(no subject)

[the_rck]

Rain makes Fridays more complicated. It means that the kids at school don't get any chance to run around, so they're crazy when I'm helping in the library. It was raining last Friday, too, so I'm not just guessing. The librarian says that Friday afternoons are the worst time as far as rainy days go because the kids know the weekend is coming.

I'm still torn about whether to stay at the school after the second class I help with. I'm usually in a lot of pain by then and really want to lie down with my heating pad, but I only have fifty minutes. Nasty weather makes me want to tough it out and stay at the school so that I don't have to face the weather for a third round trip. I guess today it will depend on how bad the pain is. It's only drizzling.

I always get a little depressed when I walk in the rain. Of all things, I get depressed about the dead and dying earthworms. I have no idea why I care (and I don't care enough to dump them back in the grass), but it's especially bad near the school where they're doomed to be smushed by dozens of feet. I wonder what drives the worms onto the sidewalk when it rains…. There must be a reason.

I'm still waffling about Yuletide. I want to do it, but I'm also afraid to do it. What if I get really sick again? What if this dragging exhaustion and pain means I can't write? I don't know. I think I'm going to see if I can manage to work on chapter 20 of Rheotaxis this month and make the decision based on how well I do with that.

I do have my list of Yuletide nominees. I'm hesitant about a couple of them because I don't remember the character names and haven't found anywhere to go for reference. My nominees right now are Ayatsuri Sakon, Planet Ladder, Romance of Red Dust, Patriotic Knights, Condor Hero and Handsome Siblings.

I may skip Handsome Siblings because I haven't yet seen all of it (Netflix has a 'short wait' on the next DVD that has stretched for weeks). I might skip Ayatsuri Sakon because there was a fic written last year (for someone else) that was pretty much exactly what I'd have hoped to get for the fandom. Still, another good fic would be nice. Who knows? I do find myself wondering if it's possible to generate a list of fandom requests that are too obscure even for Yuletide.

Comments

[sorcycat.livejournal.com]

First, *hugs*

Second, there is a reason on the earthworms, but maybe you don't want to know it. I love seeing all the worms on rainy days. I used to put them on the grass when I was a kid. This past spring I took my kid for a walk in the rain and we counted over 100 earthworms on our walk. It was pretty cool.

[the_rck]

::hugs back:: Thanks.

I have some guesses on the earthworms, and somebody else gave an explanation below. I still feel sorry for the worms. The world is unfair.

[retsuko.livejournal.com]

The earthworms are on the sidewalk because the ground's so saturated with water. Their... uhm, burrows (can't think of the right word here) are filled with water. Which is sort of depressing, and I'm with you on that.

I'm flirting with the idea of doing Yuletide, but utterly unsure of what it might entail, work-wise. I don't want to have to pull out again like I did with the last fic exchange. :(

[the_rck]

I figured it was something like that for the worms. I suppose that wriggling onto a small rock is helpful under those circumstances. Sidewalks are just too big and too heavily traveled.

Yuletide can be a lot of fun, but I don't know if I recommend it for you. You would have to write for a specific person after matching on one of their 3-4 requests (the others might well be things of which you've never heard). The matching is done by fandom and requested/offered characters, and one really can match on anything one offers. I think one's required to offer 3-4 different fandoms. I generally offer a few dozen.

I like the challenge and like the chance to write in fandoms that I'd never have thought about otherwise. I can see that not necessarily appealing to everybody, though. It's not something to sign up for without being certain that one has the time and energy. The exchange is very, very large, and the moderators have to take a fairly hard line toward defaulters as they try to make sure everybody gets something.

[evalerie.livejournal.com]

Can you skip the library this week and stay home to take care of yourself? I don't know about you, but I always need to recharge my batteries during the week to be ready for the weekends when my kids are home. They take much more energy than my work does.

[the_rck]

I could skip, but I try not to as it's very hard on the librarian. A class of kids runs her and a parent helper off their feet, so I shudder to think what it would be like if she had to cope alone.

At any rate, I'd already gone by the time you posted this. I'm home right now in the window between the end of my shift and the end of the school day.

[aki-jade.livejournal.com]

Copied from Wikipedia:
Earthworms are seen on the surface after heavy rain storms flood the soil because, despite needing a moist environment to allow the diffusion of gases across their skin membrane, the soil becomes saturated and they begin to drown. Earthworms also come to the surface during rain to mate. This way, they can't dry out in the sun and stay moist. To protect themselves they escape to the surface, but if the ground is unnaturally hard they may later become stranded and die from exposure. This is why they are seen in places like driveways after a storm. However, this theory is not applicable to certain earthworm species that can survive immersion for several days in oxygenated water.

An alternative theory concerning this behavior is that as some species (notably Lumbricus terrestris) come to the surface to mate they may become stranded. However, as this behavior is limited to only a few species and L. terrestris is rarely, if ever, one of those found stranded on impermeable surfaces, this theory does not seem a very likely explanation.

Another theory is that the worms may be using the moist conditions on the surface to travel more quickly than they can underground, thus colonizing new areas more quickly. Since the relative humidity is higher during and after rain, they do not become dehydrated. This is a dangerous activity in the daytime, since earthworms die quickly when exposed to direct sunlight with its strong UV content, and are more vulnerable to predators such as birds.

A further theory is that, as there are many other organisms in the ground as well, and their respiration increases carbon dioxide, this gas may dissolve into the rainwater to form carbonic acid. As the soil becomes too acidic for the worms, they seek a more neutral environment on the surface.

Yeah. I always try to pick up the worms I see them on the sidewalk. I feel bad when I see squished ones. ;_;