Chapter the Next: In Which the Two Manna Convene and Form a United Front Against the Long Dark.

So basically, my best friend and I moved in together. I don't know if we're best friends because of sharing the name Manna, or if it's coincidence. I don't rightly care, I ended up with a kick-ass bestie all the same! Her surname is actually "Manna", and she's considered the Original Manna. My nickname "manna" is a bastardization of Amanda. Recently, through a strange set of circumstances, it has evolved into "St. Manna the Destroyer." But that's another story.

Through a more typical set of circumstances, Original Manna and I are roommates now. I have brought into the mix an inordinate amount of fabric, paints, canvas, yarns, and other crafty bits. Original Manna has brought an impressive collection of books, comics, monkeys, and her (insane) cat, Spaz, who is more like a small, roaming cactus than cat. But that's another story.

We're both still acting very careful around each other, sharing our preferences about food, cleaning, furniture, and the like. Everything's sort of cordial and gregarious, both of us coming out of extremely stressful situations, and engaging in the extremely stressful process of moving with 2 weeks' notice. The discovery phase of suddenly living with each other is still pleasant, which has greatly reduced the stress levels of us both. Neither of us is comfortable enough yet to walk around without pants, but we'll get there.

I was fired from my job the week before the move, conveniently right around the time my probationary period was ending and I had been planning to negotiate a raise. As a result, I was able to get all of my packing ready for the truck! Then I got to drive the truck! Then I got to scrape the truck against my friend's rear-view mirror while parking! She got even with me, though, she dropped my antique Depression-glass plate my grandmother gave to me when I married. We're square, S-----, we are so square.

...

I think I was trying to make a post about what I'm doing now that I'm unemployed, about my future plans, and about the 50-hour long fundraiser I'm participating in this weekend (dielaughingmarathon.com), but it all just got away from me this time. I really wanted to talk about how I came around to the decision to start my sewing business, and my thoughts about fashion and entrepreneurship.

But that's another story.