The Phantom Knocks

“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.”
- Mark Twain

I got home last night, put my laundry in the washer, cooked some zucchini and sat down to watch the latest qualifying round for Spruce Meadows, which I had DVR’d earlier that day. As this beautiful dappled grey was pummeling toward an oxer, I heard four sharp raps on my door. Being the calm, cool and collected creature that I am and dealing as adeptly with crises and novel situations as I do, I acted completely rationally and froze, with just my eyes flicking about. Honestly, if I were an Animagus from the Harry Potter novels and used a spell to turn myself into an animal, my alter ego would probably be a rabbit. Anyway, after about thirty seconds someone knocked again. I still did not move. In retrospect I should have crept over to the round window and peered out to see who it was, but I was too freaked out. Who even knows I live there? Who would know to come knocking? If it were someone from the maintenance staff, they would just let themselves in after knocking to no response, so I did not feel obligated to open the door.

Nothing happened for a while, so I resumed my business. I called Mom just as I was ready to leave to see a movie (I was considering Juno instead of Sweeney Todd, just for a change) and she volunteered to stay on the phone with me while I put my coat on and walked down to my car. Not ten seconds after I set the phone down to grab my purse and coat the knock came again. I called out “Who it it?” three times to no response, but in all fairness we had a major storm last night, so the person probably did not hear me.

Anyway, wound up staying home last night and cleaning. I put in a Gilmore Girls DVD and listened while I cleaned. I picked the episode where she starts receiving her college acceptance letters and gets in everywhere - Harvard, Yale, Colombia, etc. I had a friend who went to Duke. He’s in China now, or somewhere overseas, doing who knows what. A German history major in China; am I missing a link in the logical connection there? None of my business, I suppose.

It is absolutely torrential outside; just pouring buckets. I suppose it’s better than the hail we had Sunday or the cut-it-with-a-knife fog of yesterday. I am so tired I cannot even verbalize it. I feel as though I could just put my head down on the seat next to me and be off forever. In one of the lecture rooms we have two giant painter’s buckets collecting drips from the ceiling; good to know our tuition dollars are going to good use.

Published another article in the Illinois Business Law Journal called “Careful Where You Click” about the legality of shrink-wrap licenses. Rubbish.