Posthuman Blues

I did what I said I would: I took my laptop to Starbucks, stood in line for coffee, and got some Actual Writing done -- specifically, the opening portion of an eco-dystopian alien invasion story that's been incubating in my head ever since I saw a photo of large, anemic-looking insects (or were they spiders?) in Iraq. There are a few touches I'm proud of; for example, the escalating homeless population is pacified by cheap virtual reality gear and accident-prone wi-fi. And city life is so noisy and chaotic that people are willing to pay handsomely to relax for a few moments in soundproofed theme-rooms.