I live two and a half miles south of Hwy 34, between Fairfield and Batavia. There’s a big project to upgrade all of 34 from a two-lane highway to a four-lane Interstate all the way across Iowa.

For the past year or so, we’ve been watching the new highway take shape. First many houses along 34 were moved or downed, then several million dollars worth of large equipment appeared and moved earth for months. Then they put down blacktop. (It was cool. They have this gigantic machine that does the entire road surface at once. One time they covered a couple MILES worth of new blacktop with tarps because it looked like rain.) Watching the new road come into being has been pretty fun.

I’ve been wanting to drive on the virgin concrete for months. Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Brett called to tell me it was open and that he was driving on it! I couldn’t wait to drive home and try it out myself.

After Gita class last night I got to drive on it. About half-way between Fairfield and Batavia, the old, cracked, bumpy, shitty 34 veered off onto the NEW BLACKTOP. It’s divine: smooth, smooth, smooth! It made the Jeep feel ten years younger, I swear. I’m really quite excited about the whole thing.

Soon I’ll be able to go 65 MPH from my house to 1-Stop Rental!

– – –
Today I was Joe’s lunch date. He has The Dread, poor dear. I feel for him. And the weather today – overcast, chilly, forboding – certainly doesn’t help.

We had iteration #47 of the “What the fuck am I doing?” conversation over mediocre Mexican food at La Hacienda restaurant. If you’re not familiar with it, #47 goes something like this: ‘I have no energy, I don’t care about anything, even partying seems stupid and unsatisfying and insipid, I want to move to Canada because then at least I wouldn’t be an ignorant fucking American, everyone seems to feels like this lately, maybe the Russians really are bombarding us with bad mental vibes after all. I mean, it’s no worse than Jyotish for explaining this shit.’

The Dread. It isn’t fair. I don’t have the dread right now myself, I have mild anxiety. But it still sucks and makes me ponder my “quality of life.” (The fact that my quality of life is so high that I have ample time in which to ponder it does not escape me. Which is a good sign.)

– – –
I love happy endings even in non-fiction, so here’s the obligatory wedding and a baby:

[13:32] reni: i have an idea
[13:33] reni: what say you about you and me flying out to see dharmaja’s wedding the end of june, complete with an extra added bonus of seeing her be married by Amma on the same day?
[13:34] Administratrix@work: WHAT?!?!?!
[13:34] Administratrix@work: I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend!
[13:34] Administratrix@work: I thought she was NEVER. GETTING. MARRIED.
[13:34] reni: she’s pregnant too
[13:35] Administratrix@work: WHAT WHAT WHAT?!?!??!??!??!??!??!
[13:35] reni: due in the fall
[13:35] Administratrix@work: ARE YOU TRYING TO *KILL* ME, WOMAN?!?
[13:35] reni: yeah, pretty much