Chasing the moon and driving into the sun

What a beautiful day, and perfectly timed for the weekday-workday set.  The usual joke in the PNW is that it rains on the weekends and the sun comes out mid-week, and it does often seem to work out that way.  Today, forecast high of 72º, 76º, or 77º (depending on which weather app/site you check).  A perfect top-down morning to drive into work (alas, my work week is necessarily extending into at least part of today).  Stopped for an iced coffee (compensation for working through what may be the only sunny bit of the weekend; rain is forecast by late today).  Also got to meet one of our newer Security staff members who usually works weekends (came to see who was turning off the building alarm on a Saturday) - nice guy and finally getting to meet him was a nice benefit of coming in.

A sunny yet not-hot morning like today is my second favorite type of top-down driving conditions.  Last night I got a bit of my true favorite top-down conditions: late night, clear skies, and a bright moon to follow home.  M and I had dinner with friends we hadn't gotten together with for many years, along with their (now grown) children and grandson.  Two chefs in the house meant a mountain of truly wonderful food (not an on-diet meal!) and an evening of crazy laughter (really, I think it was non-stop) ensued as we picked up where we left off years ago and simultaneously caught up.  It was late when M & I headed for home, and the night was clear and comfortable, so the top dropped and we followed a still-full post-harvest moon home.  A beautiful cap to a fun evening.

The iPod worked its magic and produced another one of those satisfyingly unusual blends of musical flavors that make shuffling the music library so interesting. It started with old Italian liturgical lyrics set to old Italian pub music (just like Luther) and then shifted from alternative and jazz.  Miles Davis went perfectly with the feel of the morning, though all five tunes were appreciated:

• Acantus: Cum Autem Venissem
• The Guggenheim Grotto: A Lifetime in Heat
• Miles Davis: All Blues
• Travis: Writing to Reach You
• Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny: He's Gone Away