secrets to eternal life and a great chimichanga recipe

I started reading Haruki Murakami again. Short stories this time. I just realised that I am missing his most recent novel (After Dark) as well as his very first (Hear the Wind Sing). I think the first one was out of print for a long time because it was being sold on Amazon for about $2000, which was more than a tad out of my price range. Much as I love him, I cannot afford any signed first editions of his work. Besides, I want to read it in the bathtub.

I found it for $16 on eBay (of course it was a reprint) and bought it for breakfast. Now I just need the new one. And I still have a gift certificate for the bookstore from my birthday that I've been hanging on to, saving it for the best book in the world. I believe I will buy After Dark, and A Thousand Splendid Suns. And not sure what else. God, I love books.

Shawn would probably kill me if he knew I was buying books right now when I'm supposed to be getting rid of books to make the move easier. I do have a lot of books I don't need or want anymore, mostly textbooks. But I find it hard to part with novels unless I really didn't like them. I like the feel of books. I like arranging them in alphabetical order. I like having everything a writer has published. It feels complete.

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My mum is going to be on tv. She is being interviewed as a representative of one of the local arthritis support groups to talk about her experiences with hip replacement surgery and about the kind of services the support group provides. She's also going to talk about active living with arthritis, and if there's anyone well suited for that role, it's her. She is incredibly active and I haven't seen her sit still my whole life.

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Tomorrow Shawn is coming home. Yay!

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