Hammocks and Notebooks.
Did I mention that Daniel went shopping for a tent & sleeping bag last weekend and he came home with a hammock? He strung it up on the porch, and after dropping me rather unexpectedly, it's now quite secure. I rocked gently in it's comfy, cozy purple folds while finishing The Spine of the World by R.A. Salvatore. The man is such a deft writer, and it's people like him that make me believe so much more fantasy/sci-fi ought to be seriously considered literature fit for English classes. I especially enjoyed his redemption of Wulfgar and Drizzt's thoughts on the nature of community.
I finally made it to Barnes and Noble last night. It's rather out of the way and it's been on my to do list for a long time. Last year my Aunt Jennifer gave me a giftcard to the place that I still hadn't spent. Recently it became fairly urgent for me to do so, since I have only about a page and a half left in my old one. I'm really picky about notebooks. I hate having lines in them because sometimes I like adumbrating my notes or writing sideways, and lines in the middle of either are limiting and icky. I was feelng a little discouraged, when I found an adequate one, although red isn't my favorite color. And then I saw it! The same model of notebook as my old one, right down to the green cover, although the green is still vibrant from it's being so new. I was delighted, because I knew I was going to miss the one I have. It just has such a great feel to it.
Bookstores are most Dangerous places for me. I'm like a kid in a candyshop with only a dollar to spend... too many choices, not enough buying power. After my notebook i had a nice bit to spend still. I wandered around Sci-fi/fantasy and had about 20 things pop out at me. Looked for Nichiren in the Buddhism section, checked out Architecture and realized those would all be 30 to 50 books, looked over Gardening and wasn't thrilled by the vagueness of the section. Thumbed a Sex section book or two, wasn't hooked. . Skipped Lit altogether. Ended up back in Sci-Fi. After much deliberation, settled on The Silmarillion for me and Kushiel's Chosen for Daniel. Reading for the plane. Been meaning to read the Silmarillion forever, both of us looking forward to Kushiel's Chosen.