In My Element

As much as I hate to admit it, North Carolina is a rather big part of me. I mean, shit, I've been here on and off since 1996. And while I can't really stand the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg area, I can't deny feeling a small sense of home there. And, yes, it's no secret that I love Wilmington.

All that said, I love Southern California even more, but therein lies the problem. Over the last decade-plus, my operational network has shifted from the West Coast to the East Coast. What am I talking about? Well, let me lay it out in terms of what I like to call "just desserts."

Okay, for those of you that know, I embarked on a bit of revenge late last year. My favorite enemy dealt me a nice one to the junk, and, admittedly, I'm still reeling a little bit from it. It's really not a big deal anymore, however, and as far as I'm concerned, it's water under the bridge. My favorite enemy was smart about things and made sure she didn't deliver a mortal blow until she was all the way across the country.

Regardless, I tried to get back at her anyway. The problem is that, even though my "operational network" was in place, I was not, and money becomes very important when one is not there to oversee something personally. And, as fight would have it, my favorite enemy took care of my "play money" before she took off. Yes, some of you know of the "other funds" I have access to, but I'm really not allowed to use those for personal ventures.

Long story short, she was smart, very smart, and ultimately the desire to end her was replaced by a strange desire to see her again. Weird, I know, but that's what happens when you work for the government for nine years.

So, in summary: operations intact, funding not.

But, here I am back in North Carolina and the subject of another attempt at being put down. Problem here (for the antagonist) is that I'm here, and so is he. My network is here, and so is he. No more cryptic phone calls to my friends and acquaintances... I can go see them in person. On top of that, I can go see "him" in person. And trust me, "he" isn't going to like that.

Ah, the good old days. Off to war with an enemy well within reach. I am, no doubt this time, in my element, and I can't help but smile a little.

Have a nice day.