Susan Senator

Does the crisp, clean air of fall clear the mind of foggy, humid, dazed thoughts of summer? I think so. For I have never felt so focused, so organized. I think it’s because I have a job outside the home for the first time in 19 years. Because of that, there are things that I must get done on certain days because the other days are taken up with working downtown at Suffolk. In between those kinds of house-and-kid related chores there is writing the book and of course, working out and catching up with friends. I have never had to be so regimented, and I like it.

Yesterday I found myself in Peet’s while waiting for a lunch with a friend whom I wanted to interview. I had my new laptop (which I am typing on right now), and I was aware of how organized I felt, watching the time, watching the parking meter, not wasting time with emailing or, well, blogging.

I thought to myself: I feel so grown-up, in a good way. It is all so purposeful, so serious. I realized that the crispness of the new laptop helped me feel that way: the keys are so flat and springy; the new mail program is so finely drawn; the screen has no fingerprints; the color is so uniform. The white, the white, the white, the white!

And then I had it: Serious. Serious. It’s all so serious… My mind, jumpy as it is, associated to “Serious Black,” because Ned and Ben are racing to finish the Harry Potters (ain’t Sirius a sexy devil?). I then thought: Sirius Black... Serious Black went to Serious White…

And then…

Then I was laughing and laughing. My new computer’s name is Sirius White. Sure, it makes sense: serious new life, named after a wizard of dubious background, who had to prove himself and ended up being a beautiful hero, Harry’s godfather. Sirius White replaces Precious, turns up on the scene looking like a nouveau riche, an upstart, a wanna be. But slowly, I am impressed by my new laptop’s capabilities, such as taking pictures, being very fast, and having letters on the keycaps. Perhaps there is something to this new MacBook other than apparent superficially sleek style. Perhaps Sirius White is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, a whole new phase in my life, after all. Maybe he’ll even be able to fight off the Dementors..

Here are a couple of demented Dementors.
Expecto-rate Petronus!