The past four weeks have held a specific glow. The glow of "This month is magic, damn it, so if things don't go the way I want, THEN THERE MUST BE SOMETHING GREATER THAN MY TIGHTLY GRIPPED NOTIONS OF 'HOW LIFE SHOULD BE' AT WORK HERE. Pretty sure there is, come to think of it.

A lot has shifted this month. I was seeing someone, now I'm not. My income jumped and then plummeted. Then it started climbing again. New friends, new work, new colleagues, new mentors, lots of candy cane green tea, and honing in on what I want next year to look like. Magic happened, even if it was of the small kind.

At least it felt small at the time. Looking back, it feels like bigger things are in motion now than a month ago. We'll see.

Last Bits of Official Magic

Boasting about my pentameter prowess only to have a date call me on it by making me answer a question via on-the-spot haiku. I FUCKING OWNED THAT HAIKU, Y'ALL. Yeah, I had to count on my fingers as I went, so I might be passed over for Poet Laureate next year, but I'm feeling pretty proud.

Plotting Essay Domination

My brain hamsters have a perfection complex. It's a wily combination of ego and stubbornness that gleefully sabotages a whole lot of plans and dreams and makes eating fried chicken in bed sound like the best idea ever. *

* Let's not kid ourselves, sometimes eating fried chicken in bed is the best idea ever. Just not as often as you might want to believe.

Every time you want to do something and your brain jumps in with a "yeah, but...." Every time you stop, not because stopping is the right choice but because it's not turning out exactly the way you hoped. Every time you quit before you even started. All perfectionism at work, man. So I'm going to write a series of essays that takes the exasperating brain hamsters off their wheel and sticks them on the electric chair.* I'm super excited about this, because my entire life has been fodder for this project. I'll keep you posted.

* Too violent? Nah. SAY GOODNIGHT, BRAIN HAMSTERS.

That Time I Learned My Nightstand Was a Waddling Strumpet

One of my first Web Crush Sundays was devoted to Killing My Lobster, a sketch comedy group for whom I've nursed a doting fondness since 2004.

Earlier this week, I did an interview with Victoria about my nightstand. I posted the link on Twitter and soon Killing My Lobster's nightstand was flirting with my nightstand and I don't even know how to explain what happened next.

https://twitter.com/#!/killingmylobstr/status/146679696304775168 https://twitter.com/#!/amberadrian/status/146680143153332224 https://twitter.com/#!/amberadrian/status/146680381838598144 https://twitter.com/#!/killingmylobstr/status/146684143407865856 https://twitter.com/#!/amberadrian/status/146692594078982144 https://twitter.com/#!/killingmylobstr/status/146696047144599553 https://twitter.com/#!/amberadrian/status/146708017503682561

I think it's safe to assume that Timmy and Betty are busy making beautiful ottoman babies.

Leaving You With Words From Roald Dahl, Who Is The Most Magical Of Them All

And above all watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.