Now this is what I call a storm! I was going to settle down and read by candlelight, but the power just came back on, so I will now obsessively blog. I just spent a night swerving around countless branches, occasional downed trees, and a number of temporary lakes lurking blackly in benighted parking lots. I saw one or two toppled fences, a bunch of unidentifiable objects - probably parts of light fixtures - and one very dazed looking opossum sitting in the road. I had to make several detours to get around parking lots blocked by large, fallen trees or water too deep to drive through. Despite the inconvenience, it was all quite beautiful. Some of the roads were so choked with debris that I could almost imagine that they weren't roads at all. I hydroplaned most of the way home as waves of rain lashed the asphalt. I'm glad I got my car tuned up and my brakes re-fixed (they forgot to resurface the brake drums when I took my car in a couple of weeks ago). I payed for it all in an office illuminated by a shop light hooked up to a car battery. Everybody has been losing power over the last couple of days.

I can still hear the wind howling outside, and the night is lit by lightning.

Earlier, Greg and I (after helping our mom decorate a Christmas tree with pickles and rabbits and other odd things) traveled over the foggy hills to the fabled land of Felton, where we hiked about with Matt before retiring to the eccentric confines of the Saturn Cafe to discuss the upcoming Irr.App.(ext.) show. We're going to make odd noises and people are going to pay us to do it. Who could ask for more?

Then Greg and I came back here and Nathan nearly took out Greg's eye with a Christmas decoration. Despite all the rambunctious activity, nearly everybody in the house is sick. Jen and Lexy have it the worst. I am sending them healthy thoughts as I type, so that they may speedily recover. Lexy, the other night, after watching E.T. (which disturbed him) had a fever dream in which somebody was using E.T. as a croquet mallet. The dream scared him because he thinks E.T. looks "spooky". I wish I had cool dreams like that. The only dream I can remember lately is one where I shaved off my beard. How exciting!

cds I listened to while traveling to and from Felton and dodging tree bits: Shalabi Effect "s/t", Godspeed You Black Emperor! "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven!", Tone Hulbaekmo "Kamma No...", Leif Edling "The Black Heart of Candlemass - demos and outtakes '83 - '99", and Manilla Road "Crystal Logic"

now: Lena Willemark & Ale Moller "Nordan"