ONE NATION UNDER CLOD

from the vantage of a completely free friday, the responsibilities of the end of the weekend seemed immediately deferable without sacrificing the merit of the work deferred, even having resigned thursday to other pursuits, recognizing the easy possibility of still getting things done ahead of time the next day. so, i practiced dance, albeit having turned down that same afternoon an opportunity to perform, and cleaned the drivetrain of my bicycle, both things a long time deferred themselves and so justified, but with the ashamed knowledge of executing both tasks principally to prolong fulfilling others. the drivetrain was particularly expedient to that purpose, being that polishing each tooth of my chainring and rear cog took increasingly more effort for the more time i was willing to devote to each part. without soaking my chain and having to re-grease it after resetting it, the other components were bound to get blackened by my first subsequent ride, but that didn't mean that the bike would ride any less well for the cleaning, only that the cleaning might have taken less time to realize the same result. it is, however, nice to see the silver shine again, if only for a moment.

and then saturday. it was completely out of my control that the weather was too nice not to go for a long and leisurely ride. my drivetrain was performing like it hadn't been in weeks after all, and i was all but obliged to ride up to the top of mt. tabor, if not just to test the result of my labor then to see the city in the light of a sunshine that, in this town, might not otherwise show itself -- if at all -- until late july. and then, of course, from there it would have been a travesty not to appreciate the smell of the daphne before it faded, as well as the special charm of the cherry blossoms before they came into full bloom, which forced me on a wide tour of the east side of the city. there really weren't two ways about it.

it's not that i didn't want to have things done. i did. in fact, i was looking forward to what i had to do. prolonging the fruition of desire is just a great way to enjoy the fruition in the meantime. procrastination is an ugly word for efficient time management. i can't help it if someone wanted to buy me a drink. it would have been awful to decline, knowing that i had the time, until now, to make good on my obligations.

fulfilled, somehow, i've dropped the stitch; but the light in this bathroom is perfect. i think i'll keep the beard. hold. place.