Just call me Aurora. Or Borealis. I'm here, shinin' in my new City, feeling peculiarly Northern and Out of Place for a girl who has always thought of Texas as the closest thing she has to a hometown. I don't know my way around yet, we only *just* got cable (internet and TV)---so I've felt completely disconnected from the world---and our house needs a ridiculous amount of work (new paint, new carpet, new furniture, new garage, etc.). I think for the foreseeable future, I'm stuck in some kind of Limbo. Which always makes me grumpy.

Funny, then, that I stumbled on a mood test and, upon taking the thing, was told

You have always been on the move seeking affectionate, satisfying and harmonious relationships. Your ultimate goal has been the realization of an intimate union in which there could be love, self-sacrifice and mutual trust. It has often been said that 'True love is just around the corner' and - if you haven't found it as yet - you possibly soon will.

You are finding the present situation extremely demanding and you're having difficulty coping with it. A great deal of strain is involved and you would really like everyone and everything to leave you alone for a while, just so that you can put everything into perspective.

You are feeling under considerable pressure and you are being forced to make concessions. You are not particularly happy with this state of affairs but you feel that you have no alternative. If you were to force issues you would be left out or completely ignored by one and all.

Recent disappointment has led you to become truly introverted. You are becoming suspicious of everybody and consequently you now feel that you are unable to trust anybody. Unfortunately it would appear that you are curbing your natural enthusiasm and imaginative nature - perhaps this is because you are fearful that you may become over enthused and find that you could possibly be carried away by wishful thinking. You are keeping your distance to see whether attitudes towards you are sincere - but this watchfulness could easily develop into suspicion and distrust.

You are inclined to be too trusting and you feel that you need to be on your guard against the possibility that your endeavors and actions may be misunderstood. Too often you have been taken advantage of and you have been mentally abused. Now you are seeking a relationship which can provide peace of mind, where you can be yourself and not have the need to put on a false front.

Not altogether accurate, especially in the last paragraph, but the second and third paragraphs are peculiarly apropos. (Sev, who is currently lounging by the pool, quite agrees.)

I've had the opportunity to get a lot of reading done lately, though. That's always pleasant, especially when I'm reading something I've put off for a while as a kind of treat...like Robin Hobb's Tawny Man trilogy (the last of three trilogies).

I love her work. I love that it makes me think not only as a writer (which I do whenever I read) but as a reader, too. And her characters are so human---flawed, complex, always learning...and likeable! I'd like to think that someday, maybe decades down the road, my writing will be as good---albeit different, of course, as I have my own style.

Has anyone else (other than сестра, of course ;D) read Robin Hobb? Many of her characters---at least, those in the Six Duchies---have names like Shrewd or Regal or Fool, Starling or Nettle or Verity. These word-names, according to Six Duchies custom, are supposed to shape a person's character, represent the truth of their Selves, or both. So lately I've been pondering what word-name I might have if I lived in the Six Duchies. An idle thought, yes, but it's kind of fun.

Would I choose an animal---like Linnet or Sparrow---or a tree---Ash or Linden or Juniper? Or maybe my favorite flower, Periwinkle---though I prefer the Latin "Vinca" for that one. What about a virtue like Honor or Faith or Hope? (I'd personally like Courage to shape my character a bit stronger.) An attitude---Blithe? A strength---Keen? Or maybe something to do with my chosen profession (ha!) like Sonnet or Verse or Rune.

Any thoughts? Anyone know what they'd want to be called? (And, if you want to go looking, may I recommend a thesaurus rather than a dictionary? Sheesh. I am *such* a geek.)

Bless Robin Hobb for keeping my Limbo-ed mind occupied these past days.... :D

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