March 22nd, 2003


Change of State at a Change of State

The heat of fusion of water, that is, the amount of energy required to convert ice to water at 0°C, is 80 calories per gram of ice. That's actually a rather large amount of heat. By comparison, once you melt the ice, it only takes another 100 calories to raise the temperature of that gram of water from 0°C to 100°C, where it starts to boil. Why do I bring it up? After a week of warm temperatures, Beach Pond, on the Rhode Island/Connecticut border, is still iced over. So were all the other lakes and ponds I passed on my way to my friend's house today. Mama nature froze a lot of water this winter.

My day was a veritable pageant of nature. I awoke at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep, because by about 5:00 every bird in the world had decided to camp outside my window and start chirping. Could've been hunger, could've been a mating ritual, could've been an anti-war protest rally, who knows? I don't speak bird, so it just seemed rude of them to keep chattering away in a foreign language in my backyard. Get off my lawn!

The pageant continued on the ride out. I had to change lanes suddenly to avoid crushing a woodchuck who had ventured out onto CT Rt. 2. Rather than scurrying across, as woodchucks are usually wont to do, this one was just sort of sitting in the right lane, looking around as though he was trying to decide which direction he should go. I should mention here that the speed limit on Rt. 2 is 65 mph. Scurry little woodchuck, scurry! A bit further down the road was a skunk that hadn't scurried, which made me think of Loudon Wainwright III. I also saw another sign of spring when the first squashed bug of the season appeared on my windshield.

Spent most of the day at Tom's watching basketball games. Best game of the day had ninth seeded Gonzaga losing to #1 Arizona 96-95 in double overtime. The lead changed hands dozens of times over the course of the game, and the Zags had two good chances to win the game in the closing seconds. It was a fabulous effort by both teams.
  • Current Music
    "Go All the Way" - The Raspberries