Only a couple minidisasters have befallen me so far as I scramble to get mentally and physically prepared for my impending trip to the Near East.

• The power cord to my Mac laptop went PAAH with some accompanying sparkage last night. Fun! Dangerous! My computer seemed fine, running on battery power, but then suddenly powered down — now it sleeps in purgatory, unable to wake, unable to turn off. Oopers! Hey, universe? Can you make this better soon? And cheaply? ‘K, thanks!
• The computer went into its coma just before I could copy podcasts onto my iPod. I’m about to get on the plane without my poddies. Fuuuuuuuuck.
• I am reunited with my runaway camera but now can’t find the battery charger, so I am still cameraless. Hopefully the sis known as Annie will lend me some pixels. [Annie doesn’t know that the second I see her I’m starting a campaign to force her to abandon Snapfish and join the flickrhead nation.]
• I am about to go to two verrrry spendy cities with a verrrrry limited budget. If worse comes to worst I will make “spontaneous” suggestions to friends that the most “fun” will be had at Borders, Macy’s, and Starbucks (the three sites to which I have been given giftcards!)

But HEY! I’m off to Boston and New York! To visit the Who’s Who of some of the top faves on the Hambox Love List. Oh, my, I am so excited.

What’s that? Ice storms in Boston, you say? Fun! Dangerous!

I leave you, apropos of absolutely nothing, one of my favorite poems. I feel a little like the goblin right now.

Overheard on a Salmarsh
Harold Monro

Nymph, nymph, what are your beads?
Green glass, goblin. Why do you stare at them?
Give them me.
No.
Give them me. Give them me.
No.
Then I will howl all night in the reeds,
Lie in the mud and howl for them.
Goblin, why do you love them so?
They are better than stars or water,
Better than voices of winds that sing,
Better than any man’s fair daughter,
Your green glass beads on a silver ring.
Hush, I stole them out of the moon.
Give me your beads, I want them.
No.
I will howl in the deep lagoon
For your green glass beads, I love them so.
Give them me. Give them.
No.

Photo: mmm. beads. Originally uploaded by jamelah. Thanks for letting me use it!