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Today was a good day...

Despite the fact that our Oracle server was on the fritz and nobody really knew what to do about it. (Though it magically fixed itself eventually.)

I was playing volleyball with Edward today, for the third weekend in a row. Today, he was joined by his girlfriend, whom I met for just a second yesterday, in name but not in station, when Edward and I were out at lunch. Tomorrow, we're going to play tennis for the first time.

This evening I was at a birthday party for a co-worker. The only other people there from the office were Edward and his girlfriend, and Nolan and his girlfriend. As is not always the case, Nolan's girlfriend was civil and friendly toward me, and even joined me for a few minutes while I was off making friends with one of the dogs (Molly the bloodhound), and attempting to get the attention of Viking, the horse who was two fences away. Shortly before I left, Edward's girlfriend asked me if I'm a bowler -- something about the way I was standing, she said -- and after receiving my affirmative, said I should join her and Edward for bowling.

I realized it was a particularly good day when I was driving back from the party at about 8 o'clock. The birthday boy lives in Santa Ynez, and I was coming back via the San Marcos Pass. That route is on the dangerous side at any time, and the pea soup tonight didn't make it any less so. It has been the case for years that, while driving through such areas (the Pacific Coast Highway between San Luis Obispo and Monterey in particular), that thoughts of suicide often pass through my mind. It would be so easy to just not make that turn and, after the cartoon-character pause, plunge hundreds of feet to my death on the rocks or in the sea below, or just take a header into an ancient redwood tree.

And tonight, those thoughts emerged from the dark corners, and I said No! I have good things in my life now. I still do not have a girlfriend, a boyfriend, or a dog, but I am making friends. There's Nolan (even though it's become very rare this year that I see him outside of work), and WolfDaddy, who has become my friend this year (after we worked together for several years, ending about two years ago), and Edward is coming into the picture (of which I am particularly proud because that is happening solely because I took the initiative), and there is another good friend of ten years, whom I love dearly but have never mentioned in this forum. Life isn't perfect, and I am generally aware that there are many people in this world who have it a lot worse than I do (which the imminent Thanksgiving holiday would remind me even if I forgot it), but I'm happier, on a day-to-day basis, than I've been in a long time.

And to everyone who's into such things, happy Leonid watching!

B5 watch
Four episodes into season 4.
The year is 2261.