I have written very little in the way of original work in the past two weeks.

Not that I haven't done quite a bit of writing. I have been very active in keeping various people informed on my location and activities, making observations and recommendations on various aspects of my business, and generally letting a number of people know that I am not, in spite of enthusiastic efforts by a number of people, dead.

In addition, I have been giving critiquement and advice to a number of aspiring writers and poets. I have a great deal of fondness for new writers, and I enjoy helping them get started, although I am careful to point out that one's own vision of what a poem or story should be should always supercede advice, especially the advice of an anonymous stranger.

However, the biggest reason that I haven't generated much on my own lately is that I am just tired. I haven't taken a day off since the "101 days" entry, and it seems unlikely that I will any time soon. The work that I do is far from mindless, but it requires a different sort of creativity than writing. I don't believe that I have lost my edge yet, but I have people watching me, just in case I start to slip.

I would dearly like to write about something besides the Occupation. Lately, when I do actually have dreams, they are about ordinary life events. One night, I dreamed of rain. There was nothing spectacular or dangerous about the rain. It was perfectly ordinary rain, as one might seen in any number of places throughout the world, other than the Antarctic. More recently, I dreamed that I was at a resteraunt, of no particular orientation. I told a child sitting near me that, if he would take a few more bites of some food, about which he was being obstinate in defiance of his mother's pleading, I would do some silly thing. I believe it involved putting pickles in my nostrils and dancing around the table, an activity that I can assure you is not outside of my limited level of dignity.

Where was I?

Antarctica, with pickels in your nostrils.

Yes, I remember now! Thank you. I say all of that in order to illustrate this: I am still alive, I am staying very busy, and I will write something coherent as soon as possible. And when I do, I will be as amazed, if not more so, than any of you out there.