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This morning at work the last law final of the semester took place. That means a little before 9 a.m. there was an exodus from the library leaving no one it but me and a couple of other library staff. There were a few stragglers throughout the day, students who have a take-home final or paper due tomorrow, but really, the library was empty. Tomorrow it will be a ghost town. And so I countdown to my two-week vacation which begins Friday at 4 p.m. And, as these things go, there has been a distinct slowing of time the closer I get to Friday at 4. I could swear that an extra day got slipped in sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning and I keep thinking it is the next day after the day it actually is. Yesterday, Wednesday, I would have sworn under oath that it was really Thursday. And you know, when it finally is Friday at 4 I am going to blink and it will suddenly be 7:30 a.m. on Monday, January 6th and I will be running through all of my library pre-opening tasks wondering what the hell happened to my vacation.
Until then though, I can daydream about all the time I think I have and all the time I will spend wallowing in happiness on my reading chaise while drinking coffee and scratching Waldo and Dickens behind the ear now and then as I turn the pages of my books.
I fear my December reading plan has gone to pieces. It’s not my fault, not really. I have fallen prey to the law of library hold requests. Books I didn’t expect to get for months are suddenly all arriving for me and since they have no renewals I have to read them or not get another turn for who knows how long.
I picked up To The Letter: A Celebration of the Art of Letter Writing by Simon Garfield at the end of last week and have been enjoying it. I wasn’t expecting anything else to arrive until next week after Christmas when I figured I’d have Robert Pinsky’s Singing School. But it is now waiting for me to pick up. Just yesterday Bookman kindly stopped by the library to pick up The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert, a book I wasn’t expecting until February at least. And also there waiting for me was Phantoms on the Bookshelves by Jacques Bonnet.
Bookman and I had to return Cusanus Game to the library before we were done with it and we were both enjoying it so we splurged and bought it in hardcover since that’s what is currently available. At least I don’t have to read that to a deadline anymore. Still, it is not one to leave aside for too long because it is loaded with details that will leave you very confused if you don’t keep track of them. I will be juggling that with all the others for the next two weeks and it looks likely that anything else I had planned to read this month other than The Stupidest Angel and Burning the Midnight Oil, both of which I am almost done with, will be pushed off into January which sort of goofs up my January plans that I have been forming in my mind.
But if these are the only problems I have, then I am pretty lucky.
Now I have to make a list of ingredients I need to buy for the fancy Solstice dinner I am making Saturday and then go over the recipes with Bookman to plan out order and method and get a lesson in how to use the food processor. That makes me sound pretty incompetent, doesn’t it? For those of you who don’t know, Bookman is the cook at our house and I only cook once a year on Solstice. This is because when we started celebrating Solstice together 20+ years ago, he generally always had to work being in the retail industry and all. So I would cook a special dinner. The last number of years he has managed to have the day off and been around to help me chop and blend and get the timing right for when everything needed to be done. This year though, he once again has to work and I will be left to my own devices. He might come home to a beautiful dinner or a wife covered in carrot ginger soup crying because she burnt the pomegranate tofu. The only thing I am confident about is the chocolate cake I will be baking. I’ve always been a pretty good baker. If all else fails we’ll skip dinner and go right for dessert. Wish me luck!
Good luck! By the way..if you haven’t read it already, I recommend The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.
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sarybear, Thanks for the good luck and the book recommendation! I’ve not heard of Snow Child before. Something new! 🙂
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I could have written a very similar post. Last finals over, library staff party today, last day of work 4pm tomorrow – back to work Jan 6th. The biggest perk of academia:) enjoy your time off.
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Diane, yup, academia does have its perks to compensate for the headaches 🙂 Enjoy your time off too!
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We’ve had the same problem this week too. On Thursday evening we were sure it was Friday – though we’re retired so we have an excuse for not knowing the days! I love hearing about your Solstice meal. I hope you report with photos after the event. As for reading, plans have to be flexible I reckon! That’s the joy of no longer having to study – you can read as your will takes you. Can you still remember your student days?
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whisperinggums, heh, I suppose what day of the week it is doesn’t matter so much when your retired! Something to look forward to 🙂 Disaster or success, I’ll be sure to take some Solstice meal photos. Student days? When was I a student? 😉
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In the dim dark past, clearly!
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I’m certain Solstice dinner will be fabulous! Looking forward to the review (& pictures!). Happy cooking & reading during vacation 🙂
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Thanks Helen! I’ll be sure to take a few photos to share whether it is a triumph or failure 🙂
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Looking forward to seeing the pictures. I can’t imagine it being any less than triumphant. And in the event it’s not I’m sure your description of the disaster will have us laughing. Happy Vacation!
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I look forward to hearing about your Solstice menu every year. As you know, I started celebrating with you and Bookman a few years ago by planning my own vegan Solstice menu (although I am an not a vegan; I am a semi-vegetarian, if such a thing exists.) This year I’ll be making Yellow Split Pea Soup with Caramelized Onions, Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed With Wild Rice/Toasted Pecan Pilaf and – because I really don’t like dessert (weird, right?) – a Champagne Cocktail. The soup gets made in the crock-pot and the pilaf can be made tonight. I’ll just have to assemble and turn on the oven. I’ll add a baby arugula or mixed green salad with dried cranberries, and a simple organic apple cider vinaigrette and good olive oil. I can’t wait. Have a great vacation and happy reading! (P.S. The Snow Child is also on my list for 2014. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it). Peaceful and Happy Solstice to you and Bookman.
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Grad, oh your meal sounds so good! Any way I can get your split pea soup recipe? I hope you had a lovely Solstice and I hope your Christmas is wonderful too!
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We’re another household where solstice is always celebrated although because of my health problems it sin’t going to be a foodie celebration this year. Nevertheless The Bears will light candles all round the house and you will be able to hear them demanding that the sun returns on your side of the Atlantic. I hope you have wonderful break. I know how hard university librarians work – you deserve it.
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Alex, I hope you and the Bears had a wonderful Solstice! The sun is already brighter over here. Or at least it feels that way!
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Wishing you a wonderful Solstice celebration! I’m sure your dinner will be yummy. Can’t wait to hear what all you made.
And, isn’t that the case with library holds! I’m looking forward to two weeks off as well. Yay!
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Iliana, thank you! Library holds can really sink a reading plan but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
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All the very best! Do let me know how the cooking went!! BTW – same plans for two weeks – read, eat and sleep. read, eat and sleep, read, eat and sleep…I thin you got the idea!
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cirtnecce, thanks! The cooking went great! I hope you enjoy your own two weeks!
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I was at work until the bitter end, too, so I can sympathize! Now that I read your post it reminds me that I also brought home that Gilbert book…oops, how could I forget? Maybe because my in progress pile is so large, and I have (even after returning two big loads) a number of new library books to look over…. My plans at this point are pretty much in the dumper, too, so will just go with the flow and see what grabs my attention most each morning. Alas, I have to go back on January 2, so you’ll get a few extra days, but my week and a half is nothing to scoff at….. The academic holiday close down is such a nice perk, isn’t it?!
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