I didn't mean to stay away for so long -- a week, I'm afraid. But there was other writing to be done, both professional and recreational, and other reading -- and again, both professional and recreational -- and at some lucky moments the writing and reading for both work and self felt happily recreational.

I'm going to ease back into this, I think, with a short list (for my own benefit primarily) of things done in the past week.

Read Nabokov's Pnin for a second time, and groused initially about the title character, who is exactly my age, but who is in enough ways not me. Decided that making a list of books I have stolen (well, neglected to return, really, right?) might be worthwhile someday.

Fiddle-faddled with the camera some more, but didn't produce anything worth posting here.

Decided to include a photo of my cornet on the "Why" page to make a point about an audience, should that page ever find light.

Marveled at a stunning remark made by Susan Sontag in the New Yorker piece I was reading for background on Evan Hunter. About the author imagining the author. But I'll address that on another day -- this is after all, only a waggle entry.

Napped in the afternoon a time or two after the boys returned to school, cocooning myself in Owen's white cotton hospital blanket on the couch in the living room.

Watched the video of Saving Private Ryan for the first time. Not sure I was as impressed as I'd hoped and wanted to be.

Kept the feeder and the birdbath filled. Awaited the arrival of additional squirrels. In past years, three squirrels have quarrelled for space at the feeder. Until Saturday, I recognized only one. But squirrel attendance seems to be back to par now.

Added significantly to the world's supply of drier lint.

Watched the Harrison Ford/Tommy Lee Jones video of The Fugitive, for escapism a favorite of mine.

Caught A Civil Action on Starz, a film that doesn't do justice to the text. The details that make journalism literary just don't show up in this film. Don't know that there's a way to get them to show up either, not in the time allowed by film.

Vowed never to stay at home for so long with the boys without taking them somewhere for recreation and airing/tiring out.

Prepared for yesterday's board meeting at the fellowship. Began the work to propose fellowship sponsorship of some NPR programming.

Experienced a fierce pain below my left knee when climbing stairs Saturday, but by Sunday the pain had abated, and today it is gone. This happened after no apparent strenuous activity other than arising from bed.

Vegetated.

This list -- what I did during the last week of my winter break -- seems more substantial here than it did as I lived it. That might mean that I have omitted many other instances of vegetating.

It might also mean that I am finally rested after relatively strenuous summer and fall schedules.

And today the new session begins.

Another journal to watch:
Hinesight, found in the web log at NakedEye