Heavy Rain

01.14am April 1st 2014 - It began to rain.

Not a spattering or a suggestion. Honest, dense, full rain.

I climbed onto my window-sill, opened the window, and revelled in it. I watched it crash down and I watched it flood the gutters. I sat and observed as a few young 20-somethings with short beards and lens-free spectacles stood out in the downpour. They removed their shirts and endured a drenching. Possibly a case of kids being dicks, but really I know I only demean them because I envy them. I want to be caught out in a storm. I want to feel a sense of cold, primal vulnerability - and just endure.

But it's past 1am and I'm a self-conscious introvert, so I'll watch from my perch.

I enjoy the sound, I enjoy the patter sensation, and I enjoy the rhythm. There is a street light outside, below my window. Droplets pelt down on it. They burst on top into a fine mist. Despite further drops thundering down all around, the mist undulates - catching on the air to swirl listlessly, illuminated by the halogen glow.

Then something peculiar. The scent of the tree that sits next to that street light. I'm not sure if it's blossom, sap, or pollen, but it's natural, bright, and reminds me of trips abroad. Of holidays where a week's hot sun is washed away in one stormy hour, and you're hit by an unfamiliar petrichor. I considered discussing transmission of scent, olfactory reactions and the properties of water as a conductor of smells. However, it's nearly 2am now. Suffice it to say, I enjoy the rain.

Image Owner: Rex Roof

Time-flu

What am I even doing?

Let's see - there was a minor excursion to Glasgow. Then I enjoyed a warm Summer. I climbed a hill. I played a lot of video games. I started writing a book. I subsequently stopped writing a book. I restarted my degree. That's the long and short of it.

I got preoccupied. Sue me.

Please don't sue me. Please. I'm poor and reclusive. I do not want letters and lawyers. No news is good news. Let me be a quiet, easily-distracted introvert. For those familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality test, I am an INTJ. For those unfamiliar with the Myers-Briggs personality test, go and familiarise yourself with Myers-Briggs personality tests. One of the hallmarks of being an INTJ is becoming obsessive over hobbies and subjects.

I started blogging, I devoted hours to it
Then I did some bar training and learned lots about hundreds of cocktails
Then I had some down-time in winter and hit the video games quite hard
Now I'm working on my biology degree. All day, every day.

It is hard to strike a healthy balance. Variety, spice, life, all that jazz. I want to be able to do a bit of work, finish a bit of studying then enjoy a bit of downtime. Instead I do a lot of work until I'm sick of it. I study until 3am and 4am, barely able to stay awake. And, similar to many young men my age, I can lose whole days to TV and gaming.

So if anyone wondered where I was. I got distracted. It has happened before and it will happen again. Hell, blogging itself is a distraction for me. Funny - what people fill their time with.

Image Owner: epSos