That cat's something I can't explain

No work today. I called Marcy this morning for a status report and she said everyone else had called out already. "What does that mean for me, woman?", I shrieked into the phone. Nah, I didn't do that. Instead, I tried to match Marcy's bummed-out tone and told her I'd make the best of the day off.

After the call, I crawled into bed with a cup of coffee and finished Comanche Moon. Bittersweet, that. Then, I picked up Blood Meridian and read from it for a while, not able to put it down easily. At various points throughout the day, I picked the book up and I'm about to again before bed. The violence is nonstop and often horrific. There is a brutal scene wherein a Delaware Indian disposes of two infants as if they were freshly-caught fish. And I thought McMurtry had a cruel streak!

I watched a couple of MadMen episodes -- love this show -- and later shoveled the driveway of heavy, slushy snow. Good thing I stretched out my back earlier in the day with some yoga. Steve was out and about the entire day, switching between snow blower and shovel, the sound of which I heard scraping the driveway not more than three hours ago. So, for what amounted to be about four inches of slushy, rapidly-melting snow, Steve spent the entire day and part of the evening disposing of it. I nurtured the fantasy in which Steve was in Antartica with his trusty snow blower, mindlessly plowing snow into the white horizon, never to be seen again. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Steve shared the same fantasy.

After tending to the driveway, I took Baby Boy Z for a walk. Though I think he needed it, after a few minutes in the cold rain, I believe he wished he had not expressed his enthusiasm for a walk so fervently. I didn't blame him; the walk was a real downer.

It's time to end this so I can partake in another activity, which may be watching the rest of La Dolce Vita or another eppy of MadMen. Or back to Blood Meridian, and it's pressing, Old Testament-like incantation. Maybe work on some songs. Hmm.... Anyway, I'm out this piece, son.