Catching up

What a week its been!

I just left the last showing of “Along Came a Spyder”. Good flick. The audience was particularly expressive tonight, so I took great satisfaction in knowing I was among a select few who figured the plot twist well in advance of the movie’s revalation – given the rolling groan of surprise from the rest of the audience.

Still, it was served on a platter. I was disappointed by that. I suppose I should be shocked that the rest of the spectators didn’t pick that fact up… but, they didn’t know that the whole right side of the screen was out of focus either.

I plan on being in a different city entirely to see the opening of Pearl Harbor. The theaters in The City all suck. I think Wallace Hollywood is part of a conspiracy to turn audiences off of big screen projection and drive them into DVD.

Anyway, I exited the theater into a night freshly washed by a thundering rain. Across the north (almost from where I was standing) clouds continued to grind against each other, giving off sparks that light the night.

It is a beautiful evening to be bike riding, even with the rain. It was warm and humid, and the rain would have felt good and not chilled afterwards. Its my own fault that I wasn’t bike-riding. That was my original plan for the evening, but when I went to get my bike from my trunk, I remembered that I forgot to get the handlebars fixed.

So, I started winding my way across the city with my windows down, taking the roads less traveled. Several banks of low hanging clouds are silhouetted through the trees. This would be a good night for a tornado, I think to myself. Muggy. Good rain. Energized storm cells bouncing against each other….

I’m glad I had turned the radio off, or I might not have heard the sirens.

I remember growing up. Many of us do. I remember growing up and the City only had a few storm siren zones. About 10 years ago, we had north and south county, north & south and central City. Today, we have over 30 siren zones.

So the fact that I am driving, and can hear the tornado sirens is of immediate interest. Crisis management to the foreground: scan for debris. scan for temperature. Locate nearest shelter. Fire stations….. where IS the fire station for this zone? Locate the nearest government buildling with a basemment. VA hospital, 1.2 miles, south.

I turn a corner, and proceed to drive to the hospital. Meanwhile as I watch for debris, I also watch the oncoming drivers. If they appear to be fleeing, then I need to reconsider my course.

As I approach the hospital entrance, i see neighbors across the street looking up…pointing up above the hospital. As I turn into the hospital entrance, I realize my arm is chilling.

Great. I drive to ground zero.

I pull up in the circle drive at the main entrance, put the car into park, and get ready to jump-n-run. The hospital grounds are fairly open, so I have a good view of any tornado approaching.

Always look straight up every now and again.

The sirens fade. The gentle gust that begins to move the flags on the pole out front tell me that the danger has passed. I leave the hospital and continue winding my way here. With the window down, and my eyes to the sky.

This would have been a whole lot more thrilling if I had been on my bicycle.

Its been a busy week for me. Not busyier than most; it just seemed a bit more taxing. I became computer-averted. I spent enough time concentrating on a computer project at work, and a personal computer project that has been haunting me in the evenings (and which I have been avoiding) that I didn’t want to get near the things unless I was being paid.

I suspect that I will log on less frequently in the evenings as spring continues into summer. There are just so many other things to be doing late at night that don’t involve typing!

Anyway, its too bad. I have had a lot of things on my mind, and much of it I wanted to journal. Some of it, I have, but in e-mail, instead. *smiles*

I fly into a Windy city to meet Weathering Hardships next weekend. I am excited about the visit – about putting a real person to the virtual person, and I’m just also excited about what she’s doing to my mind and heart!

In a very short period of time, I’ve had to question some things I haven’t thought about in awhile, if ever. I’ve had to reframe some things for myself into new contexts. And, despite the drudgery of my work week, and its carrying into my evenings…. I’ve had a simply splendid week – all because of the attentions of this enigmatic, marvelous, God-sent woman.

And again, I am sooo vulnerable to that. To her.

I’ve really had to rely on the insight and confirmations of my friends in how to proceed. And i wish I could have journaled some of my struggles of thought. They were very insightful in the end.