A Day in My Life
To: SandraC@ctr.com From: michael.hamilton@ucr.edu Date: December 12, 1995 Subject: A day in my life...
0600: Good Morning...I'm going to try something different today, as long as you are going to be somewhat desk and net-bound. How would you like to spend the day with me? I now have an Apple NEWTON, a portable computer that I carry and send email via a cellular telephone. It even recognizes my handwriting (most of the time). Talk about the Nineties! When do you think the brain implants are going on sale at Computerland?
0715: Hopped out of shower, now are the kids ready for school? YES!!! Snowed about an inch last night, winter is finally here—yea! Warm up the van, think about new snow tires, slide down the road and off to school.
0820: Back in the saddle (keyboard). Upload time for the NEWT. Works like a charm, thank you Apple, some of your toys are so tech! Second cup of Java. Thinking about my day, check the James Reserve voice mail, looking at a beautiful sunrise over the south ridge, mist growing off the trees, brilliant rainbow reflections off of water droplets on every needle on every tree, so fine.
Want to see a nerdy, conservative picture of yours truly? check out http://cnas.ucr.edu/~bio/nrs.html. I'll send you some of my favorite bookmarks if you want? Are you using Netscape? OOPS, the phone...
0900: Just finished writing about 10 replies to various email messages. Long ago my email correspondence exceeded my other forms of exchanging messages with people (telephone, SLUGmail, FedEx). I think its time to head for the Reserve. In case it wasn't obvious when you last visited, I have my main office at home, with a reserve phone line that rings in both places, a dedicated data line for DARWIN, and everything that is computer-related stuffed into nooks and crannies. Important books and papers are here, but about 2,000 books and 8,000 reprints are in Lolomi Lodge. I usually go to the Reserve in the morning until about 1:30pm, then head home for lunch and in time to pick up the kids at 2:15pm. Our measly snowfall is melting and beginning to "rain" from the trees.
1000: Reserve is peaceful. No one around. About 48 degrees, light wind, clear. Nice. Checked the buildings, one dead mouse in a trap (serves him right—stealing peanut butter). Watered the plants, you should see my Christmas cactus, totally pink with blossoms, right on schedule. No messages. Chop a little fire wood (warms you twice). Time to go on a bird walk.
1145: Sitting on top of the world! You should see the mountains, everything white above 7,000 feet. Clear, occasional gust then calm. Mountains are really islands today, clouds at about 4,500 feet covering the low lands like waves across the sea. Listening to Canyon Wren cascading voices, watch ravens soaring, Audubon's warblers looking for tiny insects, yellow rumps waggling, mammal tracks galore, squirrels, mice, bobcat, fox, coyote. No lion tracks. A small cloud keeps coming closer...closer...closer...at 50 feet away it begins to dissolve into wispy vapor, like a singing kettle, but without the noise. Extreme quiet, can hear a train moving along the interstate, 30 miles away (low rumbling infrasound really carries). No one at the Lake Fulmor, too cold for fishing I guess. Acorn woodpeckers, white headed woodpecker, WOW a belted kingfisher at the lake! Hippest feather-doo of any of the birds. I bet Carl will dye his hair that color some day.
1330: Back at the Reserve office. Not a very good bird list. I guess the birds haven't defrosted from yesterdays storm. Perhaps tomorrow they will be more active. Time to hit the road.
1500: Picked up the kids at school and now we're home. Checked email, I'm glad you are enjoying this. More phone messages and email to reply, and time to help Caitlin with homework.
1620: I need to upload this and run some errands. I'll check in later, and hopefully write a little epilog to this day in my life. Take care, it was GREAT having you with me today.