Totally Tentatively Spring

Yesterday was Setsubun, which is supposed to herald Spring under the traditional Japanese calendar. I'm still trying to find the transition as signal in the weather data. Mornings still feel like the heat-death of the universe.

At least I've finally managed to beat back the gout (and recovering from the related sprain) and can walk outside without the cane. It's time for sober accounting of winter's toll: I didn't miss a lot of classes, but getting myself through school through the pain (or later, through the haze of pain meds) took so much energy that there was little left for everything else. An entire month lost. Zero travel, zero events, and little progress on my thesis.

But Spring is here, at least. In all its theoretical possibility.