where is that large automobile?

Do you ever have those moments where you look around and suddenly panic. You think, where am I? How did I get here?
This is not my beautiful house. This is not my beautiful wife.

I've spent today in bed watching Rome, the series. Last week went well, and I've decided to see about arranging my summer there. I think that the exposure to the particular subculture of guides and gatherers will make for good short stories, so I'm devoting myself to all things Italian and Roman to prepare myself.

The internet went down, so I went down the hall to unplug and plug the wifi in again, and when I walked out the door I felt incredibly discombobulated. I thought, "Where am I? How did I get here?" Sometimes I move so fast that I forget my centre. I've lived in so many places, so many countries and languages and states, and careers and people...

Do I have a car? Travel by Metro? By kayak or swimming? Live on an tropical island? A temperate one? Am I living in the mountains with campesinos? In the jungle? Do I fear the dangers of ice? Will I get icicles inside my nose if I walk outside and breathe? Are my neighbours sharks and turtles? Elephants? Grumpy old Spanish ladies? Do I greet people with "priviet" or "salaam aleikum", or "koba kiheney"? "Buona sera" or "Hola"?

I hate these moments, when I feel like physical reality is only a dim illusion, time doubly so. Nothing is real and all may change in a moment like in a dream.

Nothing to be done, I turn to the Talking Heads .

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful Wife
And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...

Water dissolving...and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Carry the water at the bottom of the ocean
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!

And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? ...am I wrong?
And you may tell yourself
My god!...what have I done?

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...