Things I am happy about:

1. Camel Wides. They have the feel of a straw sucking up really delicious soda, soda that lasts for at least five minutes of dizzying consumption.

2. Infinite Jest, which is the most entertaining book I have ever read. This at least suggests (not verifies) that everything Anne says is right. Speaking of:

3. Anne is blogging at her pre-Cayman pace (even if it is more downtrodden information than normal . . . wait, no it's not); and even Scott is picking up steam.

4. The unidentified insects that like to sneak in to my house when I'm not looking don't seem to like going on my mattress very much. They prefer to die quietly by the side of the mattress, where I find them in the morning and shriek.

5. Einstein and Hegel make good sense. Just imagine Kant on LSD-25. (I plan to write my first semester essay on Hegel, and to call it "Kant on LSD-25".)

6. There is a tutor here, Mr. Carl, who went to grad school with John Darnielle. He relates that John was really into Latin literature, pre-modern history, and performing as The Mountain Goats before anyone had heard of him. I am trying to get Mr. Carl to renew the acquaintance, so that John might come for Reality, or at least stop in New Mexico on a tour.

That's a complete list of things that make me happy right now. It accounts for roughly 3% of my time. Maybe 4% if I keep getting Camel Wides.