Or are a lot of random shitheads posting to Killoggs lately? And they all seem to be Yanks, too or worse - Canadians *shivers*. WHAT HAPPENED!?!? It used to be that you could have a web-log with all these creepy ethnic types hanging around. I mean, Maine, Quebec? Where is that? What is going on in this country and its northern territory of Canada?

With accompanying apologies.

a random conversation with my new flatmate in a bookstore today:

flatmate: [laughs] my cousin, eric, wrote this book, called fast food nation, and it's --

me: what did you just say?

flatmate: [becoming nervous] my cousin...wrote this book, fast food nation...

me: your fucking cousin wrote fast food nation?

flatmate: um...yeah.

me: eric schlosser is your fucking cousin?

flatmate: yes...do you, um, hate that book or something?

me: no. that book is fucking amazing. that's so fucking cool.

she went on to tell me a million more things about her family. reluctantly -- because in the past people have started crying and flipping out at this news -- she told me that robert redford is her uncle. her aunt, robert redford's ex-wife, makes documentaries, one of which showed at sundance last year. pretty cool. robert redford is eric schlosser's father-in-law.

flatmate: i'm surprised that you're not flipping out about the whole robert redford thing.

me: honestly, the eric schlosser thing is cooler.

flatmate: [laughing maniacally] wait until i tell eric that. he'll be thrilled that someone was more excited about him than uncle bob.

yes. she called him uncle bob.

Friday, the external stitches dissolved and just came out. I pulled my lip down and took a look. S'OK. Skin's healed. You can sorta see where they worked. But I'd have to point it out for anyone to notice. I've been spending my time being quiet. I talk on the phone a great deal where I work. In low tones. Shorter tongue means I have to concentrate on pronouncing things right. Otherwise, I'm mute most of the time. Funny how someone with such a huge mouth got silenced. I view Killoggs daily. I want to post, not just respond. Staring at a blank screen. Blank, blank, blank. Is my mouth the only way I think? Am I that stupid? People pass by my cubicle and always as me why I'm so quiet. I don't want to fuck up my words. I say I'm fine, motion to my mouth, they go away, I get back on the phone and hope no one says "Can you repeat that, I don't understand you." Again, irony.

On the plus side, I can breathe just fine. Which is a good trade-off. I miss all y'all.