A Very Warm July 3rd.

.....I seem to be still trying to catch up to myself after a week in Virginia. It was hot there, and it is hot here as well. That seems to be helping, but it still feels like my body was in warp and several versions of it are still connecting back together. :-)

.....I did get a few things done today though. The back lawn is mowed and a little trimming is done. I cleaned up the driveway some more so that we can get an extra car or two on it. There are more things to do outside, and I'm feeling some urge to go and do that, but the body seems to have another mind of its own, as I'm on my fifth or sixth 'break' of the day, contemplating e-mails, and what would be a more interesting thing to do next. :-)

.....I know that there are those on my list of other political persuasions, but the announcement of Sarah Palin resigning her governorship, presumably in order to get her affairs in order for a 2011 run to the White House, fills me with a little dread. For starters, it is way too early for such a fight to happen. And Sarah Palin as President? Please, no. Surely the Republican Party can find someone with a little more brain power? Please? President Obama is starting to look a little like Romulus Augustulus, although at least the Western Roman Empire still had an Eastern Emperor to whom they could hand over the Western Crown when their empire 'officially' ended. Sigh!

.....I think part of the slow feeling I'm going through right now has to do with the part of my brain that thinks it should be at An Tir / West War. I had contemplated getting off of the plane, running home and packing the van, and making the trip down there. But I was tired getting off of the plane yesterday, and the thought of making that huge long drive to Gold Beach just made me even more tired. They must be having a good time there as I'm not hearing anything at all. Wish that someone would post reports from the event.

.....But I am drooling over a trip to Burning Man in the deserts of Nevada at the end of August. I have friends at work who make the annual pilgrimage there. Check it out at http://www.burningman.com/ . The ultimate in free form artistic expression. Wow! It looks like a really good time. Here is the description off of the introduction page,

"There are no rules about how one must behave or express oneself at this event (save the rules that serve to protect the health, safety, and experience of the community at large); rather, it is up to each participant to decide how they will contribute and what they will give to this community. The event takes place on an ancient lakebed, known as the playa. By the time the event is completed and the volunteers leave, sometimes nearly a month after the event has ended, there will be no trace of the city that was, for a short time, the most populous town in the entire county. Art is an unavoidable part of this experience, and in fact, is such a part of the experience that Larry Harvey, founder of the Burning Man project, gives a theme to each year, to encourage a common bond to help tie each individual's contribution together in a meaningful way. Participants are encouraged to find a way to help make the theme come alive, whether it is through a large-scale art installation, a theme camp, gifts brought to be given to other individuals, costumes, or any other medium that one comes up with."

.....Even someone like me, who has been tagged as 'not an artist' could be an artist at this event. :-)

.....TBT bought me a display case from Ikea yesterday (yes, she loves me, but I already knew that :-)). She has listened to me whine for months that I've been missing my 'cool stuff' that is packed away downstairs in metal boxes. And now I get to unpack it all and put it back up for display. Most would call it junk, but to me it is a lot of good memories. And to see it all out in the open will be a good thing. The display case is all put together and there was only one broken piece in it. Which will not be really missed, and for which I can get a new piece cut pretty easily.

.....After that all gets unpacked, there will only be a few odds and ends to put away downstairs. With the only thorny thing really left to do is to decide what 'artwork' actually gets put up on to the walls, what gets packed away for later (and posterity) and what gets dumped. This is the last really hard thing to do from our move into this house. After that, everything will be a brand new 'together' decision. And it only took us two years to get to this point! :-)

.....Picnic tomorrow! :-) Looking forward to stuff for the grill. Hmmm, should check with Gwen to see if she still has a firepit. Would be nice to have it for the evening tomorrow.

....Sure feels lonely though. Only a small handful of us stayed home it seems this weekend. I am really missing those reports from An Tir / West War. We need to have a podcast or something next year so that those of us who can't make it to the physical event can still be a part of it. Will have to contemplate that some. :-)

.....Aaron / Arontius.