And then lie awake at night until they come back around.

I was attempting to have soft-boiled egg for breakfast but I stepped away and didn't watch the clock and now I'm eating hard-boiled eggs instead, and while slicing it open to view the mildly disappointing results, I was thinking of "chef's salad" and how sadly named that is because no chef worht their salt (ha!) would put iceberg in a bowl and top it with julienned ham of the sandwich meat variety and shredded cheese and half a hard-boiled egg, then wrap it up in saran wrap and sell it to middle- and high- schoolers as an alternative to hot lunch. I don't know why I suddenly was remembering the salad lunch in the cafeteria where I went to shool. Maybe because last night at work I had some sort of semblance of a sandwich that was fried chicken with cheese and diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce on a po boy roll. Something about fried chicken patties paired with shredded lettuce, the latter of which is slightly wilted from the heat, the hint of McDLT 'keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool' combo, reminds of the chicken patty sandwiches of school lunches.

Our coffee maker broke this morning. Add it to the christmas list. DYA and I are continuing the holiday tradition where in lieu of buying copious gifts for each other, we jointly purchase things for the home. This year will be a new mattress (and comforter and pillows). And apparently a coffeemaker. Except, I'm not waiting a month to do that.

I'm terribly excited about a new bed, even though we haven't gone shopping for it yet. My back and neck haven't been so thrilled with this old one for awhile. I'm a little horrified at how old it is and can't believe I've allowed myself to be called a grown-up when I'm sleeping on mattress nearly 10 years old, which would maybe be reasonable if it was some high quality mattress designed to last that long, but I still remember the sales guy telling us it's a great bed that will last for 2-4 years and I thought 'perfect' because I was still in college and didn't anticipate I'd still be using it now, in 2006. Though for 2 years, the mattress was the 'guest bed' when I lived with limenal. I'm tempted to mention the various number of sexual exploits the bed has seen, but rather than it seeming nostalgic or sweet or erotic, it just kinda seems gross right now, since you can't really throw a mattress in the washing machine.

The cold comes through every crack she puts her hand up to

The anticipation of snow is everywhere -- on morning news programs, between radio chatter, in the breakrooms of offices. Not so much the grocery store, as I thought might happen, but that is more Atlanta, where the talk of several inches of snow would lead to the emptying of bread and milk aisles. Instead. I picked up a few necessities like cream and coffee, but more luxury items for the occasion: port wine cheese spread and blueberry bread and chocolate chip cookies. Walking back I think about how the air is the same temperature as a refrigerator so my purchases would stay fresh for miles of walking, not just the 3 blocks home. I think about heavy snowstorms knocking out the power lines (but not the gas, so we would have warmth and cooking) and what in freezer and fridge would I eat first in case it was out for hours on end, and what would we do? I decided I would make a quiche first, with the remaining pie crust and near-dozen eggs and now worry too much about the wilting celery and cauliflower and condiments. Later I would make the chicken that has defrosted in the inactive freezer. We would play games of scrabble by candlelight, then stretch our bodies over each other under blankets to read books and go to sleep early. In the morning if it was still dark, we wouldn't notice as much and I would make scrambled eggs and kielbasa and juice oranges and grapefruits, because all of those things would survive the night just fine, I don't worry too much about spoilage these days, it is too American. Not that I am somehow not one, I just think every small attempt should be made to rally against the expected stereotype of such. Especially when they are impractical and inaccurate, like using antibacterial everything in between microwaving. When the power is out, I will be sad that our only popcorn is in microwave bags, though maybe I would rip one open and make it in the pot and then halfway through remember there's no movie to watch with it. I would drink tea and return to the book. In the afternoon I would take Sophie out in the backyard to play in the snow drifts until we were both frozen and tired and would come inside to sleep. I'd wake up to every light in the house being on as the power returned while I dozed.

As it were, it's still just damp outside. No flakes have begun to descend, all power all over the city is up and running at the usual maximum. Maybe it will begin when I head home. Maybe it will pass us over tonight. After all, it is not yet officially winter until December 21st, so there's still time.