Hot

The end of the day, and I am wired and fatigued at the same time. Went to din din earlier with a friend - had shrimp, scallops, crawfish with veggies. Now I feel bloated, slug-like, overfed.

Home was back to the Interstate, south on the frontage road, then a zig zag by some apartments and a dart down a dark street. We sat and talked of the differences between the stage and film versions of "Hair." The drug references vaulted the conversation to Ginsberg and the meaning of "Howl." You indulge in behavior - drugs, fasting, prayer, sex - that connects you to another plane of existence. Maybe our lives are far more "religious" than we think. But now we've sublimated our spiritual craving to the ceremonies of athletics, shopping, eating, hobbies. The ritual act of purchase. The cathedrals of commerce and entertainment. Weighty thoughts for a Friday evening after a Cantonese meal.

Some how the topics turned to Joan Baez and "Diamonds and Rust." With her almost ethereal voice, Baez has always had the power to be mesmerizing. "Diamonds and Rust" is possibly her most well-known piece, yet I wonder how many recognize it as a revelation about her relationship with Dylan. "You who're so good with words and keeping things vague." A brilliant song by a superb performer.

It has been too, too hot this past week - temps every day in the high '80s. Humidity in the '90s. Ah! The deep South in springtime. And to top it off, the ac at work has been less than adequate. The complex was built in the late '60s when it was common to have one central external chilling/heating system that circulated water through pipes across blowers that offered warmed or cooled air. Initially, the system was balanced by the appropriate number of return vents. But after years of remodeling, the system is completely wacky. For example, my office and the one next door were once a single room. Then a dividing wall was added with the thermostat on one side and the return air vent on the other. Repeat this scenario dozens of times and you have a problem. Now a new building is being added to the complex, so the air system has to be rebuild and upgraded. How long the upgrade will take, and what impact it will have during that period on the current system is anybody's guess.

PAX!