The temperature is currently -2°F outside. This is an improvement from this morning, when it was -6°F. Tomorrow promises to be in the above-zero double digits. Oo-de-lally.
Windchill is at -27°F, which I definitely felt earlier, when I hurriedly shoveled the walkway and sidewalk and cleared out a spot on the grass for Kirby, so his genitals wouldn’t have to touch the snow when he goes to pee.
Whenever I take Kirby outside today it goes like this: he, wearing his adorable hoodie jacket, and standing in snow up to his chest, looks up at me solemnly (which is impressive, seeing as he has no eyes), as though to ask, “Dude. What the fuck?”
I know, man. I get it. What the fuck, indeed.
‡
Here’s a few things I’ve been up to lately.
Watching:
It’s late December, which means a new season of EMILY IN PARIS has dropped. I wouldn’t say that I hate-watch this show, because who has time for that. But I do derive a grim pleasure during the five hours it takes to watch a season. We watched it over two nights, because while the show is not good, it sucks you in. Despite the extremely stupid and self-inflicted circumstances Emily finds herself in at work in the couple of episodes, on a whole Emily is less infuriating this season. Progress, baby.
Watching the new season also reminded me of the “Emily in Berlin” meme from last year.
Reading:
About 50 pages into Cormac McCarthy’s ALL THE PRETTY HORSES. It’s really good thus far. This will be the third McCarthy book I’ve read this year. I read NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN some years back and liked it okay, but wasn’t compelled to read anything else by the author. Then earlier this year I read BLOOD MERIDIAN on recommendation by my comrade Stephen, and holy hell was that a bastard of a book. Just an electrifying read. After that, I read THE ROAD, which was also quite good (if a bit repetitive at times). ALL THE PRETTY HORSES will probably be the last book I read this year.
Listening:
I finished the last episode of Hardcore History’s BLUEPRINT FOR ARMAGEDDON, their ~23-hour chronicle of World War I. This is my third time listening to this particular HH series. WWI is one of my favorite historical subjects. It doesn’t really get as much cultural focus as WWII does, and I understand why. But the collision of Old World western Europe with modern technological warfare makes for such a rich, fascinating subject, and Dan Carlin and the HH team do an amazing job at telling the overall Big Picture story while all the time pulling in a ton of first person accounts of the soldiers who actually fought and lived. I actually bought the episodes this time since I know I’ll listen to this series again in another year or two.
And Kirby:
Working hard to keep cozy under three blankets.
Published by