St. Patrick's Pipe

 

 

PCS Scale Today = 5.  

 

As it is St. Patrick's Day, I have dressed as is typical for me on this day, in my "tweediest" green clothes... I have a snap-brim hat in dark green herringbone tweed, I am sporting a dark green tweed vest, pine green shirt with a golden-green tie, and dark green corduroy pants.  I am even carrying around in my vest pocket, my green-bowled Dr. Grabow pipe, which is exactly the same style and shape as is pictured above. 

 

Even though my pipe (like the one above) was always a very pleasant smoking pipe, I had never used it all that often... because it is green.  It had always been held in reserve just for St. Patrick's Day.   When I purchased it, which if I recall correctly, was sometime in the early 1980s,  painted, and/or leather bound briar bowls were enjoying a brief resurgence in popularity at the pipe shops I frequented. I do have one leather wrapped and stitched pipe from that era as well.  The medium brown leather is a perfect match for the leather collar and leather elbow patches on a dark brown corduroy sport coat I still wear regularly to this day.  

 

When I was finally able to run yesterday in the very late afternoon, because it was still rough on the trail, I treadmilled my miles.... and after listening to my dozen or so songs on Pandora (some personal favorites popped up in including "Carry On & Questions" by CSN&Y, "Photographs & Memories" by Jim Croce, and "Hand Me Down World" by The Guess Who amongst others) and watching the wonderful Capuchin Mass (Fr. Dan was the celebrant, so it was especially strong) from the previous day..... I found I had ran a total of 10.1 miles.... which made me feel pretty damn happy... as I did not really feel particularly tired.  

This morning, I had to get up at 4:45am to fit in my 9 miles (the one especially good Pandora song in this morning's dozen was "What is Life" by George Harrison) and Capuchin Mass was celebrated by a visiting Capuchin Priest, but was nice.   so I could get to the U extra early as it was an especially fun, but busy lab day that I had in store for my embryology students.  We were examining organogenesis in living eggs (bird eggs).  I had to get in especially early to get materials warmed and prepped for our work.  I had already been prepping a few evenings this past weekend and early this week to have an array of different early stages in incubation at just the right time.  To get the timing of development just right, I had to drive out to the U a few times at 11:30 pm to put eggs in the incubator.

I am not sure if I should count my effort this morning as a true effort in my Lenten Vow or not.  But, I had a bit of a "naughty & nice" moment with regards to the person I am working to forgive and be friendly with.  I ended up talking with her for a few moments when I arrived at the U this morning.  While I was having this brief talk with her at the Department's "Coffee Station" another colleague came up and commented on my green attire and said all he had on were green socks.  I then reached into my vest pocket and pulled out my (EMPTY) green pipe and chomped down on the stem (with my mask still on) to show my "full look".  He laughed.... and I did this, even though I KNEW EXACTLY that my doing this would "tweak and aggravate" the person I am trying be forgiving towards.  When I glanced back towards her, she had wrinkled her nose and her brows were furrowed and she turned to walk back to her office.  So, I think today's effort is more of a "sum-zero" draw of sorts..... I did try to be talkative and forgiving of her.... but I also did an action that I already KNEW would aggravate her.  And perhaps my suggesting my effort was a "draw" is perhaps being too generous.... because I have to admit I "chuckled" inside about my silly actions and about her silly response.... that I knew 100% she would have.  

 

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