Aussie....

Well, for once I had an excuse for being a zombie, this morning. Having gone to bed at eleven, I was awoken about two-thirty (Sid's reckoning) by the dog. Not having had a walk yesterday, she was full of energy, and it was after three when she finally deigned to come in. (Incoherent sputtering.) This morning she was bouncing off the walls, so, the morning being cool and a bit showery, we went for our walk about nine-thirty, while Lee was with Grandma. It started to rain lightly almost immediately, but I was wearing my jacket and a hat, and Lark never cares anyway. She was bounding about, imitating the airs above the ground at every step. We took the usual way, meeting a couple of older gentlemen near the pond. The first greeted Lark and kept going, but the second had his priorities in order. As soon as he was comfortably within earshot, he asked Lark's name, and promptly called her when I told him. She looked to me, and when I started toward him she bounded forward, ending on her stomach at his feet, in her typical posture of abasement, just short of rolling over. He petted her, and was very appreciative when she exploded into motion, tearing in wild loops around us like an express train on a track of Bloody Stupid Johnson's designing. It was when he asked her age that I realized that today is her birthday.

There was, once again, a fair amount of activity around the Heller buildings, and today I gave into curiosity and went to enquire. The nice girl I ended up talking to told me, in between exclaiming over Lark, that it was a one-month archaeology field class. She had lovely long hair, in braids nearly reaching her waist. Oh, and she asked me if I was in the Army. I leave it to you to guess which pants I was wearing today......Her digging partner, a young man with a careful air, asked me several questions, along the lines of, "So, you live in this immediate area?" I'm not at all sure why he asked; his tone wasn't so much conversational as interrogatory, but quite polite, I think. Although perhaps not as polite as they would have been if he'd managed a more casual air. Oh, well. I neglected to ask whether they had any expectation of finding anything, and haven't decided yet whether to make a habit of talking to them. There will probably be no actual decision involved: I'll probably just go up there on the spur of the moment again.

The afternoon passed quietly. I read The Curse of Chalion, finishing just before dinner. Naturally I didn't think to get Paladin of Souls.... T_T The weather cleared up for the most part, which is to say it warmed up and the sun came out. It was raining again by dinnertime, though. There was even a little hail. It was just nice, steady rain by the time I took Lark for a short walk after dinner, though. I had my bomber jacket and a hat, and was barely damp about the legs, but she was really wet by the time we got back. Had some cactus spines in one forepaw, too. It amazes me how good that dog is at times like this.

Started Please Save My Earth. There was still plenty of time before bedtime. It was still a colossally stupid thing to do. I mean, twelve volumes, Trina put me on to it, and I started it after dinner? After eight, in fact? Stupid. Really stupid. But hey, at least now I know what Oyayubihime Infinity's mangaka was addicted to in her youth. I admit, there are plenty of substantial differences--for example, OI is more fantasy than SF, and was on a much smaller scale--at least when I quit it still was. There are also some sensible characters who don't want to get carried away by their past lives, too--something PSME is notably lacking, so far. Sure, they say stuff like, "Is this really a good idea?" but in the meantime they're still in love with the person they loved in the last life. Sigh. Poor guy. Guys. All three of 'em, so far. Although one of those was a girl in the life as aliens living on a moon colony watching over Earth. Sigh. Nice art. I like several of the characters, notably excluding the psychotic one. Apparently the insanity of the last few years of his life carried over. Seemed like such a nice guy before everybody else died off and he spent the next nine years alone with the corpses of his friends. Actually, mainly I really like the heroine. It's just that the psycho lives next door and would be stalking her if she weren't perfectly willing to play with the neighbor's kid. Please note, the poor sap is nine years behind everyone else.....not that he let this get in his way. Siiigh.

I would be in bed by now if it weren't for this. Maybe I should head in that direction now.....yeah, the next OMGNOTENVOLUMESTOGOHEEEEEEELP!!!! .......can wait until morning. *cough* You know, I was hoping I'd gotten farther than that....