hm, i dunno if you want my response to this one. your writing is as good as ever, but it doesn't really resonate with me. it may be partly that i'm so tired, though. i've been a bit detached from everything lately, working out the steps of what must be done, what must be bought, what must be planned while i'm doing other things. in shanghai i had all this energy, and here i'm just dead all the time b/c of the allergies.