This is not going to be a long post, at least in contrast to the Christmas post from a couple of days ago. I hope. I never know where my mind's going to lead me, and I'm dangerously well-rested.

First off, a little side note: I'm back in my plain old folding chair. Far, far too much hassle to get the other chair into my bedroom, considering I have to flip it up on its side to get it through the doorway. If anyone has a line on some inexpensive office furniture, specifically a chair that can withstand me, let me know. Otherwise, I'll just save my pennies 'n dimes and get a nicer chair. My old one broke rather quickly, yes, but you pay $35, you get a $35 chair.

Has anyone noticed I'm terrible at the art of the segue?

I was thinking briefly about the amazing way we take technology for granted so quickly. I hear people complain about cell-phone service so much, and how this service is better than that, and they're paying $x a month which is way too much... and I can't help but think back 12 years ago or so. My dad had a truck phone -- yeah, you remember those, a phone which was plugged in to your car -- and to call it, it was a long-distance call. Even though it was a 602 number, you had to dial 1-602 then the number, which was 377-6861. (Of course, that was back before 480 and 623... mind-bending to think back that far, right?) It was some ridiculous amount per minute, and only got good reception in spots around the city. Now, with the way things have advanced... I don't know. Maybe I'm just being picky.

But anyway, I didn't think about it for too long. I'm pretty sure that after a few seconds, my mind wandered to bacon or something else.

Anyone who's been outside tonight will tell you it's BITTER FRIGGIN' COLD out there. I swung by the track to drop off some paperwork in the office, and at 10:20 PM it was 37? according to a thermometer on a lightpole in the parking lot. For all practical purposes, it's the same temperature at the airport as it is at the track, too, so like I said, it's BITTER FRIGGIN' COLD. (Disclaimer: RELATIVELY SPEAKING. All you snow dwellers keep quiet. When, in June, I say it's 95? out "and that's not so bad," you'll be complaining because you're sweating miserably in 81? weather. Ha! Take THAT, humid-climate persons!) It's not like it was a few weeks ago, when I wrote about the odd conditions outside. It's crystal clear out, and the air's light and dry. There's scarcely a breeze, even. It's just... well, you know. And that means it's probably going to be brisk tomorrow, too, which is OK... I've got Apache duty, so I can enjoy the nice weather. So long as it's nice, and not BITTER FRIGGIN' COLD.

I'm happy to report I've almost mastered my stutter. It only manifests itself when I'm nervous, but I've been working on it. Oddly enough, it hasn't been as much of a problem since I started working with Diego after I moved back to Phoenix. Diego's been working for us for a while now, but his grasp on English is shaky at best. My Spanish isn't great, but I can put things together combining what words I know with syntax and inflection and pretty much understand what he's saying. Anyway, in an odd twist, working so hard on putting phonetic sounds to words in my mind has helped me speak more clearly myself since my mind also processes my own speech more quickly, and I can anticipate what I'm saying and form sounds more quickly. And, by proxy, it has helped to eliminate my nasty stutter, too.

The stutter occurs because of another nervousness-spawned problem; I speak too quickly as if I'm trying to fill every empty space with speech when I'm nervous. Basically, when I get to thinking too fast, my mouth can't keep up, and words crash into each other. Tonight I was at dinner, and I was doing a darn good job of spacing my words well, and moreover just keeping my mouth shut. If I felt a stumble coming, I managed to slow down just enough so that the words unfolded cleanly. Then, it happened: Gelly Roll. You know, those neat pens with the awesome-looking ink? Not "Jelly Roll"... Gelly with a G. Okay, so they sound the same, but so what? Anyway, I think the sentence went something like, "It was one of those Gelly Roll pens," and somewhere in there a word got derailed, and it came out, "It was one of those Gellelly, lellegel... uh..."

*shrug* Oh well. I inhaled and started the sentence over. I said I was getting better -- I didn't say I had mastered it yet. I'm not sure if the approach is to speak more slowly, or just perhaps try and not be a big ball of nerves.

Okay, I'm out of stamina. It's sure fun to make these entries. I don't know why I don't feel like doing it more often, but it is what it is. Usually I'm just too tired, and I know once I get a head of steam built up, I'm in for the long haul, even if I start to get sleepy.