This has been a three-day weekend because of 8" of snow Friday. We’re having another 3" right now so, including to the surprising 8" in late October, we have already had nearly 2 feet of snow before Christmas. That is highly unusual and does not bode well for the rest of the winter season.

Next week is a short two days of school followed by a twelve-day vacation. As usual, I have writing plans for the break, although I am sure that family obligations will eat into a lot of them. Still I hope to post the December issue of VoP and maybe even do some research for the nonfiction book.

Currently Listening: R.E.M.’s first album Murmur has been re-released, so this is a good time for me to enjoy their 80s output which was their best stuff prior to their becoming big stars. I truly believe that stardom is a detriment to artistic talent rather than a positive influence on it, which is why you might might enjoy pre-stardom R.E.M. more than their later stuff.

Recently Watched: Yesterday my family and Fei Fei’s family watched Hayao Miyazaki’s excellent My Neighbor Totoro about a Japanese family moving into a rural area where they encounter forest sprites. No American filmmaker makes as outstanding animated films as Miyazaki because he does not “dumb” them down for audiences or children. You should definitely watch one of them.