rendered nearly useless by their proximity and similarity with previous pieces. continual news feeds render the individual pieces of news, ironically, not new. breaking stories are released in painfully incremental streaming tidbits which form a steady diet of urgency, like being on the freeway behind that guy who keeps. hitting. his. brakes.

elevating the importance of each tiny piece undermines our ability to discern anything real, inoculates us against urgency, and foments complacency.

21 jul 2012

they should ban where, during pro golf tournaments, people yell "in the hole!" after a tee shot. especially on par 4 or 5, but even on par 3. the ball's not going to hole from tee on a par 5, no matter how hard you yell at it, and furthermore, wise guy, you are like the umpteenth person to yell that. i mean, c'mon, have a little respect -- for golf AND for humour.

they should ban starbucks pike place coffee. naming bitter sludge after the street on which your business was founded only serves to remind the customer how much the brew tastes like something scraped off said street. i hear you thinking: hey ace, if you don't like it, don't drink it. well, wise guy, it's not that easy. sometimes the choice is pike place or veranda, and if there's anyplace worse than a street after which to name coffee, it's a porch.

they should ban the "urgent" flag in email systems. if your email is that important, get the hell up off your fat ass and go talk to people. here's an URGENT message for you: you're lazy!



oh, and we got the sink unplugged. thanks for asking.

20 jul 2012

we're planning to remodel the kitchen, and i'm not talking about a throw rug and ruffly valance. no. i am talking break it down and tear it out and put in something completely else. we've talked to the contractor, gotten the loan, but not actually gotten down to bidness. what do you think about a sink in the normal spot, under the window, and another in the island? what do you think about a section of stainless steel counter beside the stovetop, and the remainder granite? what are your thoughts on open shelving, pull-out trash bin, recessed lighting, and mounting a flatscreen on that wall there? what about the purple paint job? i'm wanting to keep the purple, at least periwinkle, and put in two sinks and a section of stainless counter. i am not sure my old man is on board with all that. before we get started, we're going to tour some open houses, get on the same page.

so.

yesterday afternoon completely out of the blue and without warning of any sort, the kitchen sink stopped draining and we've yet had no luck getting it started again. we've poured chemicals down it. we've plungered it. we've left it alone. periodically, we'll turn on the tap and run some water and at first, there's promise! but then, there's stoppage. like i said, this happened yesterday without warning -- there'd been no slowdown in service before the entire system just went on strike.

the only logical conclusion is that it wants to be replaced and if we don't get started soon, there's no telling what it will do.

19 jul 2012

it was a felix felicis day.

yesterday was from start to finish filled with goodnesses large and small. even the smallest good thing yesterday contained enough goodness to create a whole good day all on its own. my hair behaved. my lunch sandwich was delicious. everything. all of it. good.

of the wellspring of goodness that was yesterday, three things stand out.

(1) a discussion about running with a friend who provided solid guidance. this is a guy who knows a complete shit-ton about running and took the time to sketch a quick outline for me. he inadvertently held me accountable for my whining by simply refusing to have that convo and because it was a mysterious felix felicis day, my mind decided not to let it end there, but instead to take a leap and explain what i was whining about. wah-lah, like magic, a discussion bloomed, and i left with not only guidance and instruction, but the confidence boost that comes when someone imagines you're worth the bother and belies the fiction that facebook has created around the word "friend". (1a) i had a great run yesterday!

(2) 12 weeks of prolonged stress and agonising culminated in my soon-to-be new boss's making a job offer. i accepted. after 16 years in this job, i am poised to begin an exciting new chapter. it is something i've wanted to do for quite a long time, and not to be humble, but a large measure of credit goes to my own persistence and determination (not to mention mad skillz and actual brilliance!).

(3) jackson browne concert.

....PAUSE-BEGIN....
at this point, i am feeling that 1+1a+2 plus the simple fact that 3 is occurring (and let's not forget all the small things - the successful production meeting, the dearth of idiotic emails, et cetera) is quite a load of yang and i am getting fairly anxious about yin's inevitable smack-down. i enquired of descartes, and he replied "it is a golden day." with that tip-of-the-hat to mr wonka, i decided to relax and enjoy.
....PAUSE-END....

where was i...? oh, right.

(3) jackson browne concert. we've really been looking forward to this acoustic concert. firstly, with anticipation of happiness because he's swell, and secondly, with anticipation of disappointment because we paid a lot for the seats, and i am just sure they will turn out to be terrible. OH NO, said felix, I SHALL SMILE UPON YOU. and just like that, we are sitting smack dab in the goddam middle of the venue with a completely unobstructed view.

now, i am in a panic. i emailed descartes to let him know that someone was probably going to have to die to pay for all this yangliness. he said he'd miss me. hardee har har.

as the concert went on, though, it became clear that mr browne had decided to play only like 5 songs we had ever heard. 'call it a loan' completely destroyed me and i sat there in a puddle of tears, but after that, he proceeded to play a couple hours of unknown songs. this is a man with a million hits! he concluded by switching to electric instruments to play two of the five songs we knew - 'running on empty' and 'take it easy'. i mean, not that the music wasn't lovely, because it was lovely, but it was like going to a lovely concert by someone we had never heard of. afterwards, our fellow concert-goers were all grumbling about the set list.

thusly, i am offering up the disappointing playlist in hopes that it's enough to balance my golden felix felicis day. (i kind of doubt it will be, though, so don't let your guard down!)

18 jul 2012

it's always about balance.

i want to run a marathon, and i am old, so it's not the sort of thing i can roll out of bed and go do. if i am going to run an entire marathon, i have to do some sort of training, even if that training is half-ass or flimsy. i mean, i might not follow a "plan" or do "workouts" but i still have to put in some substantial mileage. i am not in shape to do substantial mileage. in order to get into shape, i have to run more often, more consistently. in order to do THAT, i have to run shorter distances. i would so love to go out on a saturday and throw down 10 miles for the hell of it, but at my current fitness, the 10 miles would throw ME down. so, it's back to square one. 3 milers, 4 or 5 days per week, for... i don't know... a couple of months at least, before i should even be thinking about adding longer runs.

the balance part is enjoying the everyday running whilst investing in Future. it can't be all about Future because what if Future never comes? something could "go wrong", sure, but even if nothing goes wrong, something could just happen. i mean, you don't want to go around in a sort of gloom-driven panic, but you have to recognise that Future is not a guarantee. i can't put all my eggs in Future. i have to have some eggs Today.

ergo, i am exploring the joys of a simple 3 miles. for example, 3 miles is fairly quick (yes, even for me!) so it's easier to fit into the day. less hassle to carve out time for running means running itself has less baggage and less baggage is more joyous. 3 miles is physically manageable, so i am not tired, achy, or pondering some potential injury all the time. less ponderous is more joyous. stuff like that, see?

invest in Future while enjoying Today.

balance.

17 jul 2012

you did a good job, and i like your shoes.

i don't know... i heard it on teevee and it sounded intriguing.

as for me, i am not much of a cook. i mean, sure, i can do scrambled eggs like a mofo. i can also do over-easy, which i PREFER, but it's overly easier to just go with what everyone else wants. i'm a giver, see. what else... i can do waffles and a stellar blackened salmon (not TOGETHER you dillweed), and i can toss salad with the best of them. but recipes? uh... unrequited frustration lurks with anything more complicated than what's on the back of the blue box of delight -- which, after all, is nice and cheesy and it's really pretty easy. (and apparently pairs well with merlot?) oh sure, yeah, I HEAR YA, you brainwashed recipe worshiper. "creating a meal with your own hands will nourish your soul to nourish your body." POPPYCOCK!

i was shopping once with a small child who is dear to me, and one of the items in the grocery buggy was cake mix. "what's in cake mix?" asked the dear small child from her perch in the seat of the buggy. "oh, flour, sugar, probably dried eggs, milk..." she looked at me through a haze of awestruck comprehension: "so, we could MAKE a cake?!" oh, hells to the no. i rushed to assure her that we could by no means make a cake, because cake mix had a secret Cake Ingredient that was not available for purchase by the general public. that's right - i LIED to avoid making a cake from scratch. fairly certain it's not a crime. pluswise, who wants to eat scratch? ew.

you did a good job.

and, i like your shoes.

16 jul 2012

a panda who lives in the zoo,
his options for dining are few.
he'll eat what they give
cause he chooses to live,
but he'd much rather have some bamboo.

fish swimming in rivers and streams,
while in schools, are never on teams.
letter-sweaters have none,
but still they have fun
with their 'lympic-sized phelpsian schemes.

a hamster can make a good pet,
but owners should never forget:
'tween hamsters and mice,
you'd have to look twice -
in incautious traps, pets you'll get!

there once was a jolly fat toad
who lived at the side of the road.
his face was complex
like two moles having sex.
on account of it, drivers were slowed.

15 jul 2012

i come from a long line of believers in the maxim: if you do something fun, you will pay for it. the line includes such dandies as a baby dying in his crib during a cocktail party his parents were hosting in the next room. take a long-awaited trip to europe? your brother will die. answer the phone in a lighthearted way? your daughter will total your car. enjoy running enough start putting in 50 or 60 miles per week? you'll get a broken ankle.

okay, that last one, maybe a bit more causal than the others. but still, i am feeling a bit cautious... i purchased four new pair of running shorts yesterday.

14 jul 2012

allons enfants de la patrie
le jour de gloire est arrivé!

in honor of bastille day, i purchased $73 worth of running shorts. independence is in the mind of the beholder.

13 jul 2012

the homeyness implied in the bottle of dish soap beside the sink in the kitchenette at the office bugs the hell out of me. when i am forced to use said soap to wash lunch containers, i become incensed with myself. who brings for lunch a dish so complicated as to require washing the container before schlepping it home? or even better, who washes disposable containers for reuse?!? please, just shoot me now.

12 jul 2012

it's like it never happened.

the sleeping bag is back in plastic wrap and the plastic drawers are taped shut. lapdesk, rodeo duds, flashlight, ratty shorts and plain white tees and those cot-sized sheets, all back in the bins, all under the house. although a few clothes stay in circulation, most of the stuff i use at summercamp, i don't use anywhere else. it comes out once a year for a two-week engagement, then it's back in the box, back under the house. it all happens so fast...

it's like it never happened at all.

11 jul 2012

being a nerd doesn't mean you are a spaz -- it simply means you're super-passionate about something. sports nerd, history nerd, jazz nerd, cattle nerd. it's like... something that you know the details of, the stuff other people wouldn't know, and when the topic comes up, you feel pretty superiour. for example, i am a nerd about lake canoeing. not river canoeing. not kayaking of any type. Lake. Canoeing. i could teach you a ton about lake canoeing, but i would prefer to mock you for holding your paddle incorrectly.

10 jul 2012

azure
brine
cerulean
depressed
empyrean
filthy
gloomy
heaven
indigo
joyless
k
lascivious
melancholy
navy
ocean
periwinkle
q
royal
sapphire
tacky
ultramarine
vinegar
wicked
xerces blue
y
zaffre

9 jul 2012

you know what would be cool? having a vending machine in the house. load it up with... oh, i don't know... starburst and fig newtons? that would be cool. i seriously have no idea why that would be cool. maybe because that's not the normal sort of thing you'd have in a house? not that i need more things in the house. what i need is fewer things in the house... oooo!! i've got it! throw all this crap out and then -- you know what would be cool? it would be, like, some ginormous pillows around and a television (with built-in DVD) hanging on the wall, a billion books all piled everywhere, and a vending machine. oh -- and one of those slanty tables like artists sit at (used to sit at, maybe, like before computers?) stocked with paper and a bunch of sharpies there in one of those plastic chinese-food-carton looking things and some coloured pencils in a big old coffee cup and taped to the table would be this drawing i am working on because i would draw some, you know, and take a break and then come back to it later because it's a big project and it's going to take some time. i'm pretty busy with that project, so it's a good thing the vendo is well-loaded with figgies and sweets.

8 jul 2012

time is a funny animal.

the amount of pleasure we imagine that we will experience whilst partaking in some activity is exactly inversely proportional to the amount of time said activity consumes in its arrival. a watched pot never boils, as it were.

looking forward, i can imagine time as little boxes, a calendar on a page. each day is allotted its 24hr box and in each box, i place the appropriate activities and appointments, actions and adventures. looking back, the boxes are gone, replaced by mental snapshots, snippets of emotion, odors and colors, sights. time not yet visited has volume and can be filled. spent time is flattened.

a side effect of flattening time-past is something distant can take precedence over something recent. recency is not the only -- nor even necessarily the weightiest -- factor in determining pride of place amongst memories. that glorious afternoon you spent at the zoo in september of '93 is much more prominent than a routine visit to grocery three weeks ago. as to the former, you can remember every detail from the clothes you wore to the flavour sno-cone you ate to the cacophony of the monkey cages. the latter... it's entirely possible you won't remember it at all without prompting.

7 jul 2012

in 24 hours i will have spent my last night here, for the season. it doesn't matter if i am ready to go or not, there's another life waiting for me (patiently i hope). did i accomplish everything i meant to accomplish, learn everything i meant to learn? i don't know... it's so difficult to discern that in the panic of the countdown to the last moment here. it is easier to say, i experienced. period. i mean, it's difficult to quantify and qualify and measure and whatnot, but i can say that i didn't sleepwalk through the thing this year. i was here. i was present.

so, there is that.