I won’t bore you with details. This was a broken Xbox made whole again, courtesy of eBay, and in a moment of resolve I posed it as a grand experiment, a concrete answer to a long-standing “What if?” of mine. What if I had easy access to video games? Would catastrophe ensue, or would I maintain some semblance of normalcy? I should probably clarify the television point. The console isn’t just sitting there, like, on the carpet, connected to nothing, after all. I discovered component outputs on one of my monitors when I found the ports cleverly hidden along the bottom of the screen. Sure, 480p is no 1080p, but you know what? It’s enough for me.

Previously I had believed a 52″ plasma and full surround sound were prerequisites for even entertaining the thought of accessible gaming hardware, but clearly that’s not the case. Now, the main issue before me is moderation. The limited data I do have suggests I probably should’ve done this sooner, rather than nurture the nightmare scenarios I’ve been picturing. It’s kind of like how the drinking age in Germany is–what, 12? It takes away from the mystique. Having said all this, if you don’t hear from me next week, send for help. Possibly Hot Pockets as well.

It’s been nearly three glorious years since I’ve purchased air fare. Perhaps it was shrewd planning, or sheer stubbornness, or a generous stay of fortune’s hand, but I’ve never had to fly for corporate reasons. I need to recalibrate my expectations, obviously, to more realistic settings. The gravy train–that’s a vehicle that sits at proper altitudes, by the way–had to stop sometime, but it sure was nice while it lasted.

I need to travel to Indianapolis in two weeks, and the better part of an hour tonight was spent on choosing tickets. One stop, nonstop, travel times, coach, business, every decision contributed to a slow-building headache that was further magnified by the memory of how airplanes smell. Normally I’d fly Southwest or JetBlue, but for this reservation I settled on Delta. Delta. The symbol of change. Poetic.

Gravity, to me, is more than a physical force. It’s a pact with nature that says, “We tight.” Now, breaking this pact doesn’t guarantee punishment, though the thought of potential consequences–mainly to the tune of nine-point-eight meters per second squared–is harrowing. I’m going to this conference, and then hopefully that will do it for the rest of this year. Firmament is simply one of my favorite things. Huge, huge fan.

I spent the better part of this Sunday volunteering, however, in a different manner. A business associate was in the thick of negotiating her comp for a new job, and the counteroffer letter needed some serious work. Five drafts and three hours later, it was still a hot mess, and around 9 PM I muttered “Fuck it!” and wrote it myself. At the time I was thinking about how those hours could’ve been spent differently, preferably on Mad Men, but finishing the letter turned out to be a rush. Why? Because on Monday, the employer responded with a better comp package. There it was again: immediate feedback, the marinara with the meat, and it was satisfying to know the letter had brought the cheddar. A terrible rhyme, too, apparently.

Indeed, the very nature of writing was placed under the microscope. Its capacities. Its possibilities. Some will call it a craft, a skill rewarding in and of itself, a kind of ritual inviolate to be honed in an honest country cabin. I like to think of it as a tool. Not like a douchebag, mind you, but more of a monkey wrench. It can entertain. It can give. It can acquire. Ours is my favorite dynamic. These posts are a way to collect my thoughts, on one hand, but they also act as a single-serving product for you, consumed in secret and probably under illicit conditions. It’s like I’m the dealer, except I’m the one getting the hits. Take right now, for instance. I imagine you’re at work, sneaking a read befor– Oh holy shit your boss is right around the corner! Better maximize Microsoft Calculator and start pounding on your keyboard with your fists. I’m kidding, of course. You can’t maximize Microsoft Calculator.