the sudden realization of being forced into the desert and mountain topography less than a year from now, set solidly in a foundation of bones and gravel, is a little surprising. the fact that i have to be there for a 12-month time period makes that realization even moreso.

it's so strange, leaving for so long and knowing that when you return, you'll think that nothing has changed, but it has. your acquaintances are no longer used to your company, and you simply do not care because you no longer belong there, anyway. yet people live on. follishly sometimes, but in a routine that people are just as unhappy to remove than to manifest some sort of variation to them. when you're stuck in a rut, it's hard to get out unless someone moves you.