A Day in the Life of Chaos

They call Alaska the Land of the Midnight Sun.  If you are not from Alaska you may not understand but this is largely derived from the fact that long about the end of June there is about as much light at midnight as there is mid-day.  Eventually somewhere around 2 or 3 in the morning it gets kind of dim but never really dark.  Alaska is a land of absolutes in many ways and while the Midnight Sun sounds romantic the opposite that occurs long around Mid-December is Eternal Darkness.  During that time the Midnight Sun becomes the Midnight Moon.  In winter you pretty much live in darkness because the only day light is from about 9am to 3pm and during that time you are likely in school or working.   The contrast makes half of the year stand out so much more vividly in my mind than the other half.  When I look back into the deep corners of my mind the vast majority of memories that bubble to the surface occurred in the summer.  Summer in Alaska is a kind of orgasm of life.  To escape t

They say when you learn to ride a bicycle you never forget.  While technically this is true, there are times when I truly wish it was not. I like to think of myself as a 44 year old man in reasonably good condition.  I mean I have pudge but it isn't excessive.  I am energetic and I like to take long walks.  Wait, that almost sounds like a personal add on Match.com.   I most certainly am not an Adonis but in truth I never was.  Ahh  Adoinis... that symbol of all that it is to be a man.  Sheltered by Aphrodite as a young man he represents virility and strength.  Beauty and grace.  He also has a nice pecker that in the case of the Roman version pictured was not hacked off by Pope Pius IX when he set about removing all depictions of the male member in the Vatican and covering them with a fig leaf..  Over Christmas my father and son convinced me to go on a mountain bike ride with them.  Columbia, SC is blessed with a beautiful mountain bike trail park and it seemed like a good idea.