Then and Now

Last Sunday: The weather was cool and delicious in the morning, perfect for me to put on my lightweight, long-sleeved black top. I felt a little chilled in the shade when the breeze blew, a little warm when walking in the sunlight. I have several different favorite kinds of weather, and that was definitely one of them.

Today: Hot, humid, with a bit of wind to prevent it from being unbearable. One of those days when some fiendish alchemy transmutes blue skies into lead, though the wind did keep the air from being unbreathable. We are clearly approaching the time of year when you need to go inside if you want a breath of fresh air. Very much not my idea of fun.

Last week: Body was acting up a bit, so I figured there was no way I would go to church. But then I remembered that hey, it's a United Methodist Church, and decided that going in forty minutes late would be no problem after all. It being the UMC, I'd missed some hymns, some announcements, some more hymns, and part of the children's message about why we should all be more like César Chávez. The sermon itself began as something which could have been a standard message about salvation, but turned into a rhapsody about feeeeeling God's love. After a bit of this, I mostly felt cranky. Still, the post-service fellowship time involved chocolate chip & ginger cookies, so that was good.

This week: At home checking my e-mail, I saw this weird flashing announcement on Yahoo gleefully telling me I had just won something with no monetary value at all, reveling in the utter uselessness of the prize. I was a bit too groggy to follow the ad--something about going to a site, guessing the value of an old piece of furniture, then guessing again because there was no way you could get it right the first time. Also, there were mushrooms involved somehow.

Bewildered, got offline, heard the radio playing a cool song by Underworld that I hadn't heard before. Noticed that even though the song was unfamiliar, it kept going in directions I was expecting it to go. Wondered if Underworld were really that predictable in their old age. After a few minutes of hearing the song do what I was thinking it would do, I idly wondered to myself what would happen if I started thinking about Madonna instead. The radio said to me, "You want to hear crappy AOL artists like that?" This was the point when it occurred to me that the radio was actually reading my mind, so I very maturely began yelling at it "Play Underworld and Madonna! Together! I dare you!" And then, of course, I woke up from the nap.

Last week: On the way home, walked by a construction site with a pond, a big ugly hole in the ground surrounded only by dirt and debris and partially filled with somewhat unwholesome-looking water. Looked to see if any water birds were crazy enough to be there, and noticed a pair of Canada geese walking along. As I watched, I was forced to say "Aww!" as soon as I spotted a trio of small fluffy goslings. Very nearly killed by unexpected kewtness.

Today: Pond looks much healthier, with long grass growing all round it. Goslings were noticeably larger and less fluffy, having reached one of those awkward stages when they haven't yet figured out what to do with the long legs and long necks they've suddenly gotten.

Last week: Long nap. More walking in the evening, watching the sunset, enjoying the weather, being greeted by fireflies lighting my way home.

This week: Took advantage of the air-conditioning in Target for an hour or so. Walked home and whined about the heat.

Both weeks: Reading library books, chatting with housemates, and thinking I should start getting to bed earlier.