The Swamp in Winter

the thought to avoid washington city seems to be commonly held by others right now... i would, and very well could, if not for laziness. none the less, i can drift about this place easily enough. besides, there is more fun in the drive to a given place than the actuality of being there. and inevitably the people whose company one would otherwise enjoy quickly change in attitude until people are cool towards me once more. how does it go? "some think worse of me, others better, than I really am. some will say: he was a good fellow; others: he was a scoundrel. and both will be wrong." still, i realised the other evening that the first part of my life was spent either in ignorance and denial of the ability of others to have thoughts or, beyond that, conceptions of me; the second portion hitherto has been spent ultimately in disregard for any of those. i try not to have opinions as much as possible so as to avoid these things, but more often than not people from time to time will compel me to act or to participate with some limited, constrained sincerity.

so it can be clearly seen that i should be miserable anywhere, and always distrusting of the blank stares of other people.

yours, etc.

kitaev.