the sporadic sunshine of the untidy mind

1. Yesterday, I took some control over a situation that threatened to steal some of my summer sunshine, and I was finally able to resolve an entirely different matter that had stolen some of my spring sunshine. So: two cheers for the home team!

2. I have a heapin' helping of hopefully hospitable grading to do yet for my graduate methods class, which does block out the sun a little bit this weekend.

3. This morning, enthused by the sun, I went to techline and placed an order for another bookcase, a file cabinet, and a half-moon table to go by the door of the RV. This will make--let me see--11 pieces of techline furniture that I own (or 13, or 9, depending on how you count). When I went in there today, I noticed that their staff were using rather old looking computers with 15 or 17-inch non-flat-screen monitors. To which I thought: I hope to God this company hasn't upgraded their computer equipment because they are going under now that I have invested so thoroughly in their style of design. Although I suppose I can't imagine what else I might ever get from them, except maybe another bookcase and maybe a side-table-ish thing.

4. Still enthused by the sun, and feeling like I should be getting out into the sunshine by using the RV's balcony more, I went to a patio furniture store and almost plunked down an embarrassing sum of money on this unbelievably sleek and well-constructed reclining patio chair, ottoman, and side table. I would have bought it if it had fit in my Corolla. (Friend from Beauxbaton, I even dialed to see if you could help with your pickup!) Thank God it didn't fit and Ms. Beauxbaton wasn't home, because as I was driving away from the store I realized the insanity of spending more on balcony furniture at this stage of my life than I've spent on, say, my sofa or my bed. Granted, the balcony furniture would last forever, but who even knows that I'm going to spending the rest of my life in recreational vehicles that even have balconies? Most don't.

5. Besides if I'm going to be out on my balcony soaking up sunshine while I read or use my wireless laptop, I need to get some new sunglasses. The ones I have are prescription sunglasses made for my older, pre-bionic eyes.

6. Of course, what I really need to be doing outside is not driving to buy things or lounging on my balcony but walking. One would think me a perfect candidate for worthwhile walking given my ruminative tendencies and that I pace/wander a lot anyway. The problem, however, is that for walking to be exercise one needs to do it briskly, and, if left to myself I am one of the most laggardly walkers on the planet.* You might think that I could simply choose to walk faster. However, what happens is that I walk faster so long as I am thinking about it, but as soon as my mind wanders elsewhere I slow to my usual pace. The only solution discovered thus far is to walk with someone who walks briskly, as I will keep pace with someone else even when my mind wanders.**

So, from an exercise standpoint, I always have more successful walks with others than I do by myself. Hence: if you are in the Greater Madison Area and ever want to walk, let me know. So long as you can set and maintain a reasonably brisk pace. Even if I don't know you. Even if you are one of these psychopaths who combs through random weblogs looking for guileless people that you can lure to a secluded area and dismember, drop me an e-mail.

* Some have attributed this to me rural upbringing, as it is well-documented that people from rural areas walk slower than people from cities. However, back when I was growing up, I was a pokey walker even measured against the other country kids, which says something about how slow I seem now that most everybody I interact with is from some metropolitan area or another.

** And, as revoltingly out of shape as I've allowed myself to become, I need to walk for awhile become I can even contemplate taking up jogging yet again.