It's hard to write much about Further Confusion. What happened? Nothing of vast consequence. How was it? Bewildering. What did I get up to? Only a few special things-except for finding, and meeting, and hugging, and snuggling up to, endless people whom I've met and liked in my travels, or talked to online, or loved for years and frequently ( Read more... )

I'm very fond of California ( Read more... )

Here's a photo that brings back memories. I don't remember how I got it, but I know where and roughly when it was. I was staying with raikawolf in California, probably in 2007, and I made the acquaintance of this malamute pup. Look at the paws on him-he may be as big as Mischa in that photo but he's still got plenty of growing to do!


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A wolf stole my breakfast this morning. He was just being a wolf, and I'd foolishly turned my back on my toast and butter for a few moments. There was a clatter of plate and knife on the floor and a scrabbling of surprised paws, but when I looked over my shoulder I saw the undaunted wolf sneaking back in to grab my butter ( Read more... )

I draw up lists of people.

I divide them into priorities: won't miss, would love to see, would like to see.

And then I start whittling off those I simply don't have time to see.

Damn it, this is the last time I ever book such a short trip to California. It's like doing triage on my friendships.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Good afternoon, and welcome aboard Alaska Airways flight 359 to Seattle Tacoma. May I invite you to take a good look outside at the gorgeous hot sunny weather. And say goodbye to it, because the weather in Seattle is heavily clouded, forty-three degrees Fahrenheit [7°C]. Typical Seattle weather ( Read more... )

In the past I've always been to California in the beginning of summer, when the heat and drought are beginning to sear the hills and turn everything to shades of dun. Now I arrived in mid-April and it was still spring, just, sort of: for the first time I got to see the hills when they're green ( Read more... )