Silent Running in General

Silent Running

I feel the need to write something profound, but profundity seems to be escaping me tonight.

We have had a solid 12 hours of decent rain. It is very welcome, because we were heading into draught, The grass was getting crunchy, even here on the coast.

I was up early, planning to go surfing. A hurricane had passed by, and I was balancing the tide schedule against the possibility of decent swells against the probability of kinda shitty weather. I figured I didn’t care if it was raining, I’d be in the water anyway.

The alarm went off, I jumped up and packed the car. While drinking coffee I read the surf report. 6”-1 foot swells at high tide. The air temp was 63F and the water temp was 65F. Almost sounded like “worth it.” Except no waves.

The rain will finish overnight, and tomorrow we do the annual “For some fucking reason everyone in my family has a birthday in August” event. I have to pick up the Bean at noon.

I am way behind on studying for my impending ordeal by flying. I can’t seem to get motivated. I know what I need to be doing, but I am not doing it.

I recognize some of this. I operate best en extremis. You can give me a year to learn a subject, and I will watch re-runs of House and in the last two weeks I will spend twenty hours a day and be ready.

Some of us are just adrenaline junkies. The risk of failure is the only thing that makes anything worth the effort.
They used a snippet of “Silent Running” on a TV show the other day. Took me a few minutes to recognize it.

Swear allegiance to the flag
Whatever flag they offer
Never hint at what you really feel
Teach the children quietly
For some day sons and daughters
Will rise up and fight while we stood still

Never hint at what you really feel. But be prepared, children. Be prepared.