Monday 10 July 2000

Pic of the day: It is a road! It is a lake! It is a ...

Rainy day!

I got sick in the night and lost a few hours of sleep, I guess. Still, I managed to get up and go to work at the recommended time. Not least because the two deputy computer gurus are both on vacation for a couple weeks, so I better be there if possible. It was possible, but not pleasant. Outside, someone had turned on the shower.

Except my shower isn't quite as intense as this. Despite my big manly umbrella, I got soaking wet on quite a bit of my body. And it's not lukewarm summer rain either. This summer has not been particularly hot (and I for one appreciate that) but this was downright chilly. For ten minutes I walked in the rain. I was in fact so preoccupied with the rain that I forgot to get exhausted and stop and breathe heavily on my way up the long hill. I usually do that, but today I forgot it. Oh well. You can't remember everything.

After I was soaking wet, there was about half an hours bus trip to the city, and then walking to work. Again I forgot to breathe heavily on my way up the stairs. In fact, I did not remember it until well into the afternoon, by which time it was really a bit late.

Around 2PM I started to microsleep - I lost consciousness for a few seconds at a time. I could fall asleep at the desk, or get up and take a walk. I got up and took a walk, and an hour later a pizza. Now we'll get to see if the Dolly Dimple pizza is after all the villain, I guess. At least if I manage to keep my hands off the chocolate that lies about my cupboard. And the marshmallows and the orange-filled cookies. Anyway, I stayed awake, at least formally.

***

On my way to the bus I visited Narvesen, the walk-in kiosk selling snacks, magazines and books. Lots of magazines and books. After looking in vain for an interesting computer magazine, or an interesting science magazine I did not already have, I dejectedly walked by the macho / extreme sport section when my expanded knowledge of English manifested itself. The name of one magazine leapt out at me, like the sight of a girl in the boys' shower. The magazine was named Tricycle.

My amazement continued to rise as I picked it up and saw that it was a Buddhist magazine. Now, I am not a Buddhist, but have some knowledge of their basic philosophy. (Which, much like a certain other religion, is quite different from what most adherents actually believe, much less do.) Intrigued, I bought the magazine, despite its ridiculously high price. It goes here for kr 116, ca $13.50 at today's exchange rate. In all fairness, the price in its native USA is a more modest $7.50. Flying the stuff here may cost a bit, and Narvesen are generally creative with their pricing. Convenience has its price.

Anyway, I spent the bus trip home dipping into the magazine. Buddhism is a fascinating philosophy, or religion, depending on your definition of religion. It does not really concern itself with deities, though popular Buddhism has an array of semi-saviors that are treated suspiciously as more than human. I guess they are the equivalents of saints in western religion. Be that as it may, I can see the allure of saving oneself with no need to implicate deities. I'm not likely to think so highly of myself anytime soon, I think, but I bet it must feel sort of cool. It seems to appeal most to the intellectuals, here in Europe at least.

***

Me, I have a particular fondness for storm gods. If I were not already a devoted (I nearly wrote convicted) Christian, I would probably worship some nature god from one one our more barbaric pantheons. Though the worship may be more symbolic. A kind of association with the forces on the balance between order and chaos, the constructive and the destructive. Look for instance today.

As I was sitting in front of my computer, I heard the rain increasing outside. And then increasing again. And again. I could not resist: I grabbed my umbrella and (on second thoughts) my camera and went out in the wild wet rain. The water was falling as if dropped from large buckets, and the road became a river while I watched. Sand, earth and even small stones were carried away by the swirling current. I stood there fascinated, watching the flood eat away on the edges of what remained of the road. I had recently got a cough, but I ignored it, just stood there and watched. I vaguely remembered reading about autists who become totally entranced by some minor detail and remain totally fixated on it for a long long time. The thought crawled across the surface of my consciousness and disappeared off the other side, and I still stood there, looking, watching.

Eventually the rain subsided, and I gradually regained my composure. I started to think of cool titles I could make to these pictures, such as "to rain in Hell" or "rain of terror". But honestly, it wasn't that bad. One idea I'm going to follow through on, though:

It is always a Reiny day at www.reinyday.com - Rachel's Daily Diary and more. And there are pictures! Essays! It may actually be better than the Chaos Node. Of course, you could have them both! :)
(Warning: This site contains gratuitous display of feet.)