Liminal Thoughts...

Starting out New Year's Day at an airport. I'm figuring there's a reasonable chance I'll wind up spending the night in one, though I haven't heard any real problems with travel thus far (still, it's only 6:30 in the morning).

The trip home's been about as good as it can go. Last night, my mother mad the mad rush to clear things out of the DVR she wanted me to see, including a dog doing tricks on Oprah. I've managed to keep my wits about me most of the trip - one snap at my brother two nights ago being the only moment I can think of - and so I was fairly glad to have been able to simply leave the room.

It's hard to think positively about 2010. I've got two relatives with major health problems, the one with the worse bout of them refusing to - and in some ways not in the best position to - follow the most important of doctor's orders. I should probably worry a bit that two of my relatives have pulled me aside to explain the rules of bereavement fairs.

And still, it's a New Year, and there are things to be thankful for: the new job, the new city, friends, family. I guess this is probably one of those moments where you have to keep repeating it.

Desires

I don't have much to say at the moment. Life's quiet, midterms have concluded, I've had two days of guest speakers, the weather is near perfect, and I sent three more applications out. This is not to suggest that life is perfect, but it is at the very least even-keeled.

And so, in light of this, I'll offer my list of desires that would push these things closer to perfect to the Universe for consideration.

• it wouldn't be so bad to have backing singers and a surf drummer to accompany me (or someone around me) at appropriate moments throughout the day
• one week where there wasn't some sort of IT or university organizational snafu
• the books I need to choose from for next term to arrive
• more visits from friends with funny wedding stories (okay, the wedding stories thing isn't a deal breaker)
• the cost of the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins to return to their normal prices
• one more week of weather like today's
• a clear sign about whether to attend a costume party over the weekend or not (and if the sign says yes, it would be really helpful if it also pointed me to a costume)
• two days of comfort that I'm not an academic fraud for failing to publish more
• for someone to understand my fixation on "Art Star" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  

Universe, do with these things what you will.