I’ve been up since about 3:15AM but I’m not particularly tired. Once you hit 3AM, as long as you went to sleep early, there’s no pressing reason to go back to bed. Right?

Yesterday was fine. I drove into work and managed to harness enough energy to draft the new benchmark system and describe most of the new framework draft classes. Only four or five of the forty or so offices on the floor were occupied so I cranked my music (Tortoise, Vic Chesnutt) and got everything ready (e.g. the sign on my door) for my absence. Yes, yesterday was my last day of work until August eleventh. I thought about taking off two weeks but I decided one week was enough. I can use the time when M and the boys are in western NY to get ready for the semester and knock out some work I’d rather not leave for after classes start. But what I am going to do next week? I have no idea. Perhaps I’ll make lists every day and try to stick to them so I don’t waste too much time on the couch watching Sportscenter seventeen times in a row. Although maybe a week on the couch would be good for me. We’ll see. When I arrived home after work no one was here so I had an hour or two to practice with the house to myself. God, I miss M and the boys when they’re in NY but driving nine hours one way to hang out at a dull, deadening place with my mother in law just isn’t worth the effort. I’ll endure.

Last night was S’s last baseball game. He played well. I sat on the sidelines with my mp3 player. First I listened to NPR but turned off the radio when the financial news started (nothing interesting) and tried to read from “River of Gods” but I wasn’t in the mood. I scanned my new downloads and caught up on some albums (e.g. Air France) to which I hadn’t listened much. After we drove home we checked the Brewers score (relax, it’s only July) and hid upstairs in the air conditioning with the book. I fell asleep by nine. Oh, I also worked out, thirty minutes on the elliptical in the morning and twenty at night. The doctor said I shouldn’t work out until Friday but I can’t handle bouncing off the walls and my testicles were just a little sore, thank you, so I took the risk.

Today is M’s first at her new gig. She attends introductory meetings today and starts in earnest in late August. M’s excited. The boys and I hang out until late morning, when a babysitter arrives to play Wii (I assume) with N most of the afternoon while T, S and I hit the Brewers game. More later.

Well, it looks like the Brewers will lose to the hated Cubs tonight. Still, I’m not worried, as the reasons behind our loss (Weeks’ throwing error, Torres’ walks) can be corrected. We’re a young team. We’ll get our shit together. Still, I’m kind of wired and I wish I could go see a movie or something but all the movies started a half hour ago. Oh well.

We spent today in Chicago for T’s birthday (although yesterday was officially T’s birthday). N slept late so we didn’t get on the road until 9:30AM but traffic wasn’t bad and we reached the Shedd Aquarium parking lot (the one next to Soldier Field) by 11:30. The boys liked driving down Monroe past the tall buildings. N leaned back in his seat and peered up at the skyscrapers. Very cute. We walked across the museum campus to the aquarium and cut through the members’ entrance. Yes, we have a membership. I think M’s mom paid for it. I’m not sure. I’m glad we had the membership because the Shedd is a rip-off. I believe we would have paid over 100 bucks for our entire family and I can’t say the space is much better than the fish building at the (totally cool) Milwaukee Zoo. Plus, the people seem so desperate for wildlife. C’mon, I know you people live in the city, but they’re fish. The space was hot and crowded. I guess the oceanarium is cool. We saw a hawk get trained for shows. T and S wanted to fly through the aquarium parts but N and M were more interested in each section so they took their time. Still, over 100 bucks? Not worth it.

After we left the Shedd the boys were hungry. They pretty much devoured their food in the car which worked out pretty well since we visited Millennium Park next. We parked underground and cut through the prairie garden or whatever (very cool, I don’t want to minimize it) to the “bean” plaza. I don’t know if the boys were impressed by the bean but I love the sculpture. We took some pics (see below) but the boys were in a hurry to get to the gargoyle water. At first T in particular wasn’t too keen on getting wet but once they were in the crowd they had fun. T figured out exactly where to stand when the faces “spit” water out. Man, there’s nothing as cool as watching your kids play in the water in downtown Chicago. I loved it. We cut back through the park and over the curvy bridge but the kids were soaked so we hit the van for towels. The afternoon was still young so we drove north on Lake Shore Drive to Irving and showed the kids where we used to live. I told them to give Wrigley Field the finger when we drove past. Roscoe Village still looks pretty much the same but Bob and Edna’s house, right next to our Seeley apartment, is demolished. I doubt Bob and Edna are still alive. They were both ancient eleven years ago. Bob and I had an unspoken rivalry for the best parking spaces on the block. He usually won. Well played, Bob. After leaving Roscoe Village M wanted to show the boys the first school at which she worked, which took us way out of our way, but I didn’t mind. I also resisted Taco and Burrito House. I should back in the city in a few weeks and I’ll catch up on burritos then. We jumped on the Edens at Montrose and fought traffic north. The kids were bored, of course, and I eventually had to raise my voice and pull over to get S to switch to a back seat lest he fuck with N the entire trip. We arrived home by about 5:30. Decent trip.

Maybe I’ll meditate now. I could use the practice after the Brew loss. Good night. Oh, pictures below, of course.

Chicago pics!

1. The boys "underwater" at Shedd.
2. The boys playing in the water by the gargoyles.
3. Everyone in the bean's reflection.
4. The boys underneath the bean.
5. T and S in front of the skyline.

Nearly three in the morning, on the front porch, ceiling fan whirring, lights low. I had the lights off before but I heard rustling outside, a cat or raccoon or something, so I thought I would alert the creature of my presence lest I scared the shit out of him/her by getting up to move.

Why am I awake, you ask? Hold on, I’m getting to that. Patience. Yesterday T, S and I hit Best Buy and Borders in the morning. T passed on an mp3 player, smart move as he doesn’t listen to music much, and decided to hold off on spending his birthday cash. I didn’t have his self-control when I was his age. While driving home I felt somewhat spacey and decided I probably shouldn’t drive while under the influence of Tylenol and codeine. I spent most of the afternoon channel surfing baseball, finishing the excellent “Oscar Wao” and bitching about my testicles. Finally I stopped wearing the sling the doctor gave me because the device, in my opinion, hurt. I thought moving around would be ill-advised at that point so I settled into the couch or front porch chair until dinner. As Sunday was T’s birthday I didn’t want to blow him off completely so we talked a lot although I couldn’t play baseball or anything. We did the cake thing, etc. We had planned on hitting the Rams’ practice but I was in condition so M decided to take the boys to the pool instead. I downed some melatonin and after reading some of the Dalai Lama’s book on anger I crashed deep by 7 or so. M and the boys returned home sooner or later but I slept through their return. So that’s why I’m up early. And that’s why I should probably try to get back to sleep now. Good morning.

T turns ten today! Happy birthday, T. I couldn’t ask for a better older son. He wants an Mp3 player for his birthday, so we’ll hit Best Buy this morning as long as he doesn’t ask me if we can leave now about ten thousand times before 9:30AM.

My testicles are recovering, thank you very much, but I’m still not ready to lift weights or work out on the elliptical. Yesterday morning I slept until eight (later than usual) and washed my hair as well as I could without taking a shower. This whole “don’t take a shower until Monday” thing annoys me. I doubt I’d make a good hippy. I finished “Goodfellas” while the kids played video games and read “Oscar Wao.” Mike from next door came over and hung out. Ok, what else did I do? I started “LA Confidential.” And I read more Oscar Wao, something like eighty pages throughout the day. I didn’t do much else. I slept for a couple hours in the afternoon. I tried not to hurt my balls. My god, I have very little else to say. Oh, I also watched most of the Brewers’ comeback victory against the Astros and slept upstairs in the air conditioning.

Tomorrow we visit Chicago. I’m looking forward to it. More later, when I have something interesting to say.

Today was vasectomy day! I’m sitting in my rocking chair, a little after 9PM, listening to Tortoise’s “It’s All Around You” and periodically checking the Brewers’ score online.

Let me start at the beginning. This morning I woke, slightly hung over, as I had my first two beers since Memorial Day last night. I figured I should have a beer or two in case I died today. Anyway, after I woke I drank a lot of water, lifted weights, and knocked out thirty minutes on the elliptical. I showered, ate breakfast, and put some laundry in the washing machine. The grass is long, and I had loosely planned on cutting it this morning, but I wasn’t in the mood so instead I cleaned the first floor (who wants to recover from a vasectomy in a dirty house?) and ran errands. I picked up books and movies from the library and got my oil changed. When I returned home I ate lunch (egg sandwich), read the Friday papers, and finished, folded, and put away my clothes. Maura returned home at 12:45 and we were off…I didn’t want to be late to the doctor’s office.

We had to wait a few minutes after we arrived at the office. Apparently the doctor was running late due to some problems at the hospital. About twenty minutes after my scheduled appointed a nurse ushered me into a small room, checked my blood pressure, and asked me the usual nurse questions (are you allergic to anything?, etc.). After she left I weighed myself on the examination room scale (pleasantly surprised) and closed my eyes. The nurse returned with two pills, vicadon (sp?) and oxycotin (sp again?). She said they were to reduce any anxiety. Hell, I’ve never taken either medication before, and what the hell, they sound fun, so I downed both pills and moved to the procedure room. The nurse told me to strip from the waste down and left. I followed the directions and sat on the bed in one of those paper examination robes and tried to figure out if the medication was working. I found the manner in which the central air breeze rustled the curtain mildly interesting so I assumed we were ready to go. The doctor entered, apologized for the delay, and got to work. He shaved, uh, the important area and asked me questions about sports, e.g. the Brewers and the Brett Farve retirement controversy. I think he was trying to relax and distract me and while I don’t mind talking baseball I’m sick of Brett Farve talk. He put all sorts of disinfectants on the area as well, ordered me not to touch anything, and left to find the nurses. Yes, apparently I need a trio for my procedure. This surprised me.

Once the trio were in position they wasted no time getting to work. The doctor said the first stage, injecting me with a local anesthetic, might be “a little rough”. I guess the shot hurt a little but not too badly. The nurses and doctors talked about their difficulties associated with procuring Brewers tickets, whether or not Bears’ fans tailgate in Chicago, and something about another patient’s “sensitivities”. I stared at the ceiling and closed my eyes. I could feel little tugs every now and then but nothing too bad. However, after a couple minutes I smelled something burning and asked what was on fire. Apparently I was. The doctor said he had just cauterized the ends of the tubes he cut. So I smelled myself burning. That woke me up. The doctor then said he was in the “second quarter” and added “the first and third quarters are the worst”. After a couple minutes I figured out he meant that each testicle comprised “half” of the procedure and he divided each half into two quarters. The first quarter of each half was the shot of anesthesia and the second quarter was the procedure. The second half was a little worst then the first. I’m not sure why. Time got all weird. I wonder if the drugs messed with my sense of chronology.

I forgot to mention the nurses hanged a screen up so I couldn’t see what they were doing. This was probably for the best. When they were done the nurses took down the screen and I saw all sorts of clippers and scissors on the table in a little silver bowl. Yikes. The doctor slid what can be best described as a cross between a jock strap and a sumo wrestler’s uniform onto my legs and stuffed my crotch with gauze. I felt like I either wearing a codpiece of stuffing my shorts to make my package look bigger. He called my wife into the room and ran down the post-procedure information. I asked when I could work out again and he said to wait until next weekend unless I wanted “swelling and bleeding.” I think I’ll wait, thank you very much. He prescribed Tylenol with codeine, told me not to drink alcohol, and sent us on our way. I felt pretty good, I said, and he said, “yeah, that’s what they all say, but wait until the drugs wear off.”

I hit the couch as soon as we got home and turned on “The Bank Job.” My wife went out to get the kids and run errands. I watched the movie and put some ice on my crotch (another doctor’s order). I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to put the ice in the gauze or inside of it so I did a little of both. The ice didn’t help much, honestly, so I think I did something wrong. I guess I wasn’t in gut wrenching pain but I wasn’t exactly comfortable. The movie was ok, typical bank robbery thing, and before long my family returned with a vegetarian sub and prescription drugs. I took some of both and settled back on the couch to watch “Goodfellas”. The boys were mildly curious as to why I had an ice pack between my legs. I told them the doctor told me to do so because he had to check me out with his scalpel today. I wasn’t ready to explain the whole sperm thing yet. Not today. Maybe later. I drank a couple diet cokes (yes, I know, bad for me) and watched the movie until the Brewers game started. After a while I grew sick of television and chatted with the kids about their days and next week’s plans. I pulled the gauze out, as I felt like the gauze was causing me more pain that anything, and I feel a bit better now. Really, I feel ok. I’m tempted to work out soon but all that swelling and bleeding talk is still in the back of my mind. Oh, I also took a couple Tylenol and codeine pills over the course of the evening, so please excuse any typos.

Any vasectomy questions, let me know. I am now experienced in the area.

I’m sitting on the front porch wearing my long-sleeved black shirt and my pajama pants. I worked out tonight on the new and improved (e.g. the repairman came) elliptical. Still, I feel like I haven’t progressed much, weight and health wise, the last week or so. Maybe I’m sort of unconsciously eating too much when I’m cooking. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just a plateau. I’ll keep working out.

This morning S woke early, about three, and climbed onto the futon with me. There isn’t enough room for both of us so after a while he stumbled upstairs. I managed to catch another couple hours of sleep, thank god, or else today’s meetings would have been unbearable. In no hurry to drive into work I made eggs for breakfast and showered late. My first meeting started at 10AM and I arrived about fifteen minutes before then. The meetings proceeded as expected, alternately dull and interesting, depending on the subject matter, split in half but a lunch at a local café (garden salad, blue cheese dressing) with two colleagues. I drove directly home afterwards and hung out with S and N while M and T drove to drum lessons and the supermarket.

Pretty evening. The air feels cooler than it could in late July. I’m ok with the cool.

I’m sitting on the couch, watching the Brewers play the Cardinals (scoreless in the top of the first), resting my foot. The inner part of my left foot hurts when I walk. Not sure why. Anyway this morning I worked out on the elliptical and this afternoon I walked to the post office from work so I’m ok with sitting my ass on the couch for the evening. I’m vaguely hungry but I’ll stick with tea.

Today was unproductive. I drove into work and managed to do next to nothing for the six or so hours I was present. (Shit…Cardinals 2, Brewers 0.) Through the morning I talked with colleagues, prepared packages for GR friends, and caught up on the net. Close to noon I walked to the post office. Later I sent a few emails, talked with colleagues again, and hit Costco. We had fried rice for dinner (I have no idea if that’s healthy or not, honestly). Since then I’ve been on the couch and on the computer. I’ve ordered three films (LA Confidential, Goodfellas, Apocalypse Now) from the library and set up my Netflix queue for “Streets of Fire”. I’ll need the films for my post vasectomy weekend. Hm…this couch is comfortable.

More later. Meetings the next couple of days. We’ll see how they go.

Late afternoon, half-past four, although the hour feels later. The Brewers are up 2-0 on the Giants and will sweep the series if Parra keeps his shit together for five more innings.

Today was a pretty good day. This morning I woke at five, thank you, T, for cranking the television again at 5AM. After letting Shadow out I hit the futon again and got a couple additional hours of sleep. By seven I was up. The boys played on the computer or watched television while I ate breakfast (a good egg sandwich) and cleaned the house while M and T went to the store for last minute party supplies and S and N played upstairs. After a shower I finished cleaning the office to Bevis Frond’s “New River Head” (love that album, hadn’t heard it in forever) and burned an eels mix CD for some GR friends. I sat on the couch and listened to the disc before lunch. Man, the eels are good. I hadn’t sat and taken in their music in a while. I read for a while (the so-far excellent “Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”, which I started last night) before S’s birthday party started. Between one and three about ten kids under ten spazzed out in my house and backyard. M kept the party moving with scavenger hunts and water balloons. I used my teacher voice a couple times and was pleased to discover I can still quiet down a group of rowdy children. Yay me. M also made her irresistible ice cream cake, of which I had half a piece, although I wanted to finish the entire circle myself. I worked out to the first couple innings of the Brew game, took another shower, and sat down with the computer.

I forgot to mention last night’s fireworks debacle. The city or fish day organizers or whatever decided to shoot off the fish day fireworks despite thick fog. I have yet to hear of anyone who could see a single flash of light. This week’s “letters to the editor” section should be interesting.

Four pics:

1. The West Bend Farmers Market.
2. S and his muffin at the WBFM.
3. S taking a picture of me at the WBFM. I need new clothes...that shirt is way too big.
4. T and N at Fish Day.

I’m sitting on the front porch on what looks to be the foggiest afternoon in memory. This does not bode well for the Fish Day fireworks, scheduled to begin in less than two hours, but I don’t mind if the fireworks are obscured. They might look cooler that way. Also, we get fireworks around here, oh, maybe five times a summer, so if we don’t see them well tonight the fourth of July fireworks were decent and I’m sure Maritime Days will feature a good set as well.

Yes, so today is Fish Day, when forty thousand drunk assholes descend on my fair city. Still, due to the cancelled parade (street construction), poor weather, and perhaps the local populace coming to their collective senses, the crowds look much smaller than usual. The parking lot down our street is perhaps 25% full. Few walkers have passed our house. Also, I haven’t heard the music all day. This is good.

So what did I do today? Let me see. Well, I was up early, maybe 1AM, checking goodreads and sending work emails that I probably shouldn’t send. S and I slept in the air conditioning, and as he bouncing all over the bed, I wasn’t surprised to wake in the middle of the night. I eventually fell asleep on the front porch futon and slept until seven or so when one of the boys turned the tv volume up to about 120 decibels. A soft rain fell, nothing serious, a calm rain. After a quick shower S and I drove over to the West Bend farmers market. We took the camera and shot some pics leaning up against a wall near downtown. I’ll post the pics tomorrow. We ran into a former student, talked with her for a few minutes, then picked up string cheese, wheat bread, Yukon potatoes, and a blueberry muffin (for S, of course). The skies cleared as we drove home. T had slept over at a friend’s so I picked up M and N then dropped M, N, and S off near downtown for the bands and “High School Musical” performance downtown. I drove home and worked out to a great “Weeds” episode, showered, and started cleaning while burning some discs for long-delayed packages. After an hour or so I got tired, ate lunch, and drove to the north side of town for a haircut. My appointment was scheduled for 12:30, but the two ladies were running late and trying to close up for Fish Day so I read magazines (a terrifying Jamie Lynn Spears article about how much she loves her mom role…please, God, keep that away from teenagers and ESPN Magazine, to which I might subscribe) until they were ready for me. The lady was cool as apparently I didn’t make a fuss about the delay (I was happy to read the magazines) so she cut my hair with scissors instead of clippers. At first I didn’t like the haircut. She cut my hair like she would her nephew’s for his first communion. I don’t know. I guess I’m used to it already and the back of my neck feels cool for the first time in months. After the haircut I called M and picked she and the boys up at T’s friend’s house. When we arrived home the boys hung out in the yard with neighbors while I cleaned the dining and living rooms, continued burning discs, and lifted weights while watching the Cards/Phillies game. Why in goddamn hell wasn’t the Brewers game on tv? Strange. I followed on the net (we won). I read for a while (Lost Continent, should finish tonight), talked with the boys, and ate dinner (beans and rice). After dinner I rode my bike back and forth (ten miles total) to the bridge over the river in Grafton. The thick fog kept me cool and more or less alone o the trail. After another quick shower I hit the porch with the computer. And here I am.

S’s delayed birthday party is tomorrow. More then. Good night.

I thought I’d write a bit before class. The last two weeks have been quite busy, busier than I ever wanted, but the breakneck stretch should end Friday. Between teaching, meetings, doctors appointments and baseball games I don’t feel as if I’ve had time to breathe. Why don’t we sum up the last couple weeks in ten bullet points:

We had a good time at the Ren Faire but I was ready to leave after three hours. The joust was fun, the weather was perfect, but eventually you’re reduced to wandering in circles looking at the same shows/performers over and over again. I wouldn’t have minded checking out some of the shops but browing opportunities are limited with the kids.

Speaking of kids, Asshole of the Century wrote a decent essay on his first week freakout with his newborn baby. Check it out.

http://aholeofthecentury.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-first-week-as-dad.html

I’ve been listening to The Hold Steady’s latest, “Stay Positive” in the car. The disc is growing on me but I still don’t think it’s as good as “Boys and Girls in America”.

I’ve neglected the garden due to the breakneck schedule. I need to weed, etc. but most everything is growing without much help on my part. That’s the way it should be, I guess.

The boys and I haven’t played D and D in a solid week. Maybe we’ll pick up the adventure again Saturday.

I’ve worked out on the elliptical thirty days in a row. I’ll need to work out tonight to keep the streak alive. Maybe I’ll watch the all-star game after T’s game and knock out a twenty minute session. At lunch, when I’m working, I try to walk the university path three times in about forty minutes.

M and the boys leave for NY in…let me see…about two and a half weeks. I’m working for another two and a half weeks then taking two weeks off. Can’t wait. I need a break.

N and I walked around the neighborhood last night. He was bored with the home run derby. We had fun racing from block to block. He’s a good kid.

I’m reading Bryson’s “Lost Continent” and Pynchon’s “Crying of Lot 49” concurrently. I may hold off with the Pynchon until this rough stretch is memory. Pynchon seems to require more attention than I can give now, although I’m enjoying the book, no doubt.

Summer is at least halfway over. In case you didn’t notice. More later.

So I haven't written through a very tense and busy week...but here are some Renaissance Faire pics from earlier today until I catch up tonight or tomorrow...

1. The knight for whom we were supposed to cheer at the joust. He came in third. You suck, purple knight!
2. The boys eating, uh, special Renaissance snow cones.
3. The faire's first path.
4. The boys and I outside the faire.

We had a good time...perfect weather...more later.

I’m in my office, a little after noon, and I thought I’d write in the journal before my 1PM class. My office door is closed and I’m trying to stay quiet so my needier students won’t hear me. Sssh.

This past weekend turned out quite well. I read (finished Wiseguys), worked in the yard, played D and D with the boys, and watched baseball. The weather was perfect. We sat under the gazebo, too. The only negative was one of our asshole neighbors, can’t fucking wait until that retard moves (should be soon) yelling at N because his little princesses were offended by his presence. I was ready to take a motherfucking baseball bat to his front door. M talked me down. Asshole. I’m sick of my boys getting all the blame for the neighborhood girl drama.

Anyway, I’m teaching afternoons every day for the next two weeks. The group seems reasonable enough, only a couple potential interesting cases, and I know the material well. Easy money and we’re doing the students a service at the same time. Works for everyone. I’ve been driving in earlier in the mornings, working in the office, walking the outdoor track, then hiding in my office before I teach. Busier than usual, but nothing to which I can’t get accustomed.

A few quick bullet points:

Tomorrow M has an interview for a 60% position at a nearby school district. I wish her luck…she deserves a shot.

I watched The Seventh Seal over the weekend. Excellent…one of my favorite Bergman films.

I should start The Crying of Lot 49 tonight. Last night I fell asleep with N in the air conditioning to hellweather rain.

More later! Shh. Stay quiet.

Five pics!

1. Shadow on the back deck, up close
2. Cleo sleeping on her cushions near the window
3. T this morning at the harbor...we rode our bikes
4. S a couple weekends back running through the Bayshore water jets
5. Flowers cut from the garden yesterday afternoon.

I’m under the gazebo on the back deck. Coltrane’s ballads are competing with the birds and distant firecrackers. Shadow is next to me on the loveseat. M and the boys are across the street. An anti-mosquito candle burns brightly on a nearby table. The city fireworks start in less than two hours. Something nearby smells bad, I’m not sure what it is. Life is good.

Today was one of those days you don’t realize you need until you’re halfway through the day. This morning, after crashing on the couch, I woke, worked out to Samantha Brown’s San Francisco episode, and showered. The boys “helped” (code for “got in the way”) move the woodruff along the side of the house to a spot east of the garage. I added three small plants to the empty area, bought mulch at the gas station, and spread my purchase both around the new transplants and under the tree I trimmed last weekend. Next I cut the grass around the old lady on the next block’s house. A few of us have tag-teamed her yard. The experience was interesting. The yard includes what looks like once was a fine garden. Raspberry bushes seem to have taken over most of the space. The garden reminded me of an overgrown English estate or something through which a fairytale prince would have to traverse in order to rescue a princess. I wonder if my garden will look like that someday because I’m too frail to care for my plants. I hope someone cuts my grass then.

Afterwards I ate lunch (eggs) while M and the boys marched in the parade with the park and recreation department. I cleaned most of the first floor and settled onto the couch for the Brew game. They kicked the hell out of the Pirates. Later I thought of riding my bike or walking with Shadow but a wave of exhaustion settled the issue. I read on the porch, took a bath, and ate vegetarian hot dogs for dinner. This evening I finished Atmospheric Disturbances. I thought the novel was strong but perhaps too obtuse to enjoy. The Borges and Murakami influences were obvious, but not in a bad way, but I felt like I was working too hard as the reader to piece together the literary devices. Fun by not that fun, I guess.

Ok, enough for now. Maybe tomorrow I’ll work on some poems and do some yoga. I could use both. Good night. Back to the deck, candles, and Coltrane.

T and S debate whether or not Dungeons and Dragons is cool...