Coming to an end

I guess it's appropriate that as the year is closing change is afoot.

Sometimes it's hard to let go. But what remains is that the only certainty is change. It doesn't matter how much you give love, attention, affection, adoration ... sometimes you just have to let go.

But, 2010 is around the corner and new challenges are on the horizon.

It is with sadness and remorse that I wish the old goodbye, adieu, so long ... I wish you didn't have to go. But I understand it's time. Time for change. Time for new adventures.

And, remarkably, I'm OK with it.

So without further ado, I bid farewell:

Farewell Once-Giant Pencil/Now-Wee Pencil.

But fear not, for I have but a new giant pencil which I am calling Giant Pencil, Too.

The Giant Pencil is dead!
Long live the Giant Pencil, Too.

Giant Pencil update

You may remember (and if you do, I'm so very sorry) back last November, I introduced y'all to the Giant Pencil.

For those that don't (and I'm assuming it's all of you), while in Washington, D.C. in October, my mom bought me a giant pencil from the National Archives to replace my Wee Pencil (why yes, I do have issues. I can't believe you've waited this long to ask). I've been using this pencil every day at work to ... uh, do work and to do the daily crossword puzzle (speaking of crossword puzzles, "deke" is a stupid word).

The Giant Pencil started out 16" long.

Look at it now:

It's now down around 8". It hardly even looks like a freakish long pencil anymore. But I know it once was. And someday it'll be a wee pencil ... unless something bad happens.

I've already had to perform some minor surgery on the Giant Pencil because the eraser snapped off one day.

Just so you know, I can't use a pencil that is missing it's eraser. Really (I know, my issues run deep), I have to keep a separate eraser on my desk so I can erase without having to use the eraser on my pencil.

So, Giant Pencil lost its eraser and I started to panic. Then I found a long pin and stuck it though the top of the eraser down into the wood to secure it. Phew! Disaster averted.

Anyway, now, more than seven months into my usage of the Giant Pencil, it's down to almost half its size. Giant Pencil is now more of a regular pencil ... with a giant pin stuck in its eraser.

I think I need more hobbies.

Introducing the Giant Pencil

Giant Pencil!

Giant Pencil!

I used to have the wee pencil. Now I have the a giant pencil.



My mom bought me my giant pencil at the National Archives right after we saw the Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

I know! We're so patriotic.

And because of that I'm going to chronicle the life and ever-shrinking times of my giant pencil.

Today the giant pencil is 16 inches (for reference the wee pencil is 1-3/4").

Long live the giant pencil!

Saying goodbye

It's never easy to say goodbye, but sometimes you just have to know when to let go.

Now is that time ... mostly because I can't hold on any more.

It's gotten way too small.

And I can't fit it into the pencil sharpener any more.



So today, I'm saying goodbye to my wee pencil, my dear tiny pencil that I've had for many months.

And because the thought of using another pencil is just ... too ... painful, I've decided against getting a new one.

Well, I have to have a pencil (I mean, it's not like I can write on my calendar in ink, can I? Puh-leeez.), but my new pencil is blue.




It makes the pain a little more bearable.

Losing rank

So I wrote yesterday about our dazzling third-place victory/loss at Geek Who Drink.

I was wrong.

We didn't come in third even though we took the prize and spent it on deep fried things.

No, we came in not-even-close-to-kissing-your-sister fourth place.

There was an error in the scores. You can see more pictures from Tuesday and read about how we lost dismally over here.

Fourth.

Whatever.

I'm over it.

I mean who cares?

Look at my tiny pencil.

It's still getting smaller

About a month ago, I wrote about my wee pencil. It was about 15 picas then.

It's just over 12 picas now.
Last time I sharpened it, I had to stick a push pin into the eraser so I could fit it into the sharpener.

I think that fact perfectly describes me — willing to go to extraordinary lengths for only the most inane reasons.

Welcome to my short-penciled world.

My neurosis: The evidence

This is the pencil that I use everyday at work.

It is wee.

It is hard to write using this wee pencil and even harder to sharpen.

No, I will not use another pencil — even though a co-worker gave me a blue-leaded pencil to use ... oooohhhha, blue lead.

I will not be swayed by blue lead.

My wee pencil is just fine.

I'm pretty sure I should go seek mental-health care now.