Skip to main content

Happens all the time.

"That's right! I remember now! His name is GAYMAN!!" I had to brace myself against the streetlight because I was laughing so hard. The more I thought about it, the funnier it got. "GAYMAN!? Let me think... Oh, right! I told you to come!" I couldn't help but snicker about it while we waited for the bus to arrive. And I couldn't help but giggle to myself on the bus. And I couldn't help but burst out laughing again on my way to work.

I mean, come on. That's hilarious.

I don't remember when I grew up, probably because I try so hard not to. I desperately don't want to accept the fact that I can't be eight forever. I remember when they took nap time away. Then they took snack time away. Then they took recess away. There was a time when I couldn't fathom spending my time anywhere besides the playground. Or not reading books for fun. Or spending my weekends working. And, yet, here I am. At work in my funny shirt and raggedy jeans, dragging my sneakers down the hall as I try to generate reports on the file conversions I've processed and import data to various programs in an efficient manner. I used to wonder about the names of the people who were staring at the same stars I was. Now I wonder how to export navigation data from GeoFrame. I used to watch the day pass by in the park. Then, from the window of a lecture hall.

I don't even have a window now.

Little kids are funny. They walk differently than we do. Not because they aren't in control of their bodies, it's more fundamental than that. They keep their bobbly little heads up, staring off in the distance. Their mouths are open and their little kid eyes are amazed at the simple act of bipedal motion. And they look at where they're going, not where they are. So they stumble over everything with their little kid feet. But they just go. This act of acceleration does not impress adults anymore. They have the idea of destination in their heads. They know where they're going, there's no point in looking around at all the noise and distractions everywhere. They have work to do. They're busy. Eyes down, trying not to step in or trip over something. Adults are just so damn unhappy.

I saw some little kids playing in a sandbox the other day. They were pouring sand on themselves and laughing hysterically. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through their minds as they did it. What they were imagining. I thought, for a moment, about the last time I'd been so amused.

But all I could think about was the work I had to catch up on.

Comments

Carolynn said…
Maybe the point where you're a grown up is the point where you realize you can't even schedule an adventure, let alone spontaneously have one.
October 26, 2011 at 9:14 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I'm a geologist, not an alcoholic.

I thought I had seen people drink before. Hell, I thought that I had drank before. But, clearly, I thought wrong on both of those counts. I cannot, for the life of me, think of a reason to justify all of the drinking that transpired down there last week. There was no rhyme or reason to it, it just was. Field work just makes a man thirsty. Taking this class was easily one of the best things I've ever done. We worked hard every day out in the field. Wake up at 7, leave the beach house by 8, hit the water by 9. My first three field days were in service on the R/V Acadiana , a 58 foot vessel that towed the CHIRP fish , the air gun, and the streamer to measure all the seismic data--looking at the subsurface of the seafloor we drove over. My second ship was the R/V Itasca using the multibeam , sidescan , and grab sampler --getting seafloor surface bathymetry. They were long, exhausting days and we returned to the docks around 6 or 7 every evening. And then, drinking. So much ...
1 comment
Read more

Finger pointing good.

When I was on the boat doing science at Galveston, I saw a lot of dolphins. It was a significant experience for me because I have never actually seen a wild dolphin in real life before. It was sort of a dream come true. And in the middle of the shipping channel, no less. They really are amazing animals. It really kills me to realize I'll probably never see dolphins in Galveston again because of what happened to the Gulf. What is happening to the Gulf. It really is a tragedy. On a much lighter note, I started this Insanity workout program and it was so intense that I threw up before I finished the first workout. That is a good sign, I think. It is certainly an incentive to complete the entire thing. Anything that makes you feel that bad so quickly must be good for you.
3 comments
Read more

Surgery and satisfaction.

My brother is wrapping up high school band camp. It's kind of funny, because suddenly we have something we can both relate to. Sort of. Not really in a loving, brotherly way. It's more like a begrudging transmission and reception of information. You take what you can get, I guess. After a few days of band camp, I discovered that he had been leaving his instrument in the band hall without a lock. "Nobody steals stuff out of the band hall." He told me. I related some appropriate anecdotes and let him borrow my own lock until he could get one for himself. "I'm going to need that back," I told him. "So you'll need to get your own lock." A couple of weeks later, I reminded him of the terms of our deal. The next day he returned my lock and revealed that he had left his saxophone unlocked. And apparently, for reasons beyond my comprehension, this is my fault.
2 comments
Read more