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Wednesday, June 18, 2003

This isn't going to put me in a very good light, and people will call me "soft" or "weak" (or perhaps worse), and it has its gross and hideous elements, but it was pretty much the defining moment of my day, so here goes.

I was sitting in my chair this afternoon, reading the last fifty pages of Scarlet Feather, by Maeve Binchy, my body wracked with great, heaving sobs of emotion. I get that way, but especially at the end of a story with characters that I've known for such a long time. That's the positive side of being such a slow reader; you don't have to give up your attachments as quickly as someone who finishes a book in a day and a half.

The short version (and really, that's where this whole story should begin and end) is that I was sitting around reading this afternoon and got a big, gushing nosebleed, which at first I thought was just more emotional effluent until I saw the stain spreading over one of my favorite shirts.

I'm used to nosebleeds. Anyone whose allergies bring on violent sneezing fits is probably used to the occasional bloody nose. I'm just not used to that much blood at one time. Besides, I thought this was just another sniffle, so when the dam burst I was shocked. As most people probably are when a dam bursts. It's a shocking kind of thing to happen, especially in the middle of your face.

My priorities were (a) to stop the bleeding, and then (2) to rip that shirt off and get cold water on the stain. I managed to do both, and as far as I can tell no permanent damage was done to my bright orange Chateau Souverain T-shirt. As for the nose, I doubt the damage there is permanent either. I'll just have to remember not to stick anything in it for a while.




18 June 03

Not much is blooming, but there's a little color here and there.



On second thought (uh oh), maybe that wasn't the focal point of my day. A better highlight was when I filled my gas tank. Like a big boy, I went to the gas station all by myself, lifted the nozzle, pumped the gas, and drove off without forgetting to replace the hose or retrieve my credit card. Yeah, I know, everybody does it. But I've never done it totally on my own before. Maybe next time I'll try a different pump, or even a different gas station, turning the experience into a whole new adventure.




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Stuff

I needed to get over the Giants losing to the Dodgers again tonight, so I put on Castle in the Sky. It seems to be Miyazaki week here at the BS Cineplex (that's "bunt sign," not whatever you were thinking), because I have Kiki's Delivery Service on the way from Netflix. It all started with Princess Mononoke, and then Spirited Away. Before seeing those two movies, I was never much of a fan of Japanese animation. And maybe I'm not now; maybe I just like Miyazaki. This is great stuff.

Recent recommendations can always be found on the links page.


One year ago: Planning Ahead
"July is a rough month, because it's when the new insurance package takes effect, and this year our carrier has informed us that they don't want to insure us any more. It can't be anything we've done, unless they've gotten tired of collecting our money every month, on time and without having to ask us twice."


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