The Lost Blog

[I wrote this Saturday afternoon in lab, then didn't get to posting it until Monday night. The date/time of the writing is accurate, though the posting was not timely.]

Woke up this morning and was off-sync: nothing felt right and I was just plain crabby. I yanked my sprained wrist yesterday and thought maybe that was the cause, but realized several hours later that my mood was probably affected by the overcast cloud cover. I've gotten so used to waking up and riding in the bright light that I've become a sun child. That is probably why when I walk into the office in the morning (no windows), I feel like I'm facing a firing squad. This is going to be a long winter.

Did some last-minute shopping for the trip (munchies, mostly) and noticed precipitation coming down on the mountains directly to the west. Discussed taking the chains with the Bride, but we're fairly sure things will be okay (but we're getting a tarp for my bike). Did some token packing but most of what I want to wear is in the dryer, so that's why I went out in the crisp weather in shorts. I'm in lab now, wearing a sweater and thick pants. Welcome to the first week of Fall.

The family was watching Xanadu last night, which is on my list as one of the worst ever made (what was Gene Kelly thinking?!). Olivia Neutron-Bomb is easy on the eyes, but most of the acting is wooden, the plot is leadenly predictable, and the soundtrack is disco music long after disco was dead and buried. So how did it get in our house? The Bride likes it a lot, and being married means you make allowances for temporary insanity, which is why I got her the soundtrack on an album when we were first married...followed by cassette...and CD. And she has the movie on VHS...and DVD. In all, I must $80+ on that stinking movie. Writing that last sentence has me wondering who is the insane person in this relationship.

Plugging my way through Faithful, Stewart O'Nan's and Stephen King's diary about the 2004 Red Sox season. They're artful writers (no surprise) who make this reader feel like I was in their frontal lobe as they live and die with their favorite team. I'm already chewing my nails off just from the first two season meetings with the Evil Empire and will probably be speeding through the last few chapters that cover the postseason and perhaps the greatest comeback in sports history.

Had a random memory in lab after feeling a fan blowing air on me. One summer long ago (1976?), I had to stay with family friends and we all went to Lake Lahonton, which is a remnant of the prehistoric ocean that used to cover the western United States. I don't remember using or even thinking about sun lotion, but I got the worst sunburn of my life (and that's saying something). The only way to feel comfortable was to sit in front of a circular fan, so even nearly thirty years later, that's what I think of every time I sit near a big fan. (BTW, that burn wasn't nearly as bad as Danielle's from way back when. She gets the record as the worst sunburn I've ever seen.)

So today’s blog entry is brought to you by Ol’ King Sol, lifegiver to my favorite planet and source of the gravity well I call home. And look…it’s out right now. The day just got a 100% better.