To keep things interesting

I saw a dead body in the lake today. I took Parker for a walk by the beach, and she chased a couple of ducks into the water. She followed them as deep as she dared and then ran back and forth as fast as I'd let her, pausing only to snap at the water when it surprised her by splashing her in the face.

I stopped short when I saw a bundled blanket, or maybe a carpet, barely sticking out of the water. It had red stains at the edges. Blood. And the form of a body tucked into the fetal position. Parker wanted to smell it, but I pulled her away.

I stared at the blanket for a couple of minutes, deciding if it was what I thought it was, and whether or not I should call 311 -- even if it was a dead body, the person in question would already be dead, not quite an emergency -- and checking the area to for suspicious types who might be watching me. These suspicious types might have been killers who'd follow me home to keep me from dialing 311, or they might be busybodies who would decide I was the killer returned to the scene and enmesh me in endless mistaken identity drama.

I decided it probably wasn't a dead body, that probably some college students left behind their blanket after a party on the beach.

So I go home and realize at the gate that I don't have my keys. Strange, but not an emergency. I'd left the apartment door unlocked. I'd been tired from the Monkey school show this morning. Probably just forgot to bring them. I dry Parker off, search the apartment, and nothing.

I'm left with one conclusion: the ghost of the dead body in the lake made me drop my keys and is calling me back to the scene to prompt me to call 311.

Back at the lake, I walk slowly, retrace my steps, and find my keys -- right in front of the body. Right where I'd been running up and down the shore while my dog chased ducks. Okay, so probably it was the running that made my keys fall out and not the ghost, but why was I running? Why were those ducks swimming there, at that very moment?

I checked out the body again. This time, it looked less like a body -- not enough depth to the form. Well, maybe a baby, I thought -- would it make me a bad person to say, hopefully?

Yes.

So, not hopefully, but you know, with a strong morbid interest -- and civic concern.

I couldn't even convince myself that it looked like a baby. But I was really happy I found my keys!

I know I've been quiet. I've partly been sick, partly swamped with rehearsals, partly post-packet run-down, not writing much at all, and partly -- I don't know -- doubting whether I really have anything interesting to say on a daily basis. I've been wondering if I should re-envision this blog.

I mean, you wouldn't have wanted to read about my dog chasing the ducks, would you? Or about the lost key adventure, as harrowing as it might have been? Not without the dead body bit thrown in.

Maybe the problem is my attitude -- that I'm looking for excitement, when I should be content with the day-to-day. In truth, I am content. I love my day-to-day right now. And I make that day-to-day as interesting as I care to, as evidenced by the above. I really don't need any help with that.