Stung By a Beeeeee

I took out the window A/C units tonight, uh... 32 degrees tonight in Wisconsin?!?
Apparently some bees were semi-hibernating on the side of one of the A/C units and when I took it out they went bonkers. Actually, they were sleepy but one still managed to sting me on my right pinky, that rascal. My landlord ended up coming upstairs to help me - gloves, beekeeper hat, etc. and carrying the A/C units outside after swatting a bunch more of the bees. Oh, Lord.

The Human Backside

I have a lot of time to myself now to think and to dream. I keep daydreaming of travel, mainly to Europe. I want to learn French. My job is inspiring me to become a better urban planner, and I have borrowed many books on urban design; I go places in Madison by myself and immerse myself in these books. Here's a choice quote from a book I was reading today, regarding a comfortable depth of benches in public spaces,

"Another dimension is more important: the human backside. It is a dimension architects seem to have forgotten."

Hee. It's so true though. All praise to some room for the human backside.

I think of delaying buying a car, and what I could save money to do by postponing this purchase. Buy a kayak. Visit friends in New York. I research art and cultural exhibits that I want to see. I am mostly okay with doing all this with only myself for company.

Peace Be With You and Then Peace Out

I went to a hippy peace party this weekend and my thought was, "Yep, peace be with you and now, peace out." My libertarian side was like "rock on with the peace and the drum circle, Madison!!". Part of me is genuinely glad such a place/community exists, but the hippy vibe got a bit much for me. It's funny and weird that I'm a big yuppie by Madison standards. But don't worry, I won't let that serve up an identity crisis. It's just that the hippy scene seems so extreme, so non-urban, that it's kind of like a cultural time warp. I mean, see the picture above.


There are things I'm finding that I like - fall gardens and outdoor cafes. Riding my bike around and living in a lively neighborhood. Waiting for the social piece to fall into place still though...

Music to My Ears

Something is shifting, and I feel more like myself. The past several months have been full of change and anxiety for what was to come - where I'd live, what I'd do about a job, how I was going to plan the transition, etc etc. It was extremely stressful. Glad I'm through the woods.