Last night’s Cirque du Soleil show was spectacular, as expected. Words really can’t do the experience justice.

Overheard from behind me during the contortionists’ act:
Boy’s voice (incredulous): Are those two girls?
Girl’s voice: They’re…flexible.

They certainly were, though I was more impressed with two acts from after the intermission.

The Wheel of Death was actually two wheels connected on a spinning axle, with gymnasts running both inside and outside the wheels, up to about fifty feet above the stage.

Balancing on Chairs was a slow strength and balancing exhibition, with a single gymnast repeatedly adding chairs to the stack, then balancing on the top of the stack and waiting for his next chair.

The highwire act was pretty good, but someone seemed to be having a bad night.  The performance did prove the value of an alert, live band (as opposed to a soundtrack recording) that can redo a stanza or two while someone does a little unplanned climbing.

The clowns throughout rocked. Their humor definitely seemed to be more adult than I remember from the Corteo show in 2008, but then again there shouldn’t have been that many kids there at an 8-11 show on a school night.  Great night, and we escaped with only buying one program and two coffee cups.

Doing much better, and currently enjoying my first attempt to caffeinate since Monday (five days ago).  It tastes like metallic sludge, but then again everything tastes like metallic sludge due to my antibiotics.  At least it smells like good coffee.  Maybe after nearly thirty years of addiction I’m finally to the point where a scratch and sniff picture of coffee would be enough to trigger a Pavlovian response or release some of the accumulated residue from my cells back into my bloodstream.  Somehow I doubt it would work long-term, but it sure would save a lot of time and dishes in the morning.

Somehow I never got around to making coffee yesterday.  In an absolute shocker I”m here today, and moderately functional, so I’m trying it again, this time intentionally.  

I doubt I’ll make it through the week  without my chemical crutch –  this one’s just too busy.  Volunteering at Spinner’s school, turning 45, letting BorgHealth send electricity  through my nervous system while the State Supreme Court debates my marriage,  then jetting up to San Jose for a weekend of blissful nothing at the Fairmont.

It might be busy, but at least I should be fully diagnosed, if not feeling better, when next Sunday rolls around.

Taking everything I can find for a migraine while trying to meet writing deadlines is probably counterproductive since the increased stress of the drug-exacerbated writers’ block is just making the migraine worse.  On top of that Diego is trying to defend the world from the handyman replacing the rotten timbers on the deck.  Heading out for coffee soon – a nice non-law chat with an old friend might help.

Sore from the gym, sniffly from nasty motel ventilation, headachy from the Business, and on deadline for a writing gig. 

But coffee will make everything better soon. 

Limited internet access for the last week or so has probably been good for me, especially since I’ve been reading and finally started getting to the gym again, something that slipped over the holidays.  The jolt to the system from going luke-warm turkey reminds me of what’s supposed to be important.

But on a borrowed connection this morning I saw this.  Even the worst addict respects quality stuff.  Maybe I can’t always hold out for the best, but I know it’s out there and I want it.

And to be candid, despite my good intentions, I like it when my addictions are enabled.  It helps me rationalize my own inability to say no.  So please feed the monkeys on my back, just do it with quality stuff.

I was reminded this morning of the different ways of viewing sunrises.  Sunrise while walking a small dog is good.  Sunrise while sipping coffee and reading the morning news is good.  Sunrise during the morning swim is good.  Watching the sunrise while sitting in traffic to get to a hearing in Farm County is not good.  At least the hearing went well.