The Blur of Time

A sea of yellow engulfed St. Mary's gym tonight as the Synergy Middle School Varsity won its first basketball game of the season, 27-25. It was a team effort -- seven different players scored. Aidan got six. As the kids continue to learn the game, they become ever more impressive.



Sour grass has returned to my backyard, but that too was a blur today due to a sudden swirl of wind as I snapped the picture.

It was a strange day here in the Mission. Birds swirled around our trees -- little birds, big birds, middle-sized ones. Doves, a Robin, Sparrows, a small Bluebird, and others I could not identify.

They seemed extremely worked up, as if a storm was coming, but no storm ever came.



Under the pervasive influence of Murakami, as I am these days, I'm especially alert to signs of ghosts, fairies, jinns, and leprechauns. Spirits that are all around. Sounds that have no discoverable source, shadows that yield no body. It's a creepy feeling, but somehow it is more real to me, right now, than the ordinary events of my uneventful day.

A UPS delivery.
A phone call from my accountant's office.
A visit from the Cable Guy, who promised that my connectivity woes are over now.
A few random emails.
Leftovers.
Home made coffee. I haven't had a latte, cafe au lait, or cappuccino since losing my job four months ago.

Restless -- that is my dominant mood. Numbers remain my main source of comfort.

Here's a sequence: 19.2/34.3%/50%/36.4%/2.6/1.5/2.5/0.3/4.83. Basketball numbers. Good ones. Aidan's.

Keep an eye on Apple's stock. One of only three tech companies to rise impressively in 2007, it soared over six points again today, to over $178/share. My friend Tamara, who's the best Apple analyst I know, suggests that rumors of a new product breakthrough this week at MacWorld will fuel a new rise. Apple hit 200 briefly, before losing 14% of its value in the recent market collapse.

Here's hoping it will rise once again.

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