PRESS RELEASE: AND GET OUT OF THE WAY

(REUTERS) Rumours circulating widely throughout the publishing industry in B.C.'s provincial capital have today been confirmed. Prodigal technician and author manqué Radiant Fracture is returning to Victoria.

An unnamed source within his private staff leaked the news late this morning. Fracture is said to be "resting comfortably." Comments from wellwishers and antagonists are expected to pour in over the next few days.

You heard it here first.

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Or probably you didn't, since I take so damn long to post these things.

I'm trying to think of a good present to bring back to the office. I was asked for gelato, but since I'll be leaving the refrigerated truck here for whoever takes up the obscene popsicle delivery service banner, this is impractical. The bottle of smog that was suggested would be appropriate, but I fear for health charges on my very first day back. I'm thinking maybe chocolate-covered concrete.

It's been a real... a real year. Yep. Vancouver didn't turn out to be the Place-- the rain, oh Dog, the rain. But it made me curious about other places. The best thing leaving Victoria taught me was that there is no Place, just as there's no Job and no Lover -- only places, jobs, lovers.

(Although I can't help noticing that this comfortable portly relationship between my co-conspirator and I bears all the hallmarks of a Great Love. I know people find that amusing when the people concerned are small potato-ish gentlemen instead of tall, willowy beauties of supposedly complementary genders, but that is their mistake, not mine.)

Going back to Victoria is going back to a place I finally learned to appreciate the beauty of after a decade of living there; a job I liked and was actually good (enough) at; and the company of people I adore and who unaccountably don't mind putting up with me.

I'm sorry to leave Vancouver; I liked that it was so hard to be here. I almost didn't leave at all, because I thought-- if it hurts this much, it must be important, and I should stay and see what happens.

I feel pretty good, because I don't think I decided to leave because it was too hard. I think I decided to leave because of the two choices, leave or stay, in the end leaving made the most sense. The co-conspirator and I have a running agreement that if this doesn't work out, we'll come up with a new plan.

So my plan now is to work , save money, and go travelling, and find out if what I feel like I've understood from living here still seems true after I've seen some more places.

Though I'm going back to Victoria, the future seems oddly undetermined. I feel calm. I could go anywhere from here. I'll be facing the ocean.

-rf