Somewhat guiltily I begin this entry as unanswered e-mails pile up in my yahoo account. I'm on the waxing end of an "unfocused" phase in regard to correspondence. Phases pass me by where being in front of the computer or paper is a "natural" thing (meaning, what needs to be finished/written, is finished) and other times where my eyes/mind are simply unable to work in conjunction. Usually, the unfocused phases are not characterized by any sort of melancholy or malaise; it's just that nothing comes to the surface worthy of expression. The other end of the spectrum is that, at times, half-baked or unsupported thoughts run the risk of being either a.) ridiculous, b.) naive, c.) caricature, or d.) detrimental - I would prefer that none of those adjectives are used in association with my name. Thinking out loud can be helpful, but should be done in trusted and patient company. These reasons partly informed my decision to eschew the monthly update in favor of the more freeflowing nature of the blog. Both the reader and the writer are able to exercise a degree of independence and judgement in regard to what is, or is not, useful at a particular time. Currently, it is useful to outline this train of thought.

Other random bits of news; an exercise to shed useless information and return to a more focused stage of mind:

1. Heart of Darkness was certainly a dark novella. Unspeakable rites and practices, madness, stepping to the edge and turning back, all this and more. Honestly, the background information on the story has proved more riveting than the tale itself.

2. Projects, secret and otherwise, creep towards...somewhere. The oven may be fireable this week, the dance troupe has a performance to work towards, and I'll turn in that water project proposal this week. For real. After waiting for so long to finish it, I fear that it may be a rather anti-climatic moment. Will there be fireworks, or a line of people waiting to shake my hand in congratulations? After many false starts, perhaps naive is an apt descriptor of my thought process. It remains to be seen where all this shall end up; somewhere, certainly.

3. Health: sore throat, the first noticable illness since initiating service. Knock on carabao dung that it remains as such.

4. I am feeling more comfortable, more quickly, in the use of an SLR camera than initially expected. This doesn't mean that anything I've done is professional, or good, blahblahblah, but it is more fun. More fun means more pictures, more pictures is like more practice; I don't believe that "practice makes perfect", but it can help. I do enjoy watching people look through the photographs after they are developed. Few people have serviceable cameras - most pictures you see are dark or out of focus; when they see themselves, or someone they know, without those problems, smiles and laughter are soon to follow. That is fun.

5. It's the rainy season again. Why is it so hot?

6. A gentleman from Solano wishes to play "old" songs with me at a local bar. Old means: CSNY, Beatles, et cetera. I like that. Old is good. We can do old.