GRIZZLY: Hey!

NINJA: Hey, brother, 't's true.

XVL: Wanna let me take over, guys? If you two stay on, this is going to devolve into arguing real quick.

*Ninja shrugs, Grizzly frowns, but stays quiet*

XVL: *laughing* It's so weird, Grizzly, having you narrate your own actions. Kinda pretentious, isn't it?

*silence*XVL: Well, fine, I did ask to take over, guess I got my wish. So!

Things have been a bit weird around here lately, which is the usual case when change looms over the horizon. We were barely getting into the hang of the "Essential Worker" schedule: working six day weeks, about ten hour days, sometimes more. Sometimes, thirteen. And yeah, as Grizz predicted, UPS found a way to cut hours down. But this entire "live at work" schedule had all of us coworkers forming strange routines and relationships, I think. Kique and Cindy started hanging out a lot more, staying crazy hours, annoying the shit out of the rest of the Sort, because we all knew they were milking the clock. But the duo that seemed to get the most under our skin were Matt and Josie. I think they're dating now, and seeing that relationship flourish right under our nose was a bit awkward and odd to see. Which is why Grizz has been itching to update this thing, and why Ninja kept us away from it. Ninja thinks (and I agree, I should add), that this is absolutely none of our business. Grizz is wary because of Beto and Alyssa. He doesn't want a repeat of that, and has made us become much more withdrawn at work. Ninja buries our nose in work, and our ears in music, but Grizzly would keep his ever-critical eye out, and glower disapprovingly. I started taking my sketchbook to work and even our laptop, in an effort to draw or distract Grizzler with some prospective writing, but it wouldn't always work. That's because Grizz was also serving to channel Polla and Yang (and BB and Jack, now that I think on it a bit) who were also eager to vent their insecurities and misgivings about the whole thing. You know me, I'm super laid-back, and as long as whatever Matt and Josie are up to doesn't affect my groove, I'm A-Okay. As usual, Piojo's the one who alerted us to the shenanigans in the first place. Other than that, he's stayed pretty quiet.

Sometimes I get the impression that Josie wants to be our friend, or that she thinks we already are, but I wanna stay away from all that jazz with as long a pole as possible. ("Bet Josie would like that, too. Matt's pole," Ninja snickers. Oy vey! *facepalm*) Of course, BB can't help herself when asked for advice. She takes after Mom in that respect.

Well! Onto other shit: I ordered The Sculptor by Scott McCloud last week and got it a few days ago. It's an excellent graphic novel. Grizz and I really liked it. The background artwork is gorgeous, and Grizzly really enjoyed the philosophical nature of the story. Also, if you're the type to believe in fate, it felt almost destined that we read the book, seeing how it's mainly about discovering a first true connection to another person: love. It helped us observe Matt and Josie's budding relationship with a different perspective: it's been no less awkward, but at least it helps us empathize with their growing feelings for one another that we probably wouldn't have had otherwise. Definitely didn't have when Beto and Alyssa began their tryst. Don't get me wrong: I still share the belief with both Piojo and Grizzler (and well, most of us, let's be honest, I mean, Ninja thinks this way, too) that their romance is star-crossed at best, and certainly doomed to fail, but after reading The Sculptor, I think even Grizzler accepted his role as a mere spectator, and is now relaxing into that idea. There's nothing we can do but kick back, snack on some popcorn and enjoy the show.