Author: John
Snow, Snow, Rain, Whatever
Since the last post, we had a couple more snows, some sleet and freezing rain, and yesterday rain with thunder ‘n’ lightning. There was actual sunshine today, but still cold and, combined with the wind, the sunshine was kind of misleading.
I remember the weather last Thursday because that’s the day I had an appointment with the retina specialist over in Kansas City. We were concerned enough about getting stuck in K.C. due to frozen roads that we took overnight bags along with us. It was just starting to turn to sleet when we left the doctor’s office around 3:00. We got back to Lawrence on merely wet roads. However, the K.C. folks who hit the roads and highways for rush hour weren’t so lucky. They went sliding into each other and off the roads right and left.
I was at the retina doc because I had this “after image” as if somebody had flashed a penlight in front of my face, except nobody had. What the doc found was a retinal hemorrhage. This was the same eye that had the torn retina three years ago. The doc did a retinal angiogram (who knew of such a thing?) to see if the hemorrhage was still hemorrhaging; it wasn’t. He said it should clear up and sent us on our way, into the weather. It still hasn’t gone away (the retinal hemorrhage – the weather went away as noted above). I understood it wouldn’t be an overnight thing. After all, it had been a couple of weeks since I first noticed it. Y’know, it occurs to me if I would’ve seen him the day I first noticed it, it might’ve still been leaking and he might’ve done something drastic like zapping it with a lazer (laser?). Hmm.
I wonder. Over the past few years it seems like there’ve been al lot of things where procrastination worked out fine. It’s like the better course of action is to do nothing and let the problem go away on its own. This seems like a risky proposition. On the other hand, there’s risk in action. I guess you just never know for sure except in hindsight.
A hindsight viewer. Whoever can invent that should get rich, I’d think. I expect some people would say life would be boring if you could always see how something is going to turn out; the thrill and excitement of making choices in the face of the unknown making life worth living. Bullshit to that, is my thought.
And on that note, I think I’ve procrastinated enough at your expense and I should turn my attention to some of the work I’ve been putting off.
A Rare Exception
Each year seems to fly by at twice the speed of the previous year. The effects of this phenomenon on one’s psyche, especially when measured against the size of one’s IRA, no doubt keeps lots of shrinks in business, at least insofar as there are “boomers” with enough bucks to pay for professional help. But, that’s not what this is about, which is that it seems to me like the Chappells Weblog has been around at least ten years. So, it was with some surprise that, following up on a moment of curiosity that for some reason struck me a few minutes ago, I found that the first “post” was posted here in March of 2004. Why, that’s only seven years ago! Struck me as a rare exception to how fast the years are whizzing by in virtually all other areas of my life.
In Like a Lamb
March 24, 2011
General
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John
The old saying about March, “in like a lamb out like a lion, in like a lion out like a lamb” seems to be headed for another affirmation. March rolled in gentle as a lamb this year; ’twas quite spring-like. Now, here we are coasting toward month’s end and the forecast is: cold and snowy.
I recollect from my younger years that it always seemed to snow on my birthday (Mar. 2). During the past couple decades, though, I can’t really say that’s held true. Partly, I just don’t remember the past couple decades as well as my first couple decades.
I also recollect in years past being amused by snow on April 1 which struck me as sort of a mocking if not cruel joke for April Fools’ Day, coming as it does on the heels of the first day of spring.
Getting back to the lion/lamb lamb/lion axiom, I’d have to say that, to the best of my fading recollection, it generally holds true. If it snows on my birthday, it doesn’t snow on April 1; but, if nothing more than a sweater is needed on my birthday, it’ll snow sometime the last week of March, along with a blistery cold wind. If the lion hasn’t roared by Mar. 31, though, it’ll snow on April Fools’ Day.
Sign of old age: More than two sentences talking about the weather.