So this is my winter

 So this is my winter I guess. I'm glad I was able to dash around and get things mailed yesterday, but after getting back in here and having a snack and beer and dinner and beer and a coffee (keeping myself to 2 a day) with a side of beer and beer and beer ... 

I found that I was very tired, really, from all the dashing around I'd done. It really was a hard slog getting downtown against the wind with those heavy and wind-catching bags of books. This is a large shallow valley and going away from the bay is generally up a slight uphill slope and normally the wind is with me so they somewhat cancel out. 

I ended up feeling very tired, did not practice although I did some breathing exercises, and really got into this one movie, "The Story Of G.I. Joe" with a guy playing Ernie Pyle and about a group of soldiers who eventually took Monte Cassino in Italy. Pretty good old film, really. 

I woke up around 1PM and it was dry-ish I think, but decided I needed more sleep and woke up again at 4. It was drizzling and then it started pouring. Heavier rain is on the way for tomorrow (Saturday) and Monday's a holiday which will slow down US Postal Service things but since Sunday's supposed to be a bit less rainy, I can take a load of things to FedEx then. 

Forget about busking in all this cold and dark and rain. It always *has* been a highly seasonal activity in this area. Unlike Hawaii, where there are visitors pretty evenly through the year and no real "off" season. Sure, winters are rainier and a bit cooler there, but it's not the near-complete shutdown it is here. 

It might continue like this until April or so. I remember one winter that was like that in 2005 or so, but at that time I had a car. At least I can ask Ken to take packages for me if I really need to. 

But winter's the time to "woodshed" which is to practice intensely on one's own, metaphorically if not literally hiding oneself away in a woodshed to do so. 

Winter's also a good time for thinking. Andrew Carnegie was famous for saying the first half of one's life ought to be spent making money and the second half giving it away. It's very good plan if you end up making more money than you need like he did. But for most of us, although percentage-wise we're probably far more generous than any of the rich, I think it's more about the 2nd half being spent atoning for the first. 

I've sent my Oahu friend an email asking if he can use a smart phone like the one I've got, since he seems to prefer doing things on one rather than on a desktop or a laptop. If he wants it I'll send it on over. At least it's something I already have and the shipping won't even cost much.