if you have a new computer now, why aren't you blogging ho?

That is a very good question, yo, and I will attempt to answer it with eloquence and embellishment fit for the demand.

I have been working. At work, I have discovered a new aspect of myself. I am anally retentive. I get very IRRITATED when things are not in their proper place or when things do not go smoothly. This is a challenge, because at work, as in real life (work isn't real yet), things never go smoothly or as expected and I must be FLEXIBLE and STRONG in order to deal with the things that pop up in the clear path I'd imagined. Not stiff and unyielding, or else I will break, snap, shatter and stab the people surrounding me.

A coworker was discussing the challenges of trying to collaborate with people who don't know the art as well as you. He was speaking of sports, in order to relate I imagined trying to sing in a chorus of people singing off key. And the word I used to describe both of the scenarios was IRRITATING.

So my daily challenge is to be like a duck and let the water run off my back while I keep swimming and diving. I think of a strong storm and remember that the trees that are always left standing are the ones with deep roots who bend.

I also started yelling at everyone around me before I realised that I was the guilty culprit. So now would be a good time to remember to pull the log out of my own eye before trying to pick the splinter out of my brother's, and to remember that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

In my real life, I stayed up until 2 am last night cleaning and organizing my room. I have discovered the joys of modern life in streaming Internet radio. Have yet to try wruv, that's next. I miss the Sleepy Strange. And Friday brunches with Slomo.

I found two little pen knives that I forgot I had. I'm not sure that i ever really knew that I had them. They are very old and rusty, so I looked up methods for cleaning them. I've always wanted my own little knife, I guess I'm taking care of myself better than I know.....

I found the little rocks that Brian collected for me when he went surfing in New Hampshire so long ago. I looked at all of my rocks, and remembered where they came from. The grey one with the white lines shaped like a door on the side that Soupy collected for me in Dorset. The dark grayish brown one with a greenish growth on it, one of my favorites, from the back hill where Mummy and Papa used to live. The weird crab shell that Isaac collected for me on a strange luxury adventure to Florida. And the wonderful bones. I have a skull that my old vet thought was a raccoon, but I still think it's a cat. The cow vertebrae that looks like a bird in flight. One of my old beaus was very indulgent and helped me fill a whole box with bones when we chanced upon them in his back woods. I used most of them for a mobile that I did bring with me, but hesitate to hang for fear of frightening the roommates... not much made it across the states with me, what did is very special and beautiful.

That is one of the best things about trying to put your entire existence into one little car. You realize quickly what really matters. For me it was special vintage clothes, instruments, and rocks. Oh, and my sewing machine. That took up a lot of room... I did leave behind some irreplaceable winter items, a special piece of furniture, some pottery and inherited tableware, and my book collection. My book collection, even when trimmed down, is pretty obscene. Thank the good lord for Mummy and Papa's storage unit!

And, of course, the illustrious Mister. For those of you who have referred to his highness as "Snaggletooth" for the past few years, you will be sad to know that the name no longer fits as he's lost his last tooth. So now we call him "Gummy" when he's not around.

So that's that for now, hope it's long enough for you, Em. xo