Good weather is a bit overrated, I'm afraid. Perhaps this is only because I'm a night person, but I'm usually quite annoyed by overly sunny days, without a wisp of cloud in the sky. Or perhaps I need to buy some clothes more suitable for warm days, since blue jeans and a heavy sweathshirt get a bit uncomfortable when it's in the mid-seventies.




I also, however, enjoy a good rainy day, even here in the Valley (where Everything Is Worse). Perfect book-reading atmosphere - early afternoon with a hard rain falling, maybe a bit of wind for noise. While living in an apartment means that a nice fire is right out (though some apartments down here apparantly do have fireplaces), I can still get most of the mood with a mug of hot chocolate, suitable music, a set of sweats, and earplugs.


The earplugs are, of course, because it never, ever really gets quiet in the city. Not even one as ostensibly small as Davis. While the current noise is mostly related to living a hundred yards from a highway, even away from that particular annoyance there are things such as barking dogs, sirens, cars going by, et al. Peace and Quiet have different meanings, here.


A better place for Peace and Quiet ....

... which is a bit harder to get to, but worth the drive. Definitely the sort of thing I miss, especially when I've got a good new book. Or even an old book, an abundance of which are to be found shelved on the upper floor of the house at the center of this picture. A lot of Danielle Steele-esque stuff, but also a lot of dime cowboys by Zane, etc., and a lot of L'Amour. Which just seems to fit the feel of the place; sitting upstairs with the rain beating against the glass while reading one Sackett book or another. And I'm not even a big fan of anything Western.

This is also where I first picked up a copy of Shogun. Escapism, within whatever genre, is far easier in an environment of such quiet, isolation, and separation. I think this is why I found it so easy to get immersed in fantasy - I could immediately after - or during - reading, go stomping into rugged evergreen hills, river valleys, and nestled blue lakes that are such a staple in medievel-esque fantasy.