Listen: there's a hell of a good universe next door, let's go

  Winter arrived this morning.  It began with freezing drizzle and is now cold enough to snow.  Not a lot of accumulation yet, but we've hours to go according to the forecast. And the wind is incredibly strong.  Our flag is spinning almost straight up like a whirlwind.  I can hear the wind moan as it whips around the house, and I can hear the sandblast-like sound of the snow and ice pellets hitting the house. I mean, on the one hand I can hear all that, and on the other, well, at least I don't have to leave the house till Monday.

  And here we are in December.  It's been such an odd year, I guess another oddity shouldn't be surprising.  It's nothing related to anything else (so far as I know) but it was annoying. I have tinnitus.  My ears have been ringing since 1973.  Usually it's pretty much stable, it's the same ringing at a manageable volume, for all that time.  Once in a while I get a different sound but it passes and gets back to the usual ring.  When I have my processors on and get external sound it's essentially not there; so it's really just a nighttime phenomenon.  But I'm used to it and it's not usually a big deal. Last night was bad, though.  The volume was much higher than I remember it being before, loud enough that it kept me awake much of the night.  It was Friday night so I didn't have to work today, but still.  A nuisance, and I'm not particularly fond of lying awake and trying to fall asleep for hours. Earlier this evening I got on my treadmill; whe