Electrical Activity.
We are having a serious storm. Pounding lighting. Driving rain. Brilliant lightning streaks illuminating the sky silver-purple every few minutes. I am not delighted about the rain, but must admit that I am enjoying this dramatic weather. I had probably only seen ten isolated lightning strikes in my whole life in Alaska. I spent 40 minutes watching a cool, distant electrical storm above the clouds on a commuter jet between Detroit and Roanoke a few years ago, which was awesome. However, this is the first really good storm I have gotten to watch since moving here, and the lightning fascinates me. The windows rattling in their frames, power flickering, dogs getting freaked out aspects of the storm are slightly less pleasant (interruption: the weather says "bang! boom! crash! bang!"), but the weather feels powerful and makes me feel cozy, as I watch it through the kitchen window, kettle whistling on the stove behind me.
The flickering power actually motivated me to go swing dancing earlier, as it was making my computer all screwy, eliminating the (I admit, unlikley) possibility of accomplishing great work things. Since I don't really understand how lightning and home appliances interact, but suspect it is not a good combination, I am typing this completely wireless - laptop on the kitchen table with no power or anything else cords attached and the power strip on my desk kicked off - just in case.
The dance was fine - I danced some, including a couple songs with S, who I have known since my first East Coast Swing class. He was being kind of snotty about my following [i.e. it wasn't his fault I couldn't whatever, and why didn't I follow what (he claimed) was being led, etc.], so I finally informed him that I was glad to dance with him but was done conversing. He fussed a bit, saying that if he led talking (by talking) I had to follow talking, but my silence proved that theory wrong. We parted friends, but, jeez, what a way to win friends and influence people. I also compared research problems with another grad student, talked haircuts with one of my instructors, and generally had a good time. I always do, once I get there. It is the getting there that is hard. I even invited a bunch of them to my dance performance on Sunday, but doubt anyone will make it.
Now I am home, watching the storm. Mother Nature is putting on quite a show.
The flickering power actually motivated me to go swing dancing earlier, as it was making my computer all screwy, eliminating the (I admit, unlikley) possibility of accomplishing great work things. Since I don't really understand how lightning and home appliances interact, but suspect it is not a good combination, I am typing this completely wireless - laptop on the kitchen table with no power or anything else cords attached and the power strip on my desk kicked off - just in case.
The dance was fine - I danced some, including a couple songs with S, who I have known since my first East Coast Swing class. He was being kind of snotty about my following [i.e. it wasn't his fault I couldn't whatever, and why didn't I follow what (he claimed) was being led, etc.], so I finally informed him that I was glad to dance with him but was done conversing. He fussed a bit, saying that if he led talking (by talking) I had to follow talking, but my silence proved that theory wrong. We parted friends, but, jeez, what a way to win friends and influence people. I also compared research problems with another grad student, talked haircuts with one of my instructors, and generally had a good time. I always do, once I get there. It is the getting there that is hard. I even invited a bunch of them to my dance performance on Sunday, but doubt anyone will make it.
Now I am home, watching the storm. Mother Nature is putting on quite a show.