"And that is a tidy definition of the absence of integrity."

I have a lot of things on my mind. Life-altering things. Decision-demanding things. Urgent things. Immovable things. Movable things. It's cause for reflection. And prediction. I'm a whiz at the former. Not so much with the latter.

I had a slightly glamorous little photo session today. That was nice. It's nice to be made to feel lovely. It's nice to be petted by someone else's lens.

And it required getting up early and being determined and motivated and -- that nemesis to my secret self -- "upbeat." But it caused me to make good use of my time. And it caused me to make proper use of my printer for once.

I can't deny there is fear in me. Great, nagging fear. Uncertainty. Risk. For some characters, these lead to triumph when faced. For others -- those in red tunics or products of that metaphor -- the results are somewhat more grim.

I bought a number of Christmas decorations from Playmobil in the few Christmases that preceded this one that looms. They are in a great big translucent vellum bag. And that's where they will stay. At least for this year. I might prefer to make a nativity scene out of hotdogs and toothpicks this year. Something that grants me the joy of making it on my own. I might also opt for the "invisible Christmas" theme that has cascaded across the walls of my home for the past few years. It's a happy match of jolly (but not too) and tidy.

This wine tastes foul. And there's a bug in it.