All around us little things remind us of other people or things we need to do. Some people see these things and call them signs, some people call them coincidence and some people ignore them and call them flukes. I haven't made up my mind about what they are, but I enjoy them as they come my way and I cherish the random thoughts or people that pop into my head from time to time.

I have been having a fairly bad week, but tonight was a bit different. It started innocently enough, like any other night one of the guys goes out to get new and novel beer for our wall. I couldn't have expected the pleasant surprise that would arrive. One of the beers was named "Wanderlust," a name surprisingly similar to Wunderlost, a blog that a good friend of mine runs. My mood was elevated as my mind was transported to thoughts of her completing one of her life's aspirations. An island of content in an otherwise tormented week.

I know the similarity in the name is intentional (on her part anyway) but it was still a nice bit of serendipity. Never did I think that there would be a beer, a substance very dear to me, so similar in name to something else very dear to me.

I've entered a digital wallpaper contest at a startup site. I've never tried anything like this before, but there is a possible payout of $100, so I figured it couldn't hurt to see if there is a good response and maybe win some money.

You can see my art here

or you can see the gallery of all the submissions and maybe even vote for me here

When the shit hits the fan its good to know how you will react to dire circumstances. I was tested tonight and I'd like to think I passed, although I know I wasn't an A student. Unfortunately my crisis management skills have been finely honed in the last year and I regret having to put them to use. I handled myself in a cool and composed manner while it was necessary and I offered my assistance wherever possible. I have also come to realize that the police have a very human face to them and they are really can help.

I still could have done more. I helped a friend to make one of the hardest decisions of our lives, but I still left her to take care of it. I should have offered to do it myself, but I was afraid. Even in a pinch my ability to delegate remains intact, though I get the distinct impression that delegating is not always the best choice. I hope and pray that I will never have to look back on this criticism of myself and learn from these minor mistakes.

As for coping, that is probably my biggest failure right now. I had to remove myself once the situation was sufficiently in control and attempt to put my mind elsewhere. I plan to make some calls and make sense of all of this in my mind, but as of yet I have not. I have been very capable of coping with messed up situations in the past and lets hope this is no different. In the meantime I fell back upon a friend, a bit of alcohol and some tobacco. Only one of these things is advisable in a situation like this, but I couldn't help but find them all comforting for tonight.