July 30 1998, Thursday

I guess I had been expecting this development, though as more and more time had gone past I'd thought the chances were evaporating. And, truth be known, I don't have a whole lot of experience with relationships that fall apart and get back together. In all my past relationships, when the girl told me it was over, it was over. I didn't believe Joy Powley (my first girlfriend) when she told me it was over on February 26th, 1989, and I went on, over the course of several months, to make a complete fool of myself trying to get her back (or acting like I very much didn't want her back even though - of course - I did). After that decidedly humiliating experience, I resolved to believe girls when they told me it was through. So I believed Kim yesterday, though I also suspected she was acting strategically. Today she said she was acting from profound emotions and had no ulterior motives.

Yesterday I'd convinced myself I didn't want to have anything further to do with Kim whether she was sincere or not, that I didn't want to deal with whatever psychological issues she had. But today all my resolutions just melted away. It would be easier for me to stick with her. What else am I going to do?

Now I know this all must be a terrible bore for my readers. Let me extend my most sincere apologies. I'm just glad I never got around to telling my parents that I wasn't going to Michigan after all, because now I am going to Michigan again. Everything is back on schedule.

I

  don't get a lot of email criticizing my behaviour in these musings. Scott once wrote to say I was bad for throwing bottles out the window of my car. Nancy told me I should stop drunk driving. Somebody (I forget who) had issues with my recent theft of a crappy old twelve speed bicycle.

But today I got two critiques about two totally separate issues. One reader complained about my overbroad application of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. I managed to convince him via email that I was justified in my extravagance because all great theories are great because they tap into essential truths rooted in common sense. Survival of the fittest and the anthropic principle are other such theories.

The other complained about how I'm handling my romantic situation with Kim, accusing me of being naive and predictable. Now that's something I take as an especially galling insult.

I

  spent considerable time in the stream today working on the dam and even building a smaller one up stream. I had lots of thinking to do, and working on the dam was a perfect way to do it. The weather was hot and extremely humid, so of course the cold water was a good place to be.