October 30, 2004

    Two really wonderful things have come out of this two-year blog-keeping ordeal.  The first is that I have learned that my memory is both better and worse than I previously believed.  Specifically, I've learned that all (well okay, most) of the times I doubted my recollection of events, I was actually, more or less, correct.  On the other hand, there have been all these things I was sure I didn't remember, but I've actually done, and blogged about.  So the only problem with my memory is those things I don't remember!

    You're just going to have to trust me that that sounds much more impressive in my head.

    Anyway, the second wonderful thing is that I have a record of all these things that I wouldn't otherwise remember.  This means that, by the simple act of browsing through my 'archives' I can identify patterns that would have otherwise eluded me.

    Maybe this is why all those people throughout history kept journals?  I finally get it.

    This realization has allowed me to get a more complete grasp on the changing of the seasons.  There are some seasonal themes in my life that are so predictable that they are under-represented in my blog.  For instance, the first coolish days of fall send me on a cleaning frenzy, while the later, crisper days make me think of holidays and the smell of wood smoke, and then I obsess about moving to the country.  These impulses are so thoroughly ingrained in my subconscious that all I have to do is read a reference and I'm whisked back to the appropriate season.  For instance, it could be April, but if I looked at this photo I would go "Ooooo, crisp Autumn air!  I wanna live in the country!  But first, I need to clean my house!"          

grabbing some pre-turkey fresh air in red bluff, ca
 

    But there are all sorts of other seasonal patterns that I know I have been missing.  I know this, because every once in a while, I will discover one of these patterns, a bunch of random memories instantly align themselves to become a permanent component of my worldview.

    When that happens, I gain a sense of perspective.  I can look back into my past and remember that, for example, it's normal to be invaded by gigantic spiders in the latter part of October, and that I shouldn't be at all concerned when Bubba jr decides to blockade the front door of my house:

        
no reason to be alarmed--it's all just a normal part of fall

    I won't pretend that I'm not a little concerned about forming all these new mental associations.  I think my perception of fall was quite fine without the addition of spiders.  The last think I need is to catch a glimpse of the above picture of Shorn and my dad and think "I know what that's all about--that's that time of year when all those big creepy spiders come after me."

    I think I must henceforth blog about only the pleasant things in life, lest my outlook on life become hopelessly soiled!

    Right.