Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

Honest, I'm still breathing.

A year or two ago, a bandmate mentioned that one nice thing about my posting daily to LiveJournal was that they knew no fell fate had befallen me because they could see I was well enough to write. That's when I explained that the cron daemon posts the quote of the day for me whether I'm awake at 5:25 AM or not, and that I had a file with a whole mess of quotes queu4ed up. At the time I think I had something like a four month buffer (at the moment I've got quotes lined up through the penultimate day of August, then about a third of September sprinkled randomly through the month). That bandmate or another who'd been nearby enough to hear said, "You mean if you dropped dead tomorrow, we wouldn't be able to tell from your journal for weeks or months?"

Uh, yeah. And since I haven't posted anything by hand in, er, a week and a half (I wrote something in note_to_cat on the 9th, I think), not counting comments in other people's journals (mostly guitar-shopping advice, but I've fallen behind even there), I figured I'd probably better poke my nose above the water, take a breath, and wave hello.

Hello!

I've been, by turns: busy, failing to sleep, sleeping a whole lot at odd times when my body tries to make up for a week of insomnia in one day of hypersomnia (done that drill thrice lately, so far), feeling guilty about not doing some things on my to-do list and failing to 'give myself permission' to 'goof off' by putting attention into composing and editing LJ entries, busy, not feeling well because of fibromyalgia randomness, not feeling well because of the bloody hot weather, or out of the house and away from the keyboard. Somehow the week or two got away from me while I was over-focussed on stress-objects.

I continue to forget about (more meaningful than this) journal entry ideas just a smidgen more slowly than new ideas come to mind, so I'm still carrying a stack of "hey, I should write about..." notes in my head for when I finally feel I can sit down and pound them out. But not tonight -- it feels like this might be one of the nights I get to sleep at my sleeptime (wish me luck). I've also got news to report, most of it trivial but one of the trivial bits probably interesting to folks (but I'm gonna wait until I have pictures accessible before I write that up).

Fat lot of good all those 'great' topic ideas will do me if I never sit long enough to put 'em in coherent form. U'll try to get something more interesting than a 'state of the Me' entry posted before Pennsic. (Oh, I have so many preparations to handle before War ...)

But for now, just a reassuring wave to the not-small percentage of my friends (RL and LJ) who worry when they haven't heard from me: I'm not dead yet (oh yeah, right -- one of the essays I was planning to write was about re-watching Monty Python after so long, and what I've been noticing). And Perrine seems to be fine except for the heat -- every so often she sits between me and the computer and complains without giving any indication what she's complaining about/asking for. (Maybe she's bitching about the temperature?) She has an awful lot of fur for this weather. She spends a lot of time stretched out on the coolest patch of floor in the house, which moves from spot to spot over the course of a day.

Now wish me luck on the staying-asleep-longer-than-an-hour trick I'm about to attempt.

Anonymous, oft-forwarded, admittedly sappy email (usually misattributed to someone famous):

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Acheivements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.