Things accomplished

My body doesn't want to get off of night shift. So I'm trying to work with it.

Yesterday I came home from work, the third and last day of a shortened rotation. The morning was clear, and the Gibbous Moon hung in the Western sky in front of me, nearly approximating the setting Full Moon I had witnessed Friday morning. This time I had a camera with me, and I decided to take a picture so as not to disappoint certain persons. Several pictures, actually, taken with the camera stabilized on the top of the steering wheel and (after the first two shots) in Sports mode, which takes three pictures in rapid succession. (I had to switch to this setting while driving, of course.) All told, I took twenty-three pictures. He is one of the few that isn't motion-blurred:


Note the chrome yellow sign in the middle distance. This sign announces "SAFETY CORRIDOR - FINES DOUBLED." I only took six more photos after this one. Safety First!

The reason I had a camera in my car was because I was going to church yesterday morning. It was the same Mass at the same time in the same church as I went to last week for Palm Sunday, which was when I noticed something unusual at the church. I was able to get a few pictures of two of these objects, but wound up taking lots of other photos, too. For now, here is one of the objects. I'm pretty sure I know what function it served, but if anyone would like to offer their input, here is the image:


I got a lot of other photos, but those are for another post.

I got home after church yesterday and ate. I had actually stopped home once already, to wash my face and brush my teeth and change my sweatshirt for a sweater and pick up the chocolate covered peanut butter Easter Eggs I had set aside to give to the priest, who had once again given up such things for Lent. But I didn't actually eat until after church, just like last week. And just like last week, I was useless for several hours after that.

Much of the first half of the day is a blur of online activity. I'm pretty sure I didn't give anybody my credit card information or intentionally download any viruses and/or illegal material, but I can't be sure.

Eventually family came over for Easter dinner. While we waited for dinner, my nephews and I watched TV, where their channel surfing eventually led us to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Ever the Star Wars fans, my younger nephew speculated that Oompa Loompas are actually clones, something like failed Clone Troopers. We all laughed.

I didn't eat. I fell asleep shortly after everyone left, maybe around 5:00 or so, and slept until midnight. Then I got up, took a shower, and set to work making the cherry Easter Eggs I promised my sister, as well as the additional peanut butter and coconut cream eggs (which, when topped with toasted almonds, became Almond Joys.) All were made without the use of electric beaters, out of respect for all the night-sleepers in the house. While I was waiting for the coating chocolate to melt, I also washed the sink full of dishes left over from dinner. When everything was done and cleaned up, it was 5:30 in the morning. I went back to sleep.

I woke up at 10:00 this morning when a friend called. We spoke for nearly an hour.

Again I spent much of the day in a state of night-shifted torpor. But as afternoon rolled into evening I rallied myself and set out on the day's final push: stops at my aunt's and my cousin's houses to deliver Easter Eggs. Visit to my house across town to haul out the recyclables - mainly to free up the container for hauling away the Black Rot-infected trimmings from my grapevine next week. Install the powered antenna to improve DTV reception. (Success! I now receive thirteen channels - two of which [an exclusively children's channel and an exclusively religious channel] I have blocked.)

I also started my Chadwick's Cherry tomatoes. Some to keep, some to share, and some to die - as they inevitably will.

It is now just after midnight on Tuesday morning, and I am falling asleep. Have I reset at last? We'll soon see!