Drink Rum

Yesterday was a magical day.

It started with a long day at work. No sleep, all sorts of crud to deal with.

At 7:00PM, I headed back into Washington for a farewell party for one of the last of my old crew to leave the White House. It was rather amazing to see so many people from so long ago. Many memories remembered. Some good, some notso.

On a few occassions, I was asked about whether I'd be interested in going back to work for Casa Blanca. There was a part of me that just laughed at such stupid idea. There was also a part of me that still feels that there's some good that I could do there. It's me hanging on to the silly notion that someone can effect change and somewhere there's still a place for someone who'll consistently do the right thing.

I lost many fights while there, but I won a few as well. Things ended badly when I left, but I think things are better off (or at least were) for my having been there. I left the party a bit early to take a stroll. My stomach was a bit queezy and I'd not been able to drink, and once the party got pugilistic I took my leave.

Since I left my job in DC behind, I've held a deep resentment for the city as a whole. It was a constant reminder of all of the things I didn't like about the world I worked in. DC at night, though, had always been a peaceful place. So I took a stroll downtown with my muse to contemplate my reality for a while and maybe indulge in a fantasy.

Having a muse is an amazing thing. I've always heard of great people in history having muses and never quite understood or appreciated what a creative and healthy thing it could be. At the most basic level, my muse has helped me deal with the monotony of insomnia. There's only so much TVLand I can take... although I can say I've seen the entire series run of Three's Company. My muse has also inspired me creatively... I've picked up my guitar again. I'm writing. I've got ideas. I even came up with a new card trick. Two actually... although the second one hasn't made its debute.

During my stroll, I reversed my opinion on DC. I came to the conclusion... a realistic conclusion... that a place is what you make it. It seems simple enough a conclusion, but for me it took a walk and a park to reach it.

If you ever have the luxury of finding your own muse, I strongly recommend the experience.