Friday, September 07, 2007

Quote of the Day

Le beau c'est l'imprévu. - Thomas Bernard

Translation: What is nice is the unexpected. --Thomas Bernhard

This arrived in my mailbox today and I thought it was so appropriate given my penchant for "new and different."



I had a meeting in Kingman late this afternoon and stopped by Cheney Lake on the way back for the sunset. It wasn't a spectacular one, but it was nice. As if there's such a thing as a bad sunset.

It has been a draining few days. I have a grant due in about 12 hours and I'm still working on it. I could write these darned things in a couple of hours, but it's all the sweating over them and if I've said the right things. So, instead of a couple of hours they take a couple of weeks. And use up a lot of my stomach lining in the meantime. Not to mention what's used up while I'm waiting for the answer on them. I'm looking forward to the weekend with this off my plate. I'm taking the weekend off. Really off.

I got to have lunch with Leah today. We rarely have time to catch up and I miss her. The big news in her life is that she's now a cat owner. Considering that her husband "hates cats" and so does her older son and Leah would never want an animal in her house, it's pretty amazing. But, they're all falling for Minnie and Philip (the cat-hating husband) brought her home from work in the first place. The only family member who has been poised for cat ownership his entire life is Zane, the younger son. Zane was just ahead of his time and the rest of them have come around to his way of thinking. Anyway, it sounds like Minnie has made herself quite at home in Leah's household. I told Leah that I've always thought of cuteness as a survival skill for cats.

During my brief stop this afternoon at Cheney I was reminded of how much I need time in nature. And an hour here or there is not enough. I need to go spend a week or so in nature. I need another week at a cabin in the woods writing and painting and thinking. I need to do more writing and thinking for sure.

But, for the moment, all I can write is this grant. I will be so glad to be done with it. I'll be even happier to hear we've gotten it.

Well, I must get back to the grant. It's now 12 hours exactly when it has to be sent and I do need to spend at least a couple of those sleeping or I won't be coherent at all.