Mana from heaven

The reason why I'm never terribly disheartened by serialized misfortune in my life is that, true to the pseudo-peasant belief system instilled in me by my mother and grandmother, I'm very superstitious.  I have no patience for "serious" religions, but my love of ritual and magical thinking rivals that of any incense-burning, Celtic-music-listening, RenFaire-costume-sewing nouveau pagan.  Just ask Husband the Lawyer, whose sober pragmatist influence on me has been tenacious but spotty, continually running into walls of willful idealism when capital-C Concepts are discussed.  So of course, when bad things happen to me in succession, I placate myself with the gooey New Age theory that balance will always be restored in life, and that a string of goodness must be just around the corner.  Not saying I'm proud of it, but it works.

Well, after the draining long-distance love thing and the Great Moving Debacle of Aught-Eight, I've been overdue for this alleged "good" for quite some time, which must be why it all rained down on me in the past few days.  First, there was the alchemic transformation of old acquaintance into new friend over a beautiful Pixar film (WALL-E, holla), sausage 'n' beer, and impromptu drunken Twinkie consumption.  Then, there was a Princess Bride Quote-Along, which dropped me into a sold-out theater full of what can only be described as "all my ex-boyfriends, aged 13-20."  There were inflatable swords involved.  Then, a series of mundane minutiae involving work and money I'll refrain from discussing, being as I am all humble and ladylike, but simply insist in passing that they were awesome.  

And, finally, to crown my goodness glory, I spent the better portion of last night playing a newly-purchased Warcraft III.  Because, while video and computer games have eaten months (if not years) of my life, I've never actually bought one.  Shamefully, I was always that proverbial pretty girl user who mooched off the consoles of others, loitering around boys' apartments and dorms at all hours in cute outfits, just waiting for a chance to get my hit.  But now... now!  Drunk with adult purchasing power, I feel it's high time to atone for my adolescent sins and fully embrace the pixelated world I've only loved in short, illicit bursts.  

Magical thinking is fun, but there's something to be said for clearheaded, goal-oriented action done in good faith.  Something that I fully believe is acquired in part by commanding armies of ghouls and orcs.  Consequentialism, here I come!