Good eye, Katherine! Yes, for those of you who wondered, the wooden figure on my desk (zoom in to the left of the computer) is Papa Legba. In Haitian vodou, Papa Legba is the guardian of the crossroads. He stands on the threshold between the seen and unseen worlds, and it is Papa Legba who must be propitiated before any other gods are called. Originally from the West African Fon, he has become syncretized with many Catholic saints (particularly Anthony and Lazarus) and is known as Eshu/Exu in Brazil and Elegua in Cuba. He guards my computer because writing is an act of communion with the gods, and without Legba, there is no communion.