Time: what is it and why does it move so quickly?
I was going to say I can’t believe I’ve written anything here since February, but that wouldn’t be true: I really can believe it. I went into a mental funk at the end of February between the end of CabinCon 2025 and the Blood/Worm Moon Lunar Eclipse in the beginning of March and then March marched forward in quite a busy fashion.
But today I’ve had coffee and donuts and a load of laundry is in the dryer and the dish washer is running so let’s take a look at the last month or so and see what happened.
As I said, the end of February and beginning of March was a mental funk and I can’t really tell you what I did beyond “exist”
I decided I was going to watch the lunar eclipse and went to bed early that day, getting up around 1:30 and going outside with my camping chair, beverage of choice (hot apple cider from a packet) and music (played through my earbuds). I watched the sky grow darker and then just as the moon itself began to darken I realized clouds were rolling in and with 100% cloud cover for the entirety of the eclipse I didn’t actually see a single second of it myself and had to satisfy myself with photos from other parts of the world.
You might think this put a damper on my day/week, but after the initial disappointment I actually started to feel better. I had a good work day (which I might be able to elaborate on later this week) and talked to my mom and then went out to eat and got a Reuben sandwich for Reuben Sandwich Day.
The next day, Saturday, I visited friends and walked around their property with them and looked at their large pond and did some goose watching. It was a very pleasant Saturday morning/early afternoon.
At some point in March I made pizza and spaghetti and salmon with sprouts and found my statue friend Chauncey. Chauncey had been moved from his location due to construction, and I found him “behind bars” which made me kinda sad but also glad that he is being looked after for the next year or so until he can be returned to his spot.
I found some movies at the thrift store: Pulp Fiction and Full Metal Jacket and for Krystal I found the Halloweentown movie and its sequel.
The biggest thing that happened in March was that I was able to go to Pennsylvania for my mom’s birthday. Krystal wasn’t able to go due to her work, so I found myself flying alone (with the help of my brother Charlie and his wife Denise) from Raleigh to Baltimore to Albany and then making the drive to northeast PA – with a short detour to see the New York State Capitol Building.
The drive was interesting,a s after we stopped for food at an Arby’s (which we joked we would regret later but which none of us at any point after admitted to feeling) we ran into a snow squall – the kind that comes at your horizontally and blocks your vision without actually hitting the windshield.
Was that the right time to talk about our dad’s trucking accident some forty years ago in the same vicinity? Maybe not, but we did it anyway.
We arrived and I began reintroducing myself to Ozzie the cat, who by the end of the visit was laying in bed with me looking out the window and purring while I very gently patted his head.
That Thursday was my brother Leroy’s birthday and it was nice to spend time with him on his special day, too.
While we were there we enjoyed things like cinnamon buns made by a family friend and corned beef and cabbage and German chocolate cake made by my sister in law Julia and my mom’s rhubarb pie. I even had her write “strawberry rhubarb” so I can have it worked into a tattoo.
We went downtown and saw my brother in law Pat’s office in the court house (he’s associated with the district attorney) and walked Main Street and Julia and I enjoyed some coffee and I found a small bottle of coffin nails in a curiosity shop. I know the likelihood of them being used in a real coffin are astronomically low and the name itself refers to the shape but I still liked them and wanted to support the small business.
We saw plenty of deer and squirrels while we were there, and though my mom and brother Chris have seen a black bear at times, it did not make an appearance. Charlie and I did walk around the property and revisit some old stomping grounds.
I’ve got some thoughts about nostalgia and such that I’m still working through; maybe one day I’ll share them here – but at the very least I can write them in my journal.
My sister Andrea had found a Stanley Hudson bobble head for me, and Charlie brought socks that say Pretzel Day on them. Continuing with the Office theme, we had my mom’s birthday supper at Texas Roadhouse in Dixon City. While driving we passed the Electric City Harley Davidson, which of course made me think of Dwight and Michael’s rendition of “Lazy Scranton”
On Saturday afternoon we played games and then went for pizza at a local place where I’d once almost choked to death on a piece of pizza crust. Our yearbook club had gone out after selling ads in town and I took to big a piece and couldn’t breathe and they say I started to turn colors when one of the guys named Scott thumped me on the back and got the crust to dislodge.
My mom had never heard that story, it turns out, nor the one about the time I rolled a three wheeler racing with my friends in the rain during one of our campouts. Interesting, that.
Monday we flew back and a large storm system made each leg very bumpy. I was glad to be on the ground, but not so glad to have almost a four hour layover in the Baltimore airport.
Throughout my travels I’d been looking for John Scalzi’s new book, When The Moon Hits Your Eye, with no success. So on Tuesday after returning home I bought it for myself, and
Ok, sorry. I had to step away to hang up my laundry, but I bet you didn’t even notice, did you?
So anyway, I bought myself the book and then later on in the week I had what I called a “Very Scalzi Evening” where I read the book while enjoying burritos.
Yesterday I cleaned the drip pans on my stovetop and did some general cleaning in the kitchen and living room powered by a Phusheen-themed fizzy drink, and today I’m writing this – and hopefully I’ll get to the D&D notes from our Wednesday session.
How have you been?
What have you been doing?
Running In My Head 