it's hot

There's nothing like getting up at 5 am, watching the sky turn from dark to light, listening to Kind of Blue, and drinking coffee. I used to do this my first year in college. It was the only time my mind was clear enough to do physics homework. Today, it was due entirely to the weather. Slept with all the windows open, which made almost no difference except for the bugs. Tossed and turned, searching for a cool spot on the pillowcase. Felt like a kid again. I haven't been this hot since I was a kid. The heat is astounding for this time of year in this part of the Bay Area. July is normally still cool here.

When the weather's like this, I sometimes feel like I should be out in the City, dancing and walking the streets of the Mission District. But these days I usually suppress the urge, let the feeling pass, and stare out the window -- at the lights that appear on the horizon, above the rooftops of the other condos and against the tiny view I have of the water, the mountain ridge, and the rest of the sky. I heard Flamenco Sketches the other day when someone being interviewed on the radio mentioned Coltrane. The DJ played just enough of this song to lodge in my mind and surface this morning as something I wanted to hear.