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February 12, 2005
Recalled to Life
This is actually the tale of only one city, Burlington, and there was nothing quite so dramatic as a swords-waiving-in-the-air revolution going, but I do feel I've returned for an imprisonment of sorts. My prison was in the land of "I'm so sick I can't read", and it was unfortunately extended by being conjoined with the land of "I'm so busy with critical work items I can't sleep". This is offered by way of explanation - save your sympathy for something of value.
On the topic of work, I've been struck by the nature of the frontier of science and industry. It's wild in the classic sense, where rules of thumb regarding efficiency and value break down, but you can't tell that until it's too late. Radical ideas of value become normal once the backwards thinking nature of the old rules of thumb are reveled to be inefficient. It forces one to question one's own intuition, and that can cause a lot of confusion (e.g. an American driver in England for the first time). Living on the frontier requires a constant readjustment of one's intuition. Change or die is the norm. It's a life many aren’t prepared for.
The weather last weekend was spectacular. Living in Vermont we get these odd confluences of circumstances, and last weekend was warm (high 40's to low 50's), lots of solid ice on the lake and a decent snow pack on the mountains. Skiing, skating and ice boating were all pan-dimensional (from what I hear). I of course was mainly flat on my back with the flu, but it didn't stop me from going out for a walk a couple times, alone or with Beth and friends. One particular walk, down by the waterfront in Burlington was practically a religious experience. The haze in the air made the air glisten - the brilliant sun poured over the people frolicking on the frozen lake, all with a backdrop of blue sky and mountains. That memory is a keeper, and one of the serendipitous moments that make up Living in Vermont.
Posted by pgutwin at February 12, 2005 10:52 AM