Breaking up is getting easier to do

I am planning to break up with the current woman. I am going to wait until a little bit after her birthday (on Monday, the 4th), and then that's going to be it. Reasons for the breakup essentially come down to her cooling off on me way too fast (though things in the beginning were unexpectedly hot, so clichés about candles apply)--she's become non-expressive in terms of both affection and conversation. Frankly, it seems like she's already done dating me, and I don't know why she hasn't called it off herself. Still, it will be nice to be the one doing the breaking up, which never happens with anyone I have more than two dates with. I think this shows an evolution in the judgement and self-esteem departments. The proof will be in how I handle things from here, but right now I am feeling positive about the end of things, which is brand new for me. Three cheers for Ego.

Mucus

Presently, I have a cold. It's an annoying cold because it's not bad enough to keep me drugged up and bedridden, and not tame enough that I can go about my day feeling only minor inconvenience. Instead, it's lingering in this middle zone of distracting illness. Every time I move, my nose runs. If I stand up, my sinuses drain and it runs worse. If I sit down, my sinuses clog and I can't breathe. If I get in bed I have to get turning from side to side so each nostril gets equal opportunity to be clogged and runny. I've used most of a box of tissues and am considering switching over to towels for the sake of the environment.

I am reminded of Yossarian's jaundice: "Yossarian was in the hospital with a pain in his liver that fell just short of being jaundice. The doctors were puzzled by the fact that it wasn't quite jaundice. If it became jaundice they could treat it. If it didn't become jaundice and went away they could discharge him. But this just being short of jaundice all the time confused them."

At least, unlike Dunbar, I don't have to keep falling down on my face.

The Office

I'm almost finished with the first disc of the first season of The Office. The show trades a little too heavily on people being stupid, which is what I dislike about Seinfeld. (I blame Seinfeld for all the sins of our current administration. Americans, apparently, love to watch people be mean and idiotic, so no wonder we get 8 years of Dubya -- one year shy of the full Seinfeld run.) Slowly, but surely, however, The Office is starting to charm me. I think if it focused more on Dwight and John and less on Michael Scott, I'd really love it. I'm definitely going to rent the next disc and see how things progress.