Chaos Theory

What is Chaos Theory?

Chaos is the science of surprises, of the nonlinear and the unpredictable. It teaches us to expect the unexpected. While most traditional science deals with supposedly predictable phenomena like gravity, electricity, or chemical reactions, Chaos Theory deals with nonlinear things that are effectively impossible to predict or control, like turbulence, weather, the stock market, our brain states, and so on.

I despise chaos. I hate surprises. I detest being taken off guard. My preference is for all things reliably, sturdily predictable and for people who have a solid constancy. That is, amidst the craziness of all our lives, I totally appreciate my friends who are dependably there to throw me a life preserver or two. Thank Bast for them!

What’s gone all chaos factory on me lately? My Internet connection for one. Sometimes it’s there and sometimes it’s gone like a wee plume of smoke in a strong breeze. This is why, as I mentioned the other day, that I’m finally planning to shell out the greenbacks for a laptop on which I’ll install the brandy new Adobe Creative Cloud. I’ve been working with pathetically outdated apps for years now.

I work from home, (doing layout and design) so having a steady, stable connection as well as programs that are up to the tasks at hand is key. While the laptop won’t make my connection more reliable, at least, when it craps out here at home, I can pack up and hit the nearest wifi happy coffee shop.
Yes I’ll be killing two nasty birds with one Mac.

And then we have the people who are, more than anything, Chaos Demons. They can be consistently trusted to:

• Wink out on long held arrangements
• Shift plans at the very last minute as though my time was endlessly flexible
• Just flat out not show up
  and 
• Say the exact wrong thing at the absolute worst possible time

Their lives are spectacularly messy but they seem to thrive on this.

"Have you ever seen a Chaos Demon? All slime and antlers, they're disgusting!"
―Spike to Willow Rosenberg on Chaos Demons (In the episode Fool for Love)

Chaos demons were a humanoid species of demon recognizable for their enormous antlers and the slime covering their skin. In 1998, Drusilla cheated on Spike with a member of this species.
Physiology
Chaos demons were brown humanoid creatures who are able to walk upright and possessed enormous antlers similar to those of elks. Chaos demons were also known for constantly exuding slime.

GodDAMN I miss that show!

In any case, what I’ve learned is this—I may really like the Chaos Demon’s personality (apart from the extreme ditsy bits and the...ya know...slime) and enjoy their company. I may want to see more of them BUT that’s an event with all the dependability of the aurora borealis in July. What I can be certain of is my friend’s high capriciousness levels and plan (or not) accordingly. We’ll never be besties but at least I can appreciate them on the rare occasions that our lives collide.

“In fiction: we find the predictable boring. In real life: we find the unpredictable terrifying.”
―Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Yup.