Relative Something

Sunday has become my only day of rest from the demands of the day-job lately. It makes it much more precious when you only have one day off. At the same time, I find myself needing to be careful not to put too much pressure on myself to expect the day to provide twice the reward.

It is snowing again today here. Not yet the kind of snow that accumulates on the ground. More like the cosmetic snow to make it appear pretty outside. Minnesota is a place with something of a reputation for snow and cold, but there are many other states in our nation that experience greater accumulations of snow. Right now our current snow pack is getting old. It develops a crust and collects grime, losing a lot of its visual enticement. It feels wrong to hear that other cities to the east are receiving dumps of nearly 2 feet of snow while our landscape grows more crusty and grimy. Quite frankly, I’m just jealous.

Yesterday, Cyndie and I snatched a little weekend activity out of a Saturday which was also a work day for me, by going to see a movie currently released in theaters. We saw 127 Hours in which James Franco has the lead role as adventurous Aron Ralston in the story of his death-defying experience in a canyon in Utah. The viewing was intense and exhausting just sitting in our theater seat. The Director, Danny Boyle, deserves credit for accomplishing quite a feat.

Before I started writing today’s post for Relative Something, I found myself visiting my virtual community, Brainstorms, and it occurred to me that I often choose that destination as a priority, prior to writing. My energy there lately is being bolstered by a project I conceived to interview members for a weekly newsletter that features highlights of the discussions occurring. This coming Friday will mark the 13th anniversary of the creation of Brainstorms. Last week, I enjoyed the great pleasure of interviewing the founder to mark the occasion. Doing the interviews is an energizing activity that I greatly enjoy, but I think it steals some momentum from my daily process for this blog. It is unfortunate that my activity there isn’t able to translate to here.

There is no doubt that the depth and breadth of things I discover in my participation in the community discussions of Brainstorms greatly informs my writing, as well as pretty much every other aspect of my life. Heck, it took me all the way to Portugal and my great friend Ian and his family. It is one of the relative somethings that inspire me to share my take on things and experiences.

Today, just a few tidbits of a Sunday.