Tuesday, July 04, 2017

Up early today

Even though it's a holiday (and one of the bigger federal ones) in the US today, I was up and working early. My research student was off her own work* today, so she had time to work on weeding our research plots. Which we did - she mowed the paths and I weeded, because with my asthma as bad as it is at the moment, pushing a mower is probably not a great idea.

And we collected some data (field readings of soil pH and moisture, and noted what additional things had germinated.

(*Complicated but: because of the stupid way they do summer financial aid, she had to take on an extra job doing the bookwork for a property-management company)

Other than that, I think I'm going to head home in a few minutes, so I can wash the pollen out of my hair and then I might do some reading for my new class. I also have some journal articles to read; the most recent paper submission came back with the suggestion I find more "recent" papers. (Um, I tried? But there's not a large amount of stuff out there on this topic). So OK. I found some marginally-related recent papers and I guess I will try to shoehorn stuff from them in.

I'm still tired. We had people shooting off LOUD fireworks in the alleyway last night. And I kept waking up after that because I knew I needed to be over here by 7 to meet my student, and it's been long enough since I "had" to be here at a particular time that I was apprehensive about hearing the alarm. Also, I do find I'm back to my "sleeping hot" tendency - where I'm comfortable enough when I go to bed, but then I wake up around 2 am and am boiling. (No, no night sweats or the like, so I'm not worried that I'm actually sick in some way; I think this is just a weird metabolic thing)

I don't really have any plans. I MIGHT watch "A Capital Fourth" on PBS, even though the past few years it seems it's heavier on the pop music and lighter on the fireworks than I would like. (Call me an elitist, but what I want in an Independence Day concert is some Sousa, maybe some arrangements of Stephen Foster, maybe even Ives' second symphony. And end it with a real rendition of the 1812 Overture, with cannons and everything. (Yes, I know the 1812 Overture alludes to the Napoleonic wars, but there's really no better music to preface fireworks).

This may be vague memories of childhood trips to Blossom for their July 4 concert with fireworks - I am pretty sure they played the 1812 overture right before the fireworks.

I do wish there were easily-visible "public" fireworks - I do not feel like driving down to the casino tonight (a stretch of road known for accidents, and also, lots of "overserved" people out on the roads). I miss - and now I realize how lucky I was - the situation I had growing up: the town fireworks were shot off, for many years, between two railroad trestles, and they were visible from the window in my bedroom - so we'd all troop in there and sit and watch, and not even have to worry about mosquitoes. And when I lived in Illinois, they were shot off from a water park not too far from my parents' house, and so, were visible from the end of our drive.

If I had someone to go with me, I'd feel more happy about going - it's hard being at things like that alone but the few people I know that I might be able to ask to go with, are already going somewhere else.

Also, I'm a bit more leery right now about being out alone late at night: there was a carjacking in the parking lot of the Braum's this weekend. Other side of town, and they haven't said just how late Saturday night it happened, but yipes - apparently the guy was sitting in his locked car, the carjacker came up, pointed a gun, and luckily the guy was able to bail out of his car before the carjacker took it. (I think the car wound up totaled, and the carjacker then escaped on foot- I don't know what the whole deal was, if it was some kind of "someone doing something stupid for a thrill" thing or if the carjacker was trying to get out of town (I have not heard of any other cars being stolen) or what.) But yeah - scary and unpleasant and it makes me angry to see big-city crime arriving here when we don't even have a proper supermarket or a proper bookstore. We shouldn't have to accept the "bad things' of a more-populous area without getting some of the good ones...

Also tells me that I am not so silly for keeping my house locked up tight when I'm home, or locking the front door when I go out to work in the backyard.

1 comment:

purlewe said...

Had a talk with Sue yesterday about how I *love* fireworks, but how I don't love Philly fireworks. And she agreed, b'c Philly fireworks are tourist fireworks. Being the cradle of the declaration of independence etc etc means we got a lot of tourists who come for the "event" of the holiday. They go to the reading of the declaration, they do all of the independence hall stuff, they crowd the streets and literally millions of people are here. And I don't want to deal with tourists AND fireworks. I just want to go, see them, and come home. If you hit things wrong you might not get home until well after midnight, b'c you waited for the bus to get you for 3 hrs. Buses and other transport get delayed by the congestion of tourists who cross streets and stuff en masse and don't care for paying attention to traffic lights etc. And heck no to driving anywhere to see them. So generally the last few yrs I stay home and try to comfort the poor cat. I miss fireworks, but I miss the small town kind I grew up with. Everyone drove out to a natural amphitheater, we listened to the orchestra, then we watched the fireworks and went home. Yes it was thousands of people but NOT millions. The shear number of people is just daunting.

(sidenote: is that a pony stitch marker in your newer post? that is awesome!)