05.17.2007 - 11:04 a.m.

Yesterday I left work cold, because I always forget that after the semester ends, they have too much AC. I�d worn a thin, short-sleeved top with a lower neckline. Spent all day chafing my arms. I drove to the store for freezer bags and sandwich turkey, top up because the baked inside of the car was perfect. The store was cold, too.

When I left, it was nearly six o�clock. The air was heavy and warm and there was a storm gathering in the northwest, dark clouds over still-lighted trees. I got back in my car for the last short hop; I park in my garage, so I didn�t fear that the storm would beat me. Once home, the first thing I did was open every window on both levels, so the rising winds could skirl through the house while I made dinner.

There were one or two claps of thunder, but the storm settled down into steady, thick rain without much fuss. The cats came back out of hiding to press their faces against the screens, whiskers pulsing as they took in the smells of approaching summer. I reloaded the dishwasher and washed asparagus while the fat drops drummed on the deck and rustled the grass that should have been mowed over the weekend.

It was not an exciting evening, by any means. It was menial, and it was, like most of my time on this planet, alone. Even lonely, if I thought about it. But it was not on the internet. It was real.

That�s a start, right?

-stonebridge

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