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Location: Work.
Listening: "Woke Up This Morning" by A3 (Alabama 3).

Just finished dropping Peter off at the Alaska Airlines terminal at LAX. He'll be spending the next five days or so up in Eugene, OR with his brother Ike, Ike's wife Laura, their daughter Emma, and his mom. I'm glad that he's getting to see his family again, after not being home for Thanksgiving or Christmas--although, I'll admit a little trepidation at the prospect of him flying. I'm not sure why--we've flown since September (when we went to MI for the wedding in October) with, clearly, no serious problems. However, I've noticed a trend for me to have more concern over circumstances when we're separated than when together--when I flew out of Seattle a day early last January, when he flew to Pittsburgh in July, now...likely it just plays into the fact that I very much enjoy Peter's presence and, hence, tend to dislike not having him around. This enjoyment affects a lot of little things--for example, I'll often choose to sleep on the sofa while he plays video games or writes all night rather than trundling off to sleep in the bed, simply because I like knowing that he's nearby. I've got my own job, my own car, my own money, pay my own bills, etc. etc. and everything else that classifies one as an "independent woman" at the turn of the century, but I also happen to have a huge crush on this boy.

Eh. He'll be fine. In the meantime, I'll be holding down the proverbial fort, although I'm having my traditional yen to go to the desert. Every time I end up with a stretch of time unto myself, I have to fight a massive urge to drive out to Needles or Baker or Vegas, check into some little broken-down motel, and just be. Not really sure where it comes from, but it likely has something to do with my affection for the smell of motel/hotel rooms and the sheer vastness of Southwest deserts. When Peter and I met, I was seriously considering quitting my job, moving to Death Valley, and becoming a waitress in some little diner while I wrote. Many of my desires have changed since then, but it still sounds like a life that would suit me--simple, to the point, and, hopefully, fairly peaceful. However, Peter is not a desert rat, so I'll have to take my sand in small doses. We'll see.

In other news that may or may not be significant to someone other than me, Over The Rhine are playing at Biola University in La Mirada on February 9th. I missed them when they came through LA last year and wasn't sure when they'd be back. I'd braced myself for a long wait, but it looks like they'll be just around the corner in exactly a month. Joy. Now, if I could just convince Cowboy Junkies to come back sometime soon, I'd be set.