h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I want to get my tax return in. I'd like to have the money which I suspect is coming, because I want to use it to buy a new bicycle - a road bike. I'm still waiting for a group certificate from the Department of Social Security, or Centrelink, as they now call themselves. New computers are in the works, too, because my father is proposing to get rid of his old one. A few new bits and that could well be the machine of the future.

The weather is unaccountably nice at the moment, with clear, sunny days pervading the landscape. This happy state of affairs is forecast to end tomorrow, so I'd better get some more washing done today - speaking of which... Right, washing on.

I watched the total eclipse of the moon for a couple of hours on Sunday night. It was very interesting, particularly watching the deeper shadow move across the reddened face of the moon.

My bike is serviced (and it's in pretty good nick, too), but I don't really feel like going anywhere. C++ is loaded on my computer, but I can't bring myself to start getting into it. Risottos are there to be cooked, bedrooms are there to be cleaned, articles are there to be edited, love is there to be pursued. I don't feel like doing any of this stuff, and I am nervous about learning so many new things, though I know that all not doing them will do for me is cause me to re-acquaint myself with regret.

Maybe breakfast, and another cup of coffee, would help...

P.S. Saw Sophie tonight - still riding high on that... Succeeded in cleaning some of the mould out of my room, and in doing BodyCombat. I think I'm working my way back up to a full gym load. Sophie didn't stay for long after Combat was over, so I also spent half an hour talking to another woman I only see at the gym, and who I hadn't seen for a while, and now it feels like every woman I know seems to be on to me. You put your mind on one...

Okay. Hi there Baggy Caps!! Now, I've enjoyed what you've written and I have fun posting in places where you've posted, so I decided to stop by.

Since I'm starting this show in the middle here, who is Sophie? How'd you meet her? What does she look like and how's it going?

Just bein' nosey into your life. I won't be at all put out if you tell me to mind my own business. I'll still drop by and say "hi".

Hi!

Hokey Dokey. I've gone back and read about the loverly Sophie and your instant infatuation which sounds more than justified. I also read about your trip to the Emergency Room the other day. I'm glad you're okay.

What are you up to today? Things are a bit slow here at work.

Good to see you, Champ!

I'm not up to much, at the moment. I'm trying to limit my online time 'cause I'm spending way too much money on it, and my connection is way too poor. I'm also trying to get some editing done for h2g2, but it's an uphill struggle - so many 'maybes', so little time!

The emergency room was interesting, but things like that come in waves, so there's likely to be more such stories soon...

Sophie is loverly, and I don't see nearly enough of her to even have any sort of feeling for how I'm doing - but the encouragement is tremendous! How's your love life, incidentally? The last I read you were in the middle of a PMS-related cerebral meltdown over the trials and tribulations of your currently challenged romance. Any developments?

Well, the truth is I have absolutely no idea what's going on with that. One minute everything looks good and then the next it looks as bad as bad can be. I'm trying to remember some things.

1. Just because he's having a bad time of it right now, doesn't mean that I also need to be having a bad time.

2. Just because he's unhappy with life doesn't mean he doesn't love me.

3. If I don't hear from him, it's not because he's not thinking about me. It could be because of any number of reasons, and I can't change any of them.

4. I can be here if he decides to be with me, but I can't wait around for him to decide it. It's time to go out and meet people. I don't have to specifically look for someone new, but I can't specifically shut out someone new if it happens.

5. A card works much better than the phone right now for conveying feelings because he can put it away if he's not ready to deal with it.

6. I'm right, he's wrong, but I'm never going to be able to convince him of that. So he'll either change his mind or he won't. Either way there's kickboxing to be done, work to be done and dancing to be done.

7. The better I get, and the better I feel about myself the better we'll be if we do wind up staying together.

8. I am likely to continue having mental breakdowns. Oh well.

There's not really a whole lot new to tell. I was hoping he would be able to visit in August, but he has to arrange for some gigs, and so we may have to wait until Christmas and New Year. The more I think about it, the better that idea sounds to me. He's got a lot of icky things happening right now and maybe he needs to sort himself out before we see each other again. I tend to absorb and empathise with his misery too much. Basically, I'm working on me, which is all I can really do.

We'll see. It may work out fine, it may explode into a flaming ball of phosphorescent gas.

I'll keep you posted. When is the next time you're going to see Sophie?

I agree with everything you've said here about stuff, with the notable exception of point 6 ()! There is no 'right' and no 'wrong' in this sort of context, I think, but it does sound like he needs to get his act together, in more ways than one. You stick with it, though, you deserve some good fortune.

The next time I can expect to see Sophie is Tuesday, and believe me I'm counting the hours...!

When do you usually see her? Just when you take her class?

I understand about no right or wrong, but in this case I believe I'm right and he believes he's right. That's probably what I should have said. I'm not talking cosmic right or wrong, but personal opinion right or wrong, you know?

It's just being an uphill battle to accept the things I cannot change if you know what I mean. I'm a "hands on" kind of girl. I may whine, but I do it while I'm changing what needs changing. This time, I can't do anything, so I'm going to have to learn to wait.

I hate waiting.

Yup, just when I take her class...!

Yeah, that's why 'right' and 'wrong', particularly with personal opinions, are such dodgy concepts. Acceptance of the things you cannot change is the only way, I'm told, that a relationship can be expected to be maintained, so it looks like the uphill battle will go on for a while yet...! I guess there's not much of a way around that one...

Don't hate waiting. Just wait.

Nope. I hate it.

I'd kick its ass if it had one. *puts on her sloggin' boots*