In the Atrium of iPads all the golden rectangles pulse
with the life I seek for my old MacBook. I see it, don't hear it: wax dumps of
each ear canal are thick with the blended oils of Earex. Arachis, almond,
camphor. Smelling of mothballs then, I open my case on the problem desk. The
grub of my screen, all the dirt of the faithful machine, it is hilarious in
here. Even clean, the specs are laughable. I run a finger over the fault line that
is held together by tape and a sticker from a Thornton's chocolate. The
assistant in his saintly blue t seems genuinely, gently amused. I am too fond
of my laptop to be embarrassed anyway. We try a new charger and Everything
Lights Up. For a power lead, ouch, yes, that's pricey: but for a live machine
and for the union of the internet, oh, yes, a pittance.
There is weather today, I do note it: take a few moments to reckon the size of a cloud (big) and the frequency of rain (sporadic.) Centre of my interest though is a stack of magazines. Not the fashion kind. This is martial arts research. I'm not even sure what it is I'm looking for, but intuition calls loud. A range of old adverts skew some amusement. Contact pants, for example. Pants are not trousers where I come from. They are underwear. Professional contact pants: improved smirk value. But why would a person be likely to purchase a grappling hook and a lock pick set? For specialists and hobbyists only, the blurb assures. Guidance on the pheromone spray that attracts women against their better judgement? I doubt it works any more proficiently than the mysterious potion that defines your muscles while you sleep. But, then: I wonder is some sprayed on this paper? What was my intuition thinking, making this ghastly shout… Tea break time. There's a lot of words...


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