In the surfeit of reality, this Techoxiety, the exponential force with which machines are merging with humans, and even thinking about what books I love and how to study them... I have to take note of things that are real, unavoidably and wonderfully real, things that make me forget about all that's happening and changing and making my heart beat faster:

When I take my dog to the dog park, she jumps in the mud puddles and play bows in front of other dogs so her entire underside gets muddy from the Mississippi water. When playtime's over, I let her jump in my backseat with no rinse nor any towel on the upholstery. She sticks her muddy and slobbering mouth out the window. No one is allowed to sit in my backseat -- caked with mud and dog hair -- but her.

Tonight I'm going to get margaritas and queso with a friend. I do this a lot. Half-price happy hour is pretty real.

The feeling I get when my boyfriend comes home and it's like the day starts all over again. I've done the work day now it's the day when we wonder what to have for dinner, should we go to the movies?, and Dixie, stop licking my mouth!