Saturday, April 04, 2015

Our blood moon

I wasn't able to wake up to see the blood moon this morning. I wonder if you got to see it. If you did, I wonder who you saw it with. I get the feeling you didn't even know it was happening, or that you otherwise slept it over like I did. Sleeping it over definitely seems like something you'd do.

Of course, the first thing I thought of when I heard about the blood moon was the first time we each ever saw one. We had slept at your house that night, with the alarm set for early in the morning. We put on our glasses and walked out your front door into the chilly night to stare up at the moon. The moon was very close, and a shadow crept across its surface from an angle clearly distinct from your average moon phase. We stared up at the sky and watched as the shadow very slowly but surely progressed across the surface of the moon.

While it was all very fantastic, it was clear that we wouldn't see the moon become completely red for a very long time. So, we absconded from the biting outdoors and into the house. I don't think we went back to sleep, which was probably the mistake that I made this morning. I remember that we marathon-watched Epic Rap Battles of History on YouTube to pass time. You didn't have your own computer yet, so we watched on the computer in your mother's room, sitting on the foot of her bed. I believe we had a blanket draped over our shoulders and I held you as we laughed and giggled at the videos.

After we'd spent a good deal of time indoors, we ventured outside again. Thinking back, we should have brought the blanket. We were so sleepy though. The moon had very much changed its position in the sky, so we couldn't see it from your front door anymore. We walked out to the street and hunted for the ideal location to see the moon, now much nearer to the horizon. We walked up and across your street, finding our spot on a neighbor's lawn. The cold, still air pricked our skin and seeped into the soles of our Converse shoes. None of this detracted from the amazingness of seeing the moon so big and red. As the sun rose behind us, the surface of the moon was dark again but the craters were outlined in red. It was really amazing to see, for both of us, for the first time.

What was best, though, was doing all this with you. The moon was stunning, but I kept looking to you. I loved your awe as you stared up at the moon. Your expression was more precious than the beauty of the celestial body. Even when my eyes were directed to the moon, the experience was made better by the fact that my hand rested on you or in your hand. We may have been enjoying the night for this spectacular lunar eclipse, but I feel that I truly cherished it because I enjoyed it with you.

I didn't write, of course

Yeah, I didn't get to post yesterday. I'm still here, though, like I said. I've always been horrible at making spare time before a trip, to be honest. It isn't like I didn't wake up early; I always do. But it's always the small stuff, like taking a shower for a bit too long or deliberating for too much time on what to wear. All the time I waste always stacks up and messes with my plans, but at least we didn't leave late this time. Usually we leave an hour or so late. You know my family's reputation for that, actually.

The trip was nice. I messaged some friends on the way there. I watched a weird movie with my favorite cousin. She, my little brother, and I walked one of her (big) dogs to a park and back. Later, she and I drove the other two dogs, only three months old but still big, to the park. They're not used to walking on leashes, so it was difficult to move them around. They also didn't quite understand getting in and out of the car, but they weren't bad with actually being in the car. They were also more comfortable in the car on the way back. All in all, we made a lot of progress with those two, but I wish we had harnesses instead of collars. I felt bad tugging them along, even though the collars pressed against the back of the neck and not the front. On the way back, my brother and I watched a movie. We planned to get a little sleep before waking up and seeing the lunar eclipse, but we missed it. I did wake up too early and saw the moon being partially eclipsed, however.

It was a good day. I'm always wishing you were here, but it was nonetheless a good day.