Last night there was apparent snow on the hot tub cover and in the corners of the yard. It was very coarse, and on closer inspection, we suspect it was quite small hail. There had been a loud storm earlier that evening. We had an amusing conversation between seeing and investigating, centered on how snow could occur at an ambient temperature of 46 degrees. Engineers experience dissonance when evidence and facts collide, though to our credit we did not deny either.

I was jarred when I learned of the Patriots fan who used the hotel fire alarm to roust the Steelers in the wee hours of the morning before the AFC championship game. Beer and dares were involved. The general idea may have been inspired by the team, which has been Crossing the Line since 1982 (check out Snowplowgate). On the other hand, yourteamcheats.com rates the Patriots near average. Now I am wondering whether the entire sport–all sports?–everything?–is/are tainted.

Today my husband and I switched cars so I could take his to the shop, since I am still unable to work (day 12). Happily it was sunny as I tooled down Route 1 in my yellow Mustang convertible. Me driving a muscle car is definitely dissonance. It’s like driving in bed, because the seat cocoons you firmly in place, and like driving a (large, responsive) go-cart, because the engine makes a nice vrooming noise. Other Mustangs check you out. I felt an unaccustomed compulsion to set the pace for everyone (don’t worry dear, I didn’t).

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s quote, There are no second acts in American lives,  may mean something completely different than I thought it did. In a three-act play, the first act sets the scene, the second introduces struggle and conflict, and the third brings resolution. In the quote, Fitzgerald may be positing that Americans skip Act II. We like to move directly from getting married to living happily ever after. We don’t like the part where we struggle to accommodate each other through compromise, listening, and change.

From the book I mentioned in my last blog, Mistakes Were Made, I was surprised to learn of the dissonance between the pain humans feel and the pain we imagine others feeling. In experiments, when one person strikes another and the victim is allowed to deliver an equal response, the second strike is harder, even when the subject is trying to comply. That’s why fistfights escalate. If someone betrays you and you seek revenge, your response will likely be out of proportion. That explains escalating custody and settlement battles. When someone is rude to me, I’m not proud to say that I often want to be rude back. Much safer to think, That person must be having a tough day, and avoid escalation.