I have a blog feature that’s had thirty instances?  Wow.  I’m choosing Severed Hand this week — an ode to psychotropics.  “What is human, what is more?  I’ll answer this when I get home.”

Severed Hand

Big man stands behind an open door
Said, “Leave your lady on the cement floor.”
“Got some kicks, want to take a ride?”
I said, “Yeah!”
“Take your pick, leave yourself behind.”
I said, “Yeah!”

I’ve no fear but for falling down
So look out below!  I am falling now!
Oh please understand I just need, my friend,
A way — a way — a way home

Tried to walk, found a severed hand
Recognized it from the wedding band
Said “It’s ok, do you want some more?”
I said, “Yeah!”
“You’ll see dragons after 3 or 4.”
I said, “Yeah!”

“Understand I’m not falling down,”
I said.  “Look around, the room’s taller now”
I can’t close my eyes, ’cause I see the sound in waves –
In waves — lets me stay calm

If I don’t lose control
Explore and not explode
A preternatural other plane
With the power to maintain

Like a tear in all we know
Once dissolved we are free to grow
What is human, what is more?
I’ll answer this when I get home

I received an email today that began thusly:

Thanks for being a Starbucks customer – but has it been a while since we’ve seen you?  We’ve noticed that your Starbucks Card ending in 3603 has not been used for over two years.  And as of 6/29/2010, it has a balance of over $5.

My first response was “I … have a Starbucks card?”

The email gave me a link to the site where, if I had lost the card, I could transfer the balance over to another card I have, or if I didn’t have another card, they would mail me a new one.

“Oh, great,” I thought.  “What kind of service fee is it going to be for them to mail me a new card?”  I thought about going to a Starbucks and buying a card just to avoid the $1.50-or-whatever.

You know what the service fee is for a new card?  $0.00.  Zip.  Zero.  Nothing.  There’s a gift card with $6.40 on it that I forgot I had and that I definitely forgot having registered on their site, and the company sent me an email offering to cancel the card and send me a new one for free.

I know someone must have run the numbers and decided that increased sales would far outweigh the cost to the company, but I don’t care.  I just got $6.40 credit at Starbucks.  That’s two whole London Fogs.  Bravo — and thank you — Starbucks.

“And the meanings that get left behind.  All the innocents lost at one time.  We’re all different behind the eyes.
There’s no need to hide.”  Marvelous song.

I Am Mine

The selfish, they are all standing in line
Faithing and hoping to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind

The North is to South what the clock is to time
There’s east and there’s west and there’s everywhere life
I know I was born and I know that I’ll die
The in between is mine
I am mine

And the feeling, it gets left behind
All the innocence lost at one time
Significant, behind the eyes
There’s no need to hide
We’re safe tonight

The ocean is full ’cause everyone’s crying
The full moon is looking for friends at high tide
The sorrow grows bigger when the sorrow’s denied
I only know my mind
I am mine

And the meaning, it gets left behind
All the innocents lost at one time
Significant, behind the eyes
There’s no need to hide
We’re safe tonight

And the feelings that get left behind
All the innocents broken with lies
Significance, between the lines
(We may need to hide)

And the meanings that get left behind
All the innocents lost at one time
We’re all different behind the eyes
There’s no need to hide

I’ve come to recognize an unflattering character trait in myself:  I become uncomfortable when someone’s knowledge in any domain is not a subset of my own.  Usually this leads me to study rather than pretend — usually — but, still, kind of icky.

So, if you were wondering why I know large amounts about a vast field of subjects I have no real reason to — something multiple people have brought up recently — that’s the primary answer.

That’s also a bit more than I’m comfortable admitting anywhere.