Dancing Around the Four Sides

May is traditionally one of our wettest months here (if not the wettest), and yet this year it was unusually dry. But the first two days of June have been on-and-off good rain. It's raining right now, a heavy, steady downpour. Needless to say, it is INCREDIBLY humid.

The completely ridiculous "winter" weather continues -- it is 81 degrees here right now (27.2 Celsius), and it feels as though it's 83 because the wind is out of the south. We have the back door and windows open, and I've put Layla's bed cover in the wash and the interior bedding outside to air out. If it continues like this (and it's supposed to through at least next week) I'll have to start looking for tomato plants. Which is nuts but whatever.

Finished Rivers of London and ordered the next book in the series, Moon Over Soho. In the meantime I am reading Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, which so far is a terrific story and very interesting. I have also picked up (but not yet started) The Letters of the Younger Pliny, because I was reading an excerpt somewhere where he wrote to a friend asking if he believed in ghosts and it was just fascinating. :D

Well, the fourth day of the new year is bright, but it was cloudy and grey earlier. It's still damp and chilly out, though. Supposedly we have a chance of snow flurries Friday morning. :D

Reading Michael Chabon's Moonglow, and so far it is very good but wow, the narration jumps around (in time).

Have resolved to try and finish some more Housefic WIPs. :-)

What a difference a day makes! It rained for quite a while yesterday morning, and it didn't get out of the 60s (the 15s) all day. It was wonderful. Today the sun is out and it's pleasantly cool. Layla is ecstatic. :D

In other news, I am happy because my copy of the new biography of Shirley Jackson (by Ruth Franklin) was delivered this morning. Really looking forward to reading.

1) It rained some earlier today and we are supposed to have more, but right now it is sunny and warm (and humid).

2) I was reading Black Deutschland and it was pretty good, but I have to admit it was also somewhat ... boring. So I thought, "Oh, I'll put this aside for a moment and read Rabih Alameddine's An Unnecessary Woman, which I've been looking forward to!" So okay, I pick up Unnecessary Woman, which is about the life of a Lebanese woman in Beirut, and I'm reading it, and then I come to page 43. The narrator, Aaliya, is bartering sex for a gun, because her apartment has been broken into. Her partner is Ahmad, who used to work in her bookshop but has since moved up in the world (so to speak) to become a feared militia torturer. ( Cut because squick ...  )

SO. I get it, I know that I'm intended to read this as darkly absurd and ridiculous, a comedy of the human condition. But all I can think is, DUDE, WTF? Dear Reader, I have not been able to continue with this book, and I am not sure I will finish it. I'm probably overreacting, but to me, that is just such a weird choice as a writer to make. :-P

3) I am now reading John Scalzi's Old Man's War, which is at least some decent brain candy.

4) Is anyone going to watch the first Presidential debate on Monday night? The NY Times is predicting "Super Bowl type numbers" in viewership, and I think they're full of shit just don't see that.

5) On our walk last night we saw a tiny baby toad that was about the size of my thumbnail. :D

Five things make a post.

August I am so tired of you plz to go away now kthxbai.

This is the third straight day we have had TORRENTIAL rain. It is like monsoon season or something.

Watched the Tony Awards last night and really enjoyed it -- the performances from Waitress, The Color Purple, Bright Star, and Hamilton were just outstanding.

And ... now the rain is letting up, although it's still thundering. Layla felt the need to come sit in my lap for a little while. All 60 pounds of her. :D

Oh my god so sleepy. I am really hoping the chronic insomnia eases up this summer, when I should be able to quit taking the anastrozole. :-P

But! It was beautiful today -- relatively warm with a clear blue sky. And I got Elizabeth Strout's new book My Name Is Lucy Barton in the mail! AND. I got another one of these wonderful fleece pullovers! They're fleecier and heavier than the women's line, and these winter days I'm always cold (honestly, I think my internal thermostat got reset five years ago). So anyway, I'm happy about those things. :D

I seem to be going through a cranky phase lately. My walking has slacked way off (I'm still walking, just shorter distances). It's darker at night, much darker, and I didn't think that would affect me, but it does. Peoples' Christmas decorations are pretty, but ... it's dark. Really dark. At least the stars are incredibly bright? :-P

Reading Stephen King's new collection of short stories. Two observations: (1) Stephen King should never write poetry (two of the stories are poems), and (2) I was highly amused that in one story, the protagonist is named ... James Wilson. :D

Somehow we have become semi-addicted to episodes of American Pickers on The Hitler History Channel. It undoubtedly means my table in Hell is ready, but I'm amused that apparently there is no Mike/Frank slash fic for the show. :D

Also watched the fall finale for Doctor Who last night and enjoyed it. Eleven will always be my Doctor, but good god Peter Capaldi is amazing (and I still wish The Hour had been renewed because holy shit Randall Brown).

It appears this is the year for a bumper crop of acorns. They are everywhere, and the noise they make when they randomly fall is like someone throwing them at the house or at cars. Also it is much cooler -- the stars are MUCH brighter at night (hello, Orion!), and last night, after rainstorms moved through, I could see soundless flashes of lightning far off in the east. Layla has been invigorated by the cooler weather; given that she's still mostly big puppy, this can be problematic. :D