the weather is fantastic..a clear blue sky going on forever. my youngest son was romping in the park while the 4-yr-old was playing soccer, and suddenly lay down on his back, in the grass, and looked up. i joined him, much to his surprise, & wasn't sorry. thought of all the moon & nature cultures having their holidays now- as well they should- while we are up there, having meetings, doing our teaching thing, blowing hot air, waiting for it to get cold so we can get a break. at least teaching cuts the cheese- it's earthy, fast, close to the bone. the news class is studying drinking culture- another does gender socialization; i ride and swim to get some peace & quiet sometimes. but, head in the clouds i guess, forgot my shirt & tie today, on the way out the door; was grateful that a loving wife & family were there for me. i want to attend soccer more- be there for them- and on that note, i'll go to bed, catch a wink or two, take a break on the writing. i have a killer mystery coming, set on a train in kansas, if i ever get it off the ground. i'm mulling. don't want to brag on it before i have it, though, and it may take a while. just getting a few hours to click together is somewhat difficult, given the general backlog, and the steep curbs of everyday life. this afternoon i was riding on sunset boulevard (real name: sunset drive) when an acorn fell on my helmet and made a little < ping! > ...but did i stop & heed the notice? not until later. and, if it wasn't for the little fella, i never woulda.