Wed Jul 27 - People are funny things. The sheer variety of the human race baffles me and leaves me awestruck.

Does everyone start out in youth thinking that basically people are all pretty much alike? Or was that just something I had in my own naiveté? I can still remember clearly in college, in my great collection of roommates over the years, how I finally grasped the idea that people were all VERY VERY different from one another. I started to see how valuable and wonderful it is when you find your niche, your "family," your people. And I started to finally see the wisdom in those graphs and charts and things that give you a peek at where you are on the spectrum of life and where others can be found.

That's one reason why I keep things like "Myers-Briggs" on my wall at work (or in this journal), and other evaluation tools. It reminds me that there's more to knowing who I am—there's knowing where I am in relation to others that helps me understand the world better.

I say all this because of some observations last night at Lilya's that have been mulling over in my mind today. Her roomie, Nathan (not to be confused with her husband Nate), is just one of those people I meet in life and think, "Wow. He's really different." And this just keeps happening to me lately—I meet these folks, usually lately it's been guys who seem to have this knack—and I think, "This guy is so unlike anyone I've ever met." Sometimes it's because the guy has a very dark streak that I completely cannot understand. Sometimes he has some strange evil/mischievous nature that perplexes me.

And when Lilya and I were chatting, as she walked me to my car, she called me "Lightness" (as opposed to people who carry darkness inside of them). I've been called "Too Damn Happy" and "Effervescense" and now "Brightness and Light." It all just makes me laugh, and wonder why anyone would choose to be dark and brooding. Of course, I don't know how much of my outlook on life is me *choosing* brightness and how much is habit and nature by now, but it certainly is funny when I notice how different we all life our lives. That's all.
* * * * *

Mel was an absolute dearheart today and emailed me to arrange that we assemble my bed tonight. The loft that Geoff built is too awkward to reassemble by myself. And after burning the midnight oil lately and working to exhaustion at work as well as for this move, I didn't have the brain to really see how to build things this evening. But with our independent Saint Anseline-inspired brawn, we sweated and strained and managed to build a loft. Yea us!

Of course I have no interest in trying to move the mattress tonight. I can sleep on the mattress on the floor, no problem.

I'm even having fun actually using my laptop and wireless connection the way they were intended—completely wireless! I'm lying on the floor, on the mattress, typing away and enjoying the silliness of technology. Yippee!