The Perseids

About five years ago I went out into a big park with a friend and a six-pack for the Perseids. We lay on our backs at 3 a.m. in the middle of Memphis and watched the meteors for an hour or so. It was one of those sublime experiences that remind you of how small you are, and how threatening and mysterious the universe is, and all those other trite-but-true ideas that run through one's head at such times.

Missed it this year, though. We were moving this week, and it's been hazy and about 250 degrees outside, and so on and so on. There's always an excuse.