7ToF: dispatch from my igloo

1. At some point every winter, I am DONE. I hit it yesterday. I'm like a toddler that just plops down in the middle of the floor and throws a temper tantrum. It doesn't help any that we have had snow almost every day for what seems like WEEKS. The roads are treacherous, you have to tiptoe everywhere in case you step on a patch of ice, I am so over shoveling, whine whine whine. (honestly I've hardly done any shoveling compared to how much Dean has done.) And to top it all off, it's supposed to be -12 on Sunday night. Sunday is March 3rd, mind you. Winter is supposed to be OVER by March.

2. Unfortunately I'm not a weather witch and there's not much I can do about it. Except whine and complain, which you just witnessed.

Moving on.

3. Like some of you, I'm making a serious effort to read more diversely. Fortunately, even if you start out choosing books because the authors are of different race, nationality, or orientation, most of the time you end up reading because they're just good books. I've read some great books by diverse authors recently: Exit West, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, Purple Hibiscus, Becoming, Pride-- all good reads. Let me know if you have any recommendations.

4. I'm in the middle of Colson Whitehead's first novel The Intuitionist and it is like strapping in and going along for a rollercoaster ride. It's a satire based in the world of elevator maintenance and it is as inventive (in terms of language and style) as anything I've read in awhile. The only thing is that I can't quite figure out where he's going with it. But I'm a little less than halfway, so we'll see.

5. Occasionally I hear from people who wish they read more. To which I say, Why? I mean, if you want to read more, great, but if it's just guilt, a feeling that you "should" read more, don't worry about it. There are plenty of books that are a waste of time, and there are plenty of movies and TV shows that are excellent. There's no reason to automatically assume reading is more valuable than watching TV/movies.

*steps off soapbox*

6. One of the main reasons I prefer reading is that I am, uh, hyper-sensitive --i.e., high maintenance-- and if I watch something riveting, it's hard for me to wind down from the sensory overload and go to sleep. TV has the visuals, the music, the sound. Reading is much less stimulating (although I'd argue that it's equally immersive). I don't think most people have this problem, so if you'd rather watch television, you will get no pushback from me. Do what you want to do. Be free.

7. Which isn't to say I never watch TV. I already told you about Doctor Who, and we watch a lot of sports. We've got some episodes of the Durrells on Corfu recorded, and I used to watch Sherlock (will there ever be more episodes?). If you've got some recommendations for calm, fun TV, let me know.

Bye. Have a lovely, warm weekend, and think of us shivering here in the frozen North.

p.s. I published this late so that I could take an up-to-the-minute photo of the snow on our back deck.