With the power out all morning, and rain falling hard outside, my options were limited. Can't watch TV, not even TiVo. Can't turn on the computer. Can't even shave or shower, because I'd run out of hot water halfway through. Definitely can't pull weeds in the rain, even though I'm feeling reasonably healthy after a week of mushheadedness.

So I pulled out a book and started reading. And that's all I did until the electricity came back on at 12:30. Then I reset all the clocks and turned everything on. It went from a quiet house with only the sounds of the rain on the roof and the birds twittering at the feeder, to a full-on full-volume sound tunnel.

Then almost immediately I turned it all off for awhile. It was just too much. I took my long, hot, much-delayed shower. Because of the rain, the start of the ballgame was delayed, and I used that time to escape from the noise and stress that will pound on my poor addled brain all week long.

The day was shortened by circumstances. For most of it, I didn't even know what time it was. I've put so much effort into getting over this cold, and into the simple act of breathing, for so many days that I felt I owed myself one day away from all that. Even if it was a shortened day.

I did watch the game, later on. And I watched the Survivor finale (from which I took away the feeling that I'm already sick of a movie that isn't even going to open for over two months). Then I scribbled these notes down, and now I'm going to bed.