A powerful monsoon storm tore through Phoenix yesterday. Driving rain, hail the size of marbles, and winds that felled trees. I was driving home and many people had pulled over entirely. Halfway home, I recognized that I loved this. Riding through the storm. Maneuvering my little car through uncertainty. Being a little afraid.

Didn't love it enough to wish I was on a motorcycle.

Monsoon refers to seasonal winds. We get dust storms as well. Yesterday we had a large dust storm, and today it washes away.

I have a hankering to go to Nantucket. Not the Nantucket of today, but I hear that's nice too. That would be a good little goal. Go to Nantucket and mope on the beaches. Must remember to go during the off-season. Pretend I'm a disillusioned youth weary of life on land, seeking work on the sea.

Reading Moby Dick again. I wonder who would make a good Ishmael in a film adaptation. A young John Cleese would be amazing.

Have I thought this before? Probably. Ishmael was a schoolteacher, Cleese was a schoolteacher. I imagine they'd have had similar thoughts; if authority can be bestowed upon someone like me, then I cannot maintain a high opinion of authority.

And so it goes. The rulers care for certain things and think of only the things they care about. Like a myopic cyclops. No depth perception.

I have a couple days off this week. Thursday and Friday. Set an appointment to have my AC checked out on my car early in the morning, so I can't sleep in. Friday I don't know. Maybe I'll take the boys.

A couple of my shade sails came down. A reviewer on Amazon said theirs lasted 3 months. Sure enough, I bought mine in April. One failed last week, the other today.

It was a good experiment. There are more costly shade sails that appear much more durable. I'll invest in those. Eventually.