Finally, a few moments to relax and unwind.

I actually sat down and watched the Simpsons tonight, for a change.

Doctor: This operation could drastically increase your brain power.. or it could possibly kill you.
Homer: Increase my killing power, eh? Lets do it!

Sometimes I feel a real connection with Homer. I mean, while he’s not the brightest bulb on the tree, I can definitely identify with the idea that sometimes we’re getting input so fast that it gets a little jumbled.

This may explain a lot, but here goes anyway: I like the sweet smell of diesel engine exhaust (at least in moderation). This may be because I had the good fortune to go on many, many family trips for 2 or 3 weeks at a time. Being on the highway for 4-6 hours a day made that a pretty familiar experience. I have many memories tied to that smell; driving on busy freeways in Boston and Montreal, endless green hills in Iowa and Nebraska, Montana with mountains in the distance, I-10 along the Gulf of Mexico, down the Pacific coast of Washington, Oregon, and northern California. I don’t remember the big trucks specifically, but the sights, sounds, and feelings they’re associated with are still quite vivid, even though many of them are on the order of 25 years old.

One day I’ll have to find the money for a scanner and put together some photo albums from those trips…