escapism

a fine mist all over town, freezing in some places and leaving others dry, about 25 or so, just about perfect temperature, i had to admit at the market street. the two women, one a cashier, and the other, the woman behind me in line, were a little intimidated by it. for one thing, it's getting worse, coming in from the north, due to last a few days, causing accidents all over town, etc. for another, snow and ice are rare enough here that it's a major issue when they do show up. i told these women i actually like the stuff. sure, it's inconvenient, and you have to know how to drive in it, which can be an issue here. but nothing feels better after a long texas summer than a little cold drizzle on the face.

the tech soccer team was in its ncaa championship semifinal round, against texas a & m no less, and even with all that quality soccer, championship and all, almost nobody even knew about it, and it certainly didn't change traffic patterns a bit. here it was tied, double overtime, our women playing a dynamite game, and people went about their business, no football this weekend, so it's all the longhorns and the pros. at the grocery store they're laying in for a long weekend of football and beer and chips, i'm sure, they didn't even know there was a soccer championship. the chess team also won it all, nationwide. i thought it was pretty cool, to have a championship chess team. no, really, football is all that counts. really.

going about our business is, for us, finishing a semester, for me, final term papers in my e-mail, online grading, speak tests to grade, lab assignments have higher pressure, etc. for my wife, kidney stone, various hassles with people above and below, persistent health issues. we're trying to become foster parents. i have some trepidation, given her health. this would be number nine; the other eight are doing well. i am on the downhill slide toward turning sixty though. we'll see how it works out.

been working on my haiku a lot, in particular, oklahoma, and washington d.c. don't know why these two particular places would be on my mind, it's surely true that they have strong relationships with texas itself. my haiku now numbers almost 800; i'd really like 1000 before i level off, and start weeding out unnecessary ones, or making some deliberate variety from year to year. for now, i'll settle for states in which every season is represented. whole states have nothing for fall, imagine that, it's just not right. then, some have over fifteen for summer, or winter. i'd like to make it more of a body of work. more to choose from, more variety within it. with all the pressure, listed above, a person needs a little escapism.