Toasty

Coming in to a warm house (fine - apartment) from the chilly outdoors is one of the simplest and most sublime joys available. The only way to top it is to have some toast spread with peanut butter and jam. Throw in a cup of tea and nothing else in the world matters. The more I fall into winter, the more I remind myself of a hibernating bear. I just want to curl up with a book or a video game or watch a movie, eat some snacks, drink hot tea (cold beer works too), dread going back outside and enjoy being inside.

Today was actually pretty warm - I can't believe I live in a place where 61 is 'pretty warm', and I suspect that it may be one of the last warm days of the year. I made a point to enjoy the weather when I was out walking the dogs. Despite my obvious love for being snuggly warm, I do love the cold weather - don't interpret this as a complaint. I am really looking forward to the rest of winter (which hasn't even technically begun). I still have my giant stack of paperbacks (I'm enjoying Lincoln), I have plenty of tea, a full catalog of my favorite winter music (I'll confess here that I have a huge weakness for pseudo-Celtic pop musicians like Enya and Lorena McKennett), plenty of hours left on my video games, plenty of movies to watch, plus the never-ending fountain of Neflix, as well as Bronwen, Lux and Julian. It is going to be a fantastic winter!

Paperback reader

Yesterday we found heaven. A library book sale! Unlike the Orange County library system, the Wake County libraries do not have a used bookstore. Instead, they save all of their old and excess books and blow them out in a gigantic sale! $1 paperbacks and $4 hardbacks... how can you resist? We obviously did not.

The smell is intoxicating - if you like books then you know. Old books, especially old paperbacks, have a certain earthy mustiness, dry and bitter but sweet at the same time. I do see the danger in this: we got rid of dozens of books - perhaps over a hundred - when we moved from Orlando, and here we are, just buying dozens more on a whim. But again - are $1 paperbacks really hurting anyone? I think we have found a new Fall tradition. And I think I'm not done. The sale is going on for the remainder of the weekend. I want to go back!

So this is what I'll be reading through the winter.