Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"There is no more Hell. All the demons are in the shopping malls." -- misia, on "Black Friday", 2003-11-28.

(For non-US readers: "Black Friday" is the day after Thanksgiving, which is considered the start of the Christmas shopping period by retailers and economists.)

Got a lot in my head, a lot to do, a lot in the way ... so less is getting written than I'd like. Gotta go brave rush hour to help my brother study for his math final. Had to deal with an overdue bill crisis earlier. Looks like certain problems are getting solved and/or reduced; now to try to not let new problems pile on, y'know? Doing better emotionally; still wince at certain reminders, but definitely doing better.

When I posted about my gear being stolen, I talked about the idea of giving up. Folks told me not to, but I wasn't really ready to process that at first ... after a few more days, those messages started to really register. And despite the fact that "I lost" equipment that had come my way from people wanting to help me get started in the first place was triggering feelings of shame, and my fear that if something else happens after I accept offerred equipment I'll feel even worse, I did realize that I should take the number of offers of help as an omen: a sign that I should not give up. And well-timed private email threw a few more memes into the mix.

So I'm not giving up, though I might be a little tentative while I get used to looking at cameras and lenses without being immediately reminded of what was stolen. And I'll be taking people up on their offers of hand-me-down cameras and similar gifts. And I'll get around to replying to those comments. Thank you all; the ones who offered help, the ones who asked how to help, the ones who offered encouragement, and the one who "merely" offered sympathy.

But for this instant, I need to get organized and get down to Bowie to discuss logarithms, and later I'll be at Thrir Venstri Foetr rehearsal. So I'll be in touch with folks late tonight or sometime tomorrow.