the shadows: some hide, others reveal

• Anybody have a puppy they need kicked, or see a child whose candy's just begging to be stolen? Today is apparently my day to ruin everything. I've stomped on the feelings of practically everyone I know, and not intentionally. If there is anyone I missed, please do feel free to contact me. It's only fair that I be allowed to bat 1.000 on the day.
• Easing our way back into football...it was a strange day on the field. The Bears played so badly (first and goal from the 1, and they couldn't convert on four attempts?! And you call yourselves an NFL team, for God's sake?!) and still managed to win--which says something for the "rejuvenated" Lions. (I will leave it to others to debate the officiating in that game, since I didn't see the final play. I do know that there was a lot of second-guessing going on, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if the officials did not have their stories straight.) I also watched Packers/Eagles (both teams looked shakier than I expected but the final result seemed right to me), Colts/Texans (a surprise), and part of Cowboys/Redskins (I want to care, but I just don't).
• The weather matched the rest of the day. Cold this morning when I got up (before 8:00! What the hell?!), still cool for most of the morning. The sun came out around noon, I think. Then it got windy and hot in a hurry, but I still had the windows open because it felt and smelled fresh and good outside. Around the end of the 1:00 games, I closed the blinds on the west side and eventually had to close the windows because the wind was getting too strong. Maybe 7:PM, the storm started. It was very windy (all the windows were straining, on both sides of the apt.) and there was a little rain but I couldn't tell what direction it was from. The worst of it was the lightning, which was almost constant for a long time. Well, that was the worst of it outside. Inside, once I closed the windows, the temperature made it up to 80° in about 15 minutes. I'm running the AC now. Blargh.
• In other news, I need to have a calm, serious discussion with the person who makes more important decisions than me at the place where I am employed. Given our track record, this could be problematic. I know what the answer will be; I just need that person to actually give the answer, so that it's not coming from me. Surely there is a way to do this that doesn't require so much bending and twisting--I just haven't quite determined what it is.
• Read any good books lately? I haven't. I returned four last week that I hadn't had a chance to crack, that I wasn't going to get to. I guess it's just not a reading time. Wednesday is a short day (haircut in the afternoon) and dinner with a friend on Thursday...or maybe tomorrow, as I've also got plans to see a play and if I do that on Thursday, then I can go to my weekend plans on Friday rather than Saturday.... Hmm. Well. Will have to see what's happening with the dinner person tomorrow.
• It's been a hell of a day, and not the best weekend on record. I've been awake for a very long time. My eyes are wide open and I don't think I could sleep if I had to. Can't wait to see what 3:PM Monday looks like.
• Some good things: I read a little (a book of poetry); finished some work that I brought home (review journals); wrote a bunch of letters (mostly postcards); took some pictures (will be posted soonish); polished my toenails ("Russian Navy"); washed, dried, and put away all the laundry except the two sweaters that are still slightly damp; cleaned some stuff out of the fridge that was going bad; changed the linens (always a nice thing, making me think I should do it every other day) (in case you need that clarified: no, I do not do that every day); and hauled out the trash and recycling. Maybe I'm tired enough to sleep after all.

[title quotation by Antonio Porchia, Voces, trans. by W.S. Merwin]