Amanda,

I won’t tell you not to worry over your mother, nor to break your vigil, though these past few weeks have been an unjust burden. Like the rest of your friends and family, I can hope for the best, and pray that is enough. Neither can I speak for her, though while I remained incoherent and delirious after my heart surgery, I was glad for the company. You’re doing everything right kid, just don’t go overboard.

Side note: all I have to say about the recent elections is: thank $deity for the new era of sweet, sweet gridlock. We’ve finally turned the master valve for the broken water main of our Democracy. I’m not saying the Democrats are the harbingers of change, but I’m expecting the next two years to be blissfully silent, which is almost as good.

“See those things over there?” Sam asked, pointing down a surprisingly pristine sewer tunnel. Shadows lurched and shifted in a rolling mass, not quite yet exposed to the flashlight Sam sliced through the darkness.

“Kinda.” Ben squinted where Sam was pointing. “What are they?”

Well, I’m now all moved into my new apartment and all that remains is the laborious unpacking phase. I’ve got an RCN tech coming down tomorrow so I have internet access, and I’ve already managed to get my bedroom, bathroom, and the kitchen situated. I still have no couch, but I’m working on that, and I even have a small idea of how to arrange the front room so I can keep my preposterous collection of books.Though there are a couple things I’m not so happy about with the new diggs. Here’s a small list:

Isn’t this a beautiful piece of equipment? I did a few songs to ensure full functionality, and it surpassed my every expectation. It’s so sensitive, I could breath on it. The arrows are indented just enough so it seems like an arcade pad. I removed an arrow to see how they were made, and found half an inch of plexyglass backed by felt. Not exactly the arcade design, but very impressive! Underneath? Two genuine pressure-activated arcade sensors. I think I’m going to cry.