Tonight the temperature dipped to 44°F and the wind chill factor made it seem even colder. The dark cloudy sky is still densely formed, but the rain only came down intermittently. Certainly the looks of it are more menacing than the actual substance. For supper I subsisted on rice, egg, carrot and brie; and oddly enough, they tasted quite good in one setting. Lemon the dog gave one languish look at the food and decided not to beg for it. I am always used to doing things alone, eating alone, driving alone, shopping alone, reading alone, watching TV alone, traveling alone, and on a cold day like today, drinking alone (some unheard European beer) seems to be the answer to everything. Forget what is bothering (the research paper); forget the ennui (life in general); forget what is to come tomorrow (the repeat of today).

Earlier in the afternoon, after returning a few books back to the central library -- it is always fun to borrow multiple books but returning them was never equally amusing -- and finding none of the novels I want to be available, I walked a few blocks outside, wearing the North Face jacket for the first time this season, watching the heavy cloud inching closer and eating away the few remaining clear sky. The sun strobed now and then, but was soon devoured entirely by the cumulus cloud. The air felt a bit stinging cold to the face.

While eating the four-course dinner desultorily, I flipped through the maze of cable television channels and landed on channel 243, BBC America, for the first time. The cold, vapid evening was spent in mild amusement at the eccentricities of Father Ted. Giggling to one's own self in a confined quarter sounds especially hollow if you just step back and watch in silence.

Tags: Trifle, Alone, BBC America, Library