february kick-off

We're kicking off the month with one of the best days weather-wise that we've had in a while. Yesterday was great, but today's just been off-da-hook. High sixties, sunny, beautiful skies, birds singing in the trees. I drove with the sunroof down and Mandy blared Local Natives and it felt like spring again. I'm losing myself in this weather, daring to hope that this winter will be mild, giving birth to an early and much-loved spring. But the realist in me, the stoic if-you-will, crushes such hope to powder. History's cyclical, and the cold will come again; but I'm damned well going to enjoy this nice weather while it's here.

Mandy's leaving tomorrow at 10:00 P.M. This is our last night with her at the house, and then she drives forty hours west, taking I-70 all the way to Oregon (or that's my understanding). Last night all the roomies hung out (minus Blake, who was at work, and Rob who's, well, not a roomie anymore; we took a hit losing him): we curled up in Blake's bed and watched The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, since I finished reading the book yesterday afternoon. Mandy made spaghetti, and Josh (Ams' "friend") came over and made cookies, and later in the night Ams made nachos, and Amos and I hung out for a solid while as the night drew to a close. With cool rains rapping on the windowpanes, I crawled into bed around 11:30 and called Mandy K. We talked for a bit, and it was really good, as always. Today there may be some more LOTR in the mix (since Mandy enjoyed the first and showed interest in seeing the others), but for sure there's going to be lots of hanging out. B. Shields and Andy are already here, and Isaac and Amos will be here soon enough. Mandy's making more spaghetti, and no one really knows what the night has in store for us. Tomorrow Mandy and I are hopefully going to get to go to Roh's Street or some other cafe, share one last "coffee-date" before we send her off several hours into nightfall; then things will be different, and not in the way you like.

My windows are open and I've got a candle burning.

I'm going to do a spot of writing and maybe eat an iced cookie Andy brought over.

But, really, I think I'll skip the cookie. Been eatin' awful lately.

So I'll just listen to Local Natives and wait for the "party" to start.

(If you can call it a party)