Dichroic Reflections

orchids

*Dichroic emits a high-pitched whining sound suggested of shock and overcome
emotions*

Orchids. There are orchidson my table.

Now I feel like a total heel.

You have to understand
the Rudder never buys me flowers. Well, that's not strictly true. He did
once soon after we met in 1990 and I think maybe one or two other times since. And
he once brought me an adorable tiny bouquet of sagebush flowers and oleander
flowers, in a shotglass, to cheer me up when I was unemployed. In general, the man
is not florally inclined.

Yesterday we had a bit of a spat - it's
enough to say that he did something I thought was inconsiderate and it escalated
from there. Matters weren't helped any by incipient hormones on my part and
lingering cold germs on his. In other words, I still think he was wrong, but there
may have been overreaction on both parts. There was stomping away and not speaking
for, oh, a good half-hour or so. Further complicating matters is that I've been
sleeping in the spare room for the last few nights at his strong suggestion, in an
attempt to avoid his cold and because it's the only way to get any sleep. (He's
got this barking cough and even two rooms away I've been using earplugs.)

However, before bedtime there was some more civilized conversation
and I did sneak in in the dark for a quick snuggle (carefully avoiding his hands
or face in case of lingering germfulness). Maybe that's why. Rudder does tend to
reflect back anything you throw at him, which is annoying in that he rarely will
apologize while you're sitll mad at him, but is at least predictable -- if you're
calm enough to work with it.

And now cattleyas, and they're even
carefully placed on a bt of paper towel so the vase won't scratch the wood table.
Somehow I feel guiltier than any angry words could have made me.

Wonder if that's what he was aiming for? Some things can definitely
be overanalyzed.

Orchids. *snif*

In other
ways, his day has been a joy so far. This was the best morning on the water *ever*
and I wish Rudder hadn't still been recuperating. Just enough breeze to feel good,
not enough to disturb the water's mirror reflections. Most of the local programs
raced in the San Diego Crew Classic and so weren't on the water today. (We didn't
go because it's for eights only.) So there were me, Hardcore, She-Hulk, and one
novice eight moving slowly enough that its accompanying launch didn't kick up any
wake. Perfect temperature. And as a bonus, we got to see a beautiful moonset and
sunrise, with just enough clouds to make each spectacular. Then there was the joy
that is telecommuting, a very nice lunch with friends and assorted offspring who'd
all grown since I saw them last (the offspring, not the friends), and a call to
say the comfy chairs we bought two months ago are in and ready to be picked up.
And then the shock of walking into this room and seeing orchids.

Oh,
and the weather's cool. And I get Friday off. My life is just full of
goodness right now.

These may be famous last words, but I don't think
even the dentist can mess up this day too badly.

Later note: he didn't.

How do you stop purveyers of hate? By denying the attention they want. href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/papersky/">Jo Walton writes: