Unrelenting Rain

It is nearly 2 in the afternoon and the rain has been pouring down with the same rhythm and intensity as when I first sat down at the computer five hours ago. The air is grey with rain and you can almost see the buds on trees swelling right before your eyes and the moss becoming luminescent in the lawn. Yes five hours on the computer. I have been hankering for this unfettered time to upload and edit photos. As I upload I read. I started Amy Tan's The Bonesetters Daughter on Friday and I am thoroughly enjoying it. On Friday as I began the book it was this passage that made me determined to see today as 'free time' in the most ideal of definitions:
"Free time was the precious time, when you should be doing what you loved, or at least slowing down enough to remember what made your life worthwhile and happy."
Much to my surprise Anna Rae was also online so we Instant Messaged (Is that ok as a verb?) She asked why I didn't talk about her much and I explained that she kept everyone pretty well informed and we are managing fairly well without her. "Thank you very much." being her response. She was downloading music to her ipod. Her friend Andy (another VHS student in Italy) is in Paris right now and I think AR is a bit envious of that; seeing Paris before her! She is bored with her hair and due for a cut but I can't imagine her doing anything too adventurous in that department. We talked about the new clothes she bought last week and she hinted broadly that I could still buy her a skirt if I wanted. We'll see.
So what else have we done this weekend? Watched the DVD A Door in the Floor which was quite good; I had read A Widow For A Year the book from which it was created. We ate out Friday night at Dragon Express on the corner of Roxbury and 16th. It is a Cambodian/Chinese/Thai restaurant. The food was delicious. I had a Thai salad with chicken; it was a little heavy on the cilantro but I liked it anyway. Next time I will order the papaya salad but I am sure it won't compare to what Tanya gets in Thailand. People were coming and going for carry-out as we sat and ate. On Sunday we went grocery shopping together (Chris and I) and afterward we ordered carry-out Mexican food from Reconsito in Burien. I had Mulitos (I am not sure of the spelling) which were delicious. Between all that eating there was the usual cleaning, laundry and newspaper reading that happens every weekend.
I talked at length with my parents and was saddened and worried to hear that my brother Dave is having health problems; an arachnoid cyst on his brain. Symptoms of numbness in his neck, jawline and in one leg and foot led him to the Dr. Supposedly it should be alright. They are just going to monitor it. I am confused as to why they don't just take the thing out.
On another dismal note my brother Jeff is being laid off (or he could relocate but doesn't choose to) in March because his company is being bought out by a bigger company. The severance pay is good and there are opportunities for retraining or going back to school so maybe there is a silver lining here. At age 47 this can't be easy, though. My prayers and sincere concern will be with them in the coming months.
Well, I am getting serious butt ache and cold feet from setting so long so I am going to rouse myself to refill my coffee cup and gaze out at the rain.
And AR if you think that I didn't notice that you got back online and stayed up past 11:00 you are WRONG!