Yawn!!!

Tired is the word for the day.

Last night I got to the hill a tad late ("stewardess, what exactly is a tad?") and rushed to get things ready for visitors' night. I tried to take a nap earlier, but it didn't work out. After enduring several hours of showing the "great unwashed public" the view of Mars and M17 through the scope (and having to put up with teenagers in the dome for 20 minutes - obnoxious brats), we got down to the business at hand: watching the Perseid meteors. Bob & Sara showed up, along with my brother and his friend Lee. Tom showed up with some friends of his - a young lady he's been photographing, and her brother. We all sat outside to get the best view, but that's all there was - a view. No meteors to speak of. From midnight until we finally packed it in after 3:30, I saw maybe 20 meteors. Not the advertised 75 per hour. The only thing to hope for is good meteor counts for the Leonids in November and the Geminids in December. (Note to astro gods: I want these hours back. I could have been sleeping.)

Bob & Sara (or Bob&Sara to keep them together) stayed the latest, and left at 3:45 when I did. Got home a little after 4, logged onto the net to post my observations to the newsgroups and my Michigan Astronomers group, then hit the bed at 4:30. Ah, bliss!

But not for long! No sooner than I fall asleep than the stupid PHONE RINGS! I jump up to get it, and notice that it's 7:30. And what's worse, it's a wrong number. I tried to get back to sleep, but couldn't. I went downstairs, turned on the TV to the NASA channel, and half dozed until 10:00, when I went to the computer show (purchases: more RAM, blank CD-R's, CD cases).

Kinda boring rest of the afternoon. I'm trying to get a few minutes to relax, as its hill time again tonight if it stays clear. I've got to enjoy the rest of today and tomorrow, because on Tuesday (I'm pretty sure) I have to go back to the hell that is work. The only bright side is that I'll get this roll of film developed.

Total Amount? Few

A few things tonight...

1. I was taking my evening stroll around the neighborhood, as I am wont to do recently, when I had a striking, strange thought run through my head.

As I was walking down the street (at approximately 10:00 pm), the moon - nearly full - was rising in the southeastern sky. With the scattered cirrus, cirrostratus and stratus clouds in the sky, the moon gave off an eerie glow. The sky around the moon was lit up, but some of the clouds just below the moon had a stringy, dark quality to them.

All of a sudden an image popped into my head of Tim Burton films (none in particular, just his style). Along with that I began running Danny Elfman's "Sleepy Hollow" in my mind.

Very weird, and it made for an "unnerving" rest of my 1/2 hour walk.:)

2. Possible bad news on the car front. Jim called from next door, and he's found a crack in the head. That's major problems. We're looking at buying a new cylinder head, or a used/rebuilt engine. Jim said we should fix it up and sell it. I would love to have that truck I saw. Can't afford it though, and with the cost of this car repair, I can't afford anything for a while.

3. I thought I was losing my mind a few weeks ago.

I just happened to have the TV on the Weather Channel, and the Local Forecast came on. Much to my surprise, instead of the bland, repetitive music they played, I heard the instrumental portion of "Layla" - performed by Derek & The Dominoes (Eric Clapton). Wow.

So tonight what happens? I've got the channel on again, and when the Local Forecast comes on, I hear the instrumental part of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" from Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" album.

Makes me wonder what else is going to show up. :)

4. At work a couple of things happened. Jamie called me on my empty threat to rat her out about an inside running joke between us, because she knows I'd never do anything to hurt her. I told her I wished I wasn't a nice guy, she gave me a dirty look, when I then restated it by saying I wish I wasn't that predictable. Then Crystal said she didn't mind - and actually wanted me to - go with her to a hockey game. I really don't think she meant it. She was just trying to be nice to my face. I know people put on fronts, and I'm guilty of doing it myself. But I know the truth.

More later...