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Corner of my eye

That would be a good name for a newspaper or magazine column. "The Corner of My Eye". Or "Out of the Corner of My Eye". Or even "Out Of The Corner Of My Eye".

After reading the newest DeLint novel (highly recommended, as always) (if you don't know who Charles DeLint is, I have about 10 different books to pile on top of you and force you to read) (they usually are set in a city called Newford, in which magic is a little closer to the surface than in most places, and normal, everyday people (and not-so-normal people) occasionally meet up with it) (let me start again).

After lying in bed until midnight reading the new DeLint novel, I turned off the lights and started thinking about things you see out of the corner of your eye. You know, the flicker of motion that doesn't make sense. You have three options.

You can ignore it, and start straight ahead. Most people do this. They just assume it is nothing, or fear it isn't, and so don't look.

You can jerk your head around and look at it head-on. Unfortunately, nine times out of ten it's nothing, and the tenth time it turns out to be something totally mundane, which is worse than nothing.

And then comes the toughest option. Learning to see out the corner of your eye.

I'm all philosophical this morning. I don't know why. I just am.

Give me time. I'll go back to being all ookie and wacky and carrot-o-riffic in a moment.

Well, maybe more than a moment.

I think I totally screw up the whole then/than thing. I pretty much just do it randomly. It seems to work. No gunshot wounds to the head yet.

I love used book stores. I went to my favorite yesterday. They find books for you. They're good at it, too. (Handee Books, in Westgate West shopping center, right next to Trader Joes.) Picked up a bunch of stuff. I am happy.