What's Going Down

So, I've been away over the past few weeks visiting family in the cold reaches of Minnesota. (It really is like the artic there. And they talk funny too. You should visit it sometime.) After all this time, I should have a lot of material to post.... but... I don't.

For one thing, I feel really tired. The damp and chill we are experiencing here in the Great Central Valley is nothing compared to soul-numbing cold of Minnesota -or the more moderately cold temps of just about anywhere else for that matter- but it does sort of seep into your bones after awhile. The days are gray and windy, and the nights are wet and cold. It's the kind of weather that makes you appreciate a cup of Earl Grey and a warm bowl of soup. It also makes a good book and a fire more appealing than a computer screen.

In addition, we're in a waiting period. I start classes in my new grad program in a couple of weeks, and we're taking a brief trip down to L.A. next weekend. But right now, there isn't much going on.

I made a new friend just before going on vacation, and I'm going down the pub to join him and a co-worker for a couple of pints in a few hours. I'm rather excited about that. This could be the first real friend I've made here in this burnt land at the edge of the earth. Most of my previous "friends" were really just classmates. We got along well, but my interactions with them always focused on school, even when it was a purely social event. Since I was out of sorts with the program, school talk wasn't terribly fun for me, and I never really connected with them well.

Consequently, my mind is whirring with thoughts of new beginnings and self-reinventions... but I just don't have the energy or interest in blogging much about it. Perhaps I'll rouse myself a little more as the days pass and this new year gets truly going.