Hello 2005



As always, when I'm feeling particularly tired or jaded, I turn to Banana Yoshimoto. In this way, I've read Kitchen, maybe, nine times. Always I find something so wise and true that I feel infinitely better afterwards.



This time it was, "Being an adult means learning to live with ugly ambiguities," or something to that effect.



Inspite of ugly ambiguities one had to learn to live with in 2004, one still manages to find little moments - little surges of happiness - in everyday things.



Like when I'm on the train and that line on Belle & Sebastian's Lord Anthony: "You may as well take it in the guts, it can't get worse...Just take it in the guts, it can't get worse than this...," plays on my iPod at just the right moment.



Just today, standing in line at Dunkin' Donuts for my morning coffee, a little boy came up to me and stuck a sticker on my jacket, giving my chest two vigorous pats to make sure the sticker covered up the Nautica logo. It was a picture of a drop of blood and it said, "I HAD A BLOOD TEST TODAY." I said thanks. Later, he came up to me again and said, "I went to the doctor today and I feel a little better." That made my week-end, at least.



And right now it's snowing without showing any signs of stopping. The weather report says 12-18 inches and possibly, 6-foot drifts. Hello 2005.