Suh-now!
It was snowing in D.C. It does look pretty, but it makes me Grinch-y more than anything—it just reminds me that people around here have no idea how to remove snow or drive in snowy conditions. If this were to last to the beginning of the week, Armageddon would be in order given that it’s D.C. However, I bet you anything it’ll melt by tomorrow. Wee!
But I have to admit that I am in the holiday spirit, just not for snow. Today IP and I are supposed to get our tree and decorations—I am geeked about getting that stuff and putting it up tomorrow. I am starting to gather ideas on what to get my family for the holidays. My older brother is being characteristically cryptic, but I’ll wear him down at some point. My mom and dad are head-scratchers, honestly, but some ideas are slowly coming to mind.
In the meantime, I’ve been doing a bit of writing (short story sketching), applying to jobs, and browsing at books that seem extremely interesting. I’ve been reading more and more about books, e-books, and the impact technology like the Kindle and Nook will have on traditional book printing. I’m quite the gadget-y person (as evidenced by my iPhone, iPod, Forerunner 405, and various other gizmos), but I’m not tempted by the Kindle or Nook. I don’t scoff at it, though—I’m actually quite intrigued to see where it will head. There are plenty of advantages to traditional book printing (Eamon Duffy’s lovely Marking the Hours, for example, wouldn’t work on current technology), but as the technology improves, how will books be affected? I personally love the feel of a book in my hand. I actually have downloaded one book to my iPhone (using the B&N e-reader), but I wasn’t impressed. While I did read the whole book on my iPhone, I felt guilty including it on my Book List. I also ended up getting the physical book in order to get a better look at the pictures within the book, so there wasn’t any advantage to the e-book; all it did was make Barnes & Noble add me to some e-book mailing list which annoys me. On the other hand, though, reading about this has given me some new additions to my wish list.
I had a couple of weird dreams last night, but I was pretty much out from 10:30pm to 8:30 this morning. One dream involved IP and me moving to England for a year—in a total role reversal, he was studying literature for a year while I was studying science and math for the year. I remember walking by different restaurants and looking at menu prices, multiplying them in my head by the exchange rate and worrying we’d be scraping by the entire time we were there. I also somehow acquired a bunny; I couldn’t figure out how to carry it, feed it, and put it to bed. I tried to put it in a cage, but it jumped away from me and ended up banging its head hard against the wall. For a second I thought it had died, but it was simply dazed. I was worrying about money, taking care of the rabbit, and succeeding in my latest endeavor. Hmm.
And to end the post of a somewhat frivolous note: my florist, who is amazingly talented and also a Facebook friend, posted some pictures of her latest work. I loved it and ordered one right away; she’s been doing more everyday wear stuff and I’m loving it all. She’s now making dresses and I may have to get one, too. Luckily her work isn’t terribly expensive; what I bought would cost me probably the same amount at Macy’s. Her stuff is too beautiful and I can’t wait to wear my new item (hint: it being cold is helpful).
Still no need for snow, though. It can be cold, but the snow can leave.
