The 43

The heat really broke today, to the point I'm sitting outside and needed a blanket for my feet and you could be fooled that fall has begun. It hasn't, but this was the last day of August. My Monday was a Monday -- wishing the weekend had lasted one more day, and not getting a whole lot done as I oriented the upcoming week. The weekend was fine and mostly uneventful. Lori and I went to Costco on Saturday, and the boys and I went to the used video game store after Michael bought an Xbox 360 at a yard sale. I bought Riddle of the Sphinx, Joust, and Moon Patrol for the Atari 2600. Sunday, I did some yardwork and watched "The Other Guys" on Netflix (recommended from a friend). Friday was like an admin day for work, which was a welcome break from a lot of writing. This cool weather isn't expected to last, which is fine -- I'm not in a rush for fall. I bought a new pair of wireless earbuds, and wore them this morning while on a long walk with Popcorn. The sound and t

The heat finally broke, just a little, today. Temperatures were in the low 90s instead of the high 90s. I hosed myself down in the yard a couple times as a work break, and I stayed cooled down for longer than a couple minutes. This week has been zipping by. I was slogging through a big guide on landing pages for work, and I didn't hit a groove until Wednesday. My creative machinery is still a little stalled, but it feels like it might finally be loosening up.  I finished reading Devolution today and have been playing Final Fantasy III all week. The boys are persevering through their first full week of school (no half days). I really can't believe it's Thursday already.

I'm not ready for summer to end, but egad, I've hit the dog days. The heat this past week has been deflating. Wildfires in California have sent smoke and haze to Utah, giving the Salt Lake Valley an almost overcast hue. I'm finding little motivation to write outside of work (and even for work ...). I feel so chunky right now but haven't figured out quite how to eat healthier and get more exercise (the pollution isn't helping). And I'm just tired. The boys returned to classes, and the first week went well. They were in school only Monday and Tuesday, but they figured out the remote learning quickly (and our internet bandwidth was tested). We went for our traditional hike to the H Rock to watch the sunset before their first day, which was nice -- plus, the dog was so happy to finally do something beyond a little walk for the first time since her surgery. I wish I had more to write about, but the week really was uneventful and uninspiring. This weekend was lazy, wh

My first week back after vacation went fast but was also slow. From a work standpoint, I felt unproductive and a bit unfocused. I wasn't in space, but I just never found a groove. Maybe next week will be better. Ben started high school today! Last night, however, he couldn't turn his brain off, and I stayed up with him until 2 a.m. trying to calm him down. That didn't help my energy/productivity level today, but at least I'll have the weekend to recover. His orientation went well -- I knew adrenaline would fuel him even if he was operating on only five hours of sleep. We dropped him off in front of the school, where the cheerleaders lined the sidewalk to the entrance to welcome the freshmen. I shouted out "Go get 'em, Gillespie!" to which he returned a "Dad ..." followed by something I couldn't hear but the cheerleaders did and chuckled. Lori, Michael, and I went to Blue Plate Diner for an alfresco breakfast afterward. Mike played two basketb

The staycation is coming to an end. It's been mostly fun, somewhat adventurous, occasionally exhausting, and, of course, hot. Let's break it down day by day. WEDNESDAY This was supposed to be our big family adventure day, but it sort of fizzled. We drove to Brigham City, picked up Subway, then found a park to eat while Lori was on a phone call. Our decided plan was to drive through Logan Canyon and to Bear Lake, but a truck had driven into the river and the canyon was closed -- and there's no other direct way to get to Bear Lake from Logan. Instead, we headed to the Spiral Jetty near the Golden Spike National Historic Site. We had visited the Spiral Jetty five years ago and enjoyed the spectacle of it. This time, the journey wasn't as memorable. The road to get to the Great Salt Lake was even worse than last time and required almost an hour in each direction. The sun was beating down on us, and Lori and Michael were ready to go back to the car after five minutes. Ben a

The heat subsided a little these past two days, and the staycation was productive. Yesterday was uneventful and unproductive for most of the day, until the evening when the boys and I went to the Redwood Drive-In to see "Goonies" and "Gremlins." The boys had never been to a drive-in, and I'm guessing 30 years, at least, have passed since I've seen been to one as well. We packed candy, popcorn, and soda, found a somewhat decent place to park (I think I could have moved in a little closer), tuned into the audio on a portable radio I brought, and watched the two '80s classics. Michael was tired from work and fell asleep during "Gremlins," but Ben and I stayed awake for both movies and watched from hatch of our RAV4. The theater wasn't too crowded (and was socially distanced anyway), so the experience was generally quiet. This morning, we slept in a little, but got out of the house by 10:30 and drove south the Nebo Loop -- a scenic byway in Uta

I've reached the part of the summer in which sitting outside in the evening to write has lost its appeal. Part of the problem is that temperatures have shot through the top of the thermometer -- four consecutive days of highs more than 100 and lows in the 80s. And, I've just been tired ... This stretch of summer involved four days of work and two days of staycation. Popcorn had a couple cysts removed Tuesday, and despite staples that need another week before they can be removed, she is a much happier dog. We wouldn't take her out for much activity in this heat anyway, so the timing was good. Lori's birthday was Thursday, and we picked up Thai food and a good cake from Gourmandise for dinner. Work was relatively mellow for the week, and I was happy to turn off my Zoom and email late Friday afternoon and begin staycation, part 2. Saturday was uneventful and a little more of a lazy day for everyone. Ben had swim practice, Michael worked, and I went to Walmart in the mornin