to bed and to rise

to bed and to rise

Every night, Torgi the cat puts me to bed by chirping and nudging me until I stop doing whatever I am doing. Every morning, he head-butts me into consciousness because it is time for his breakfast. Zen, in contrast, cannot be bothered. Her whims are her own, not to be shared with silly humans. Right now Torgi is purring loudly while attempting to wedge himself in between me and my iPhone. He is winning.

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Posted on 5 Dec 2008 | 2 comments

grateful for home

Today I am grateful for my home, which is why I retreated to it immediately after work tonight. My relationship with my home is a bit complex.  All of my life I have struggled with the meaning of home and of belonging. Since I was eleven years old, with each parent in a different state, I have felt ties to more than one place. I seem always to be in a state of geographical flux, which may make moving less difficult for me than for other people. I tend not to identify myself with any one place for very long. All that said, I am falling in love with my current place of residence.  It is starting to feel like home to me, instead of merely a very nice house in which I happen to reside.  I am beginning to learn its creaks and quirks; I know where the light-switches...

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Posted on 10 Jul 2008 | 1 comment

bits of tid

bits of tid

People who dispense with niceties used to catch me off-guard. Before my current job, I expected a minimal exchange of greetings before a request for help. I wonder if, as a result, I have done away with my own greeting patter when I am out in the world. It does seem a bit superfluous at times, especially when we are all so furiously busy, scuttling between inputs like crazed crabs. Because of this intensified pace, I become more conscious of how to phrase answers to questions without being condescending or curt. A dyslexic patron today obviously felt quite embarrassed for mixing up the microfilm for 1906 and 1960, and I wonder if my bland “no problem” response was sufficient, or made her feel lessened. I can’t imagine being dyslexic; so much...

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Posted on 10 May 2008 | 3 comments