Free association, Free range chicken, Freetown....

It's a brave new world of OtherEnder prose. Tonight, the soul of wit is indeed brevity.

My brother's IM status message refers to "Now, with more red blood cells". You may find that odd.

Finding it odd, you may ask, "Douglas. how do you find his status message?"

And I might answer, with a smirk, "Why, I find it in my Adium contact list".

Regardless, I know the context that yielded my brother's message, but even with context, I find it unusual.

In my contact pane.

I'm your turbo lover,
Tell me there's no other.
--Judas Priest

Don't those lyrics touch you? Touch you, kind of like a medical exam that involves a rubber glove. Moving right along...

I feel like I'm on the set of Rain Man right now
--SL, regarding my behavior at dinner

I forgot a word today. Yes, all of you who know me are having conniptions at the moment. I forgot a word. At dinner.

And I spent the next two hours of my vacation -- two hours I will never get back, two hours that took me closer to death -- trying to recall the word.

Foiled, like a rat, I spent the time trying to remember the word. Failing that, I started free associating.

Listening to me free associate is quite scary, although occasionally illuminating.

For example, speaking of illumination, I discussed Fresnel lenses.

I also got trapped in a little swirl of religious artifacts -- and, related, religious artifice.

SL noticed not only that I was annoying, but also that there are a lot more -phobe words than -phile words.

Doesn't it say something about us that we have more fears than likes?

The word I couldn't remember? Luddite.

How appropriate.