Today's Run, Shakespeare, Russia, Etc.

The people in this photo weren't there at 7 this morning, but I was--at the El Cerrito BART station, among other places. After a couple of down-in-the-dumps days, I got out the door this morning in time to beat the rain. I went out the Ohlone Greenway, a running route that I never tire of, and that I here praise in lines provided by the Bard:

To me, fair friend, you never can be old, For as you were when first your eye I eyed, Such seems your beauty still.

And this is a location of beauty to me. I wanted to run Tuesday, but was too grumpy to get myself together, so was glad to feel a bit more motivated today. Don't know why I was stuck for a while in whiner mode, but there I was. I spent my time dwelling in my own Siberia of the soul, which is not a happy place. While I was in that frozen land, I did find a wonderful webcam, which I've bookmarked and am watching frequently as it refreshes every eight minutes (did I tell you I have time on my hands today?). Do you think the camera is in place at a train or a bus station? Who are all these busy Russians, coming and going day and night? Watching them in realtime, I feel a great affection for them and their life in their dark and cold homeland. I'm pleased to see their temps do get up into the 70s during the summer.

The cloudiness of this early morning has turned to rain. I'm happy to see it. November was eerily warm and dry. It's a sign of the times that I feel no automatic acceptance of meteorological conditions anymore. I find myself trying to combat an incipient paranoia that colors a lot of my perceptions. Surely there is still such a thing as normal rain (as opposed to acid rain, global-warming-induced rain, toxic rain, hot rain, bad rain, undisciplined rain, rude rain, contrary rain, on-my-parade rain).

I hope you enjoy this day or whichever day it is when you stumble across my blog. Just imagine, fate could have dropped you in Siberia in 1910 (see below). Then where would you be now?

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