Fleeting

From Friday to Saturday the temperature dropped thirty degrees. A high around 50 is not what we expect here in central Ohio in early May, and it does not make the best weather for attending night baseball games.

Regardless, I've been wanting to see the Reds in person this season. I vacillated over whether to head south but ultimately decided to go. Who was going to stop me?

While it was a cold evening, I got a fun game with some stellar defensive plays, a couple of big blasts by the home team, and a thorough stomping of the visitors and their numerous fans. Hooray!

Of course, after all that I still had two hours to drive home. The drive from Cincinnati to Columbus is a pretty easy one, which can be the best and worst thing about it late at night. The unremarkable nature of the trip, especially in the dark, can enhance the boredom one feels as a driver.

After listening to the inane post-game call-in show, I hooked up the iPod and listened to some music for the second half of the trip. Eventually I realized that I felt really at peace on this lonely stretch of highway after midnight. The car's heater had thawed me out from sitting in the cold. The coffee I was drinking to ensure my wakefulness had me feeling relaxed and alert. The latest album from The New Pornographers had me comfortably encased in a sonic bubble.

Of course, once you acknowledge such a fleeting feeling, it goes away. There's nothing like breaking the spell than being aware of it, but the acknowledgment also confirmed that for all of my valid reasons for not going--too cold, coming off a busy week--it did me some good. (This is assuming I don't get sick from sitting out there.)