I went to Borders bookstore today, overwhelmed by a need to find a book that explains networking and protocols to me in language I can understand. I didn't find it. I did find a book entitled Late Night at MacHack. MacHack is a yearly conference that Darin used to go to all the time. Mac programmers get together, eat pizza, and stay up for a couple of days straight writing stupid, useless little programs called "hacks". (Hence the name of the conference.)
I looked in the Index, and there were about ten references to Darin's name. I checked the first one out: an entire section about Darin. I got so excited I ran downstairs to find a pay phone and call him.
"Have you heard about this book?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm mentioned in it."
I noted he sounded less than thrilled. "I know!" I said.
"It's inaccurate though. Everyone mentioned in it boycotted buying it in protest." (Pause) "You can buy it if you want to though."
Oh, hey, with a recommendation like that... I put it back. But in case you're wondering if Darin does really exist, you can find him in this book. But don't believe what you read about him or anything else in the book.
The Mouse In My Throat is a sensation I've been having in my throat for the past couple of weeks. It feels like there's a bump there, some kind of blockage, although I have no trouble or pain associated with swallowing. I thought the Mouse was some kind of throat infection associated with the flu I had a month ago. The lump went away when the cold did; now it feels like it's back.
I saw a doctor today to get some prescriptions refilled. I mentioned the mouse in my throat.
"Where?" he said.
I indicated by putting my fingers on my windpipe, just about in the center.
"That's right where your thyroid is. This feeling is probably related to your thyroid starting up again."
I was on thyroid medication for a while and stopped taking it...about a month ago.
"If you're still feeling this in a week or so give me a call. It's probably nothing to worry about."
Fancy that. The Mouse is my thyroid. Cool. I still hate feeling this lump when I swallow though.
It's still hot around here. Especially in our house. I see some napping in my future. Here's an important link for you: The World Nap Organization. I love napping. I fall asleep much faster when I take a nap than when I go to sleep at night -- are the two related? Perhaps this is a job for Unsolved Mysteries.
The past couple of nights I've had a terrible time falling asleep, much worse than usual. Part of the reason is that my sleep schedule's gotten all screwed up (I stayed up until 2 and 3 a couple of times last week and then slept real late in the mornings) and part of it is all the stress in my life. I'm thinking about LA. I'm thinking about our messy house. I'm thinking about the nature of anxiety. I suffer from meta-anxiety.
One of the things I do is promise myself that if I can't fall asleep I can get up and write an entry for the Paperwork, but first I have to figure out what I'm going to write. I write entries in my head. I usually fall asleep before I finish, so I haven't gotten up yet.