The reflection in this window confuses me, even though I stood right there and made the photo. Trying to work out where I was standing and which direction I was facing gives me what I call “calculus head.” And of course that name comes from that one semester in college when I had to take calculus. In class it nearly made sense, but when I try to do homework or take a test, it was like I’d never seen any of it before and the middle of my brain felt mush.

However, unlike calculus, which never made sense, this scene eventually worked itself out and now I can clearly visualize what was going on.

Nara Visa, New Mexico
photographed 8.31.2025

PS: My granddaughter Hannah loves calculus. (I know that doesn’t make any sense.) And once we had a conversation:

Hannah, showing me a calculus problem: What do you think the answer is?
Me (starting to feel early symptoms of Calculus Head): Uh, is it Thursday?
Hannah, rolling her eyes: No. The answer will NEVER be Thursday.

So that narrows it down a little bit.