Day 367: Screen Shots

Since my style can be somewhat spontaneous*, it is rare that I decide, ahead of time, what my topic or image is going to be for my daily post.

Yesterday, however, I saw something on my computer and thought, “I HAVE to take a screen shot of THAT. I’m probably going to use that in my blog tomorrow.”

My next thought was, ” Arrrrgh!  I can’t remember how to take screen shots!” Next thought: “Google it!”  And I did.

I don’t know, people, why I panic when I can’t remember something like that. It’s like I have ongoing amnesia about the fact that things are easily retrievable.  Apparently, my brain hasn’t caught up to the realities of technology, with which I’m interacting every day.

Get with the program, Brain!

Anyway, I did manage (pretty easily) to take a screen shot of that image, which had inspired some fear, on its own. THAT fear, ladies and gentlemen, had to do with ………

(can you guess?)

(hints: I live in the Northeast United States. It’s January.)

Time’s up!

The weather.

Here’s the screen shot:

If you’re easily distracted, like me, allow me to call your attention to the weather portion of that screen shot:

I love comparing my perceptions to other people’s, so I’m curious, right now: What did you notice first about that weather report?

I’ll tell you what struck me, big time.  The numbers — those wild variations in temperature in my immediate future. My thoughts: “It’s going to be THAT friggin’ freezing on Friday and then THAT warm on Monday?!??? Eeeek!! Arrrghhh!  HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO REMAIN SANE AROUND HERE????”

It was at that point that I decided to capture that screen shot, to share my feelings with the blogging world. I then turned my attention to other things.

Soon after that, I picked up a phone message from my son’s father, stating that he was trying to get snow tires put on his car, and could I bring my son over to his girlfriend’s home?

On my way driving my son there, here was a thought that eventually snuck into that brain of mine:

WHY is he trying to get snow tires on New Year’s Day?

This didn’t make sense to me, for several reasons:

1. Most people, in these parts, don’t get snow tires put on their cars. They have year-long tires that do well enough during the snow.
2. On New Year’s Day, pretty much everything is closed.

When I can’t make sense of something, it can be difficult for me to remain on task, trying to solve a problem. The result of that, yesterday: Vague confusion, with some sense of dread.

I mentioned my confusion to my son. “I can’t figure out why your father is trying to get snow tires put on his car today. I’m wondering if this is something I should be concerned about.”

And then we went back to talking about other things.

When we reached our destination, I said to my son’s father’s girlfriend, “I have to ask: Why is Leon trying to get snow tires put on his car on New Year’s Day?”

And as often happens when I’m confused, somebody else has a perfectly reasonable explanation. She said, “His car is too light, and had so much trouble getting up the hill in the last snow.  And, that big snow storm is coming tomorrow.”

My response: “Big snow storm?”

Hers (somewhat incredulously): “You didn’t hear about the storm?”

Just then, I realized I had missed something important.  And sure enough, those scary numbers in that screen shot had distracted me from something else in that picture.

Those nice-looking clouds with snow flakes, two days in a row.

Get with the program, Brain!

Thanks to confused people everywhere, to people who have to drive in snow, and to you — of course! — for visiting today.

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I am, apparently, transitioning here, from yesterday’s post to today’s.