okay. fine.

I got up early this morning and took V. to work so that I could have the car. I wanted to run errands and treat myself to a nice lunch before returning to the mural project. Lunch was supposed to be a date--just me and my journal at the Mysore Cafe. I was looking forward to eating (very delicious!!) South Indian cuisine and getting work done on my thesis at the same time.

But first I came back home to take a shower and get my stuff together when I noticed it was cold in the house. Very cold.

So I went down to the basement to check on the furnace and...

Goddammit!!!

The heats out.

I messed around with the furnace for awhile, but it being nothing that I could fix, I called the landlord. The repair person will be here sometime in the next 7 hours....which means that I have to sit around and wait for him (or her) if I want heat again.

Fuck!!

Ok. I'm mad. I don't know why, except that I am. Frustrated. Maybe that's a better word. I was going to get a lot done today, but now I'm stuck at home. Waiting.

Meanwhile I'm sitting here in front of a space heater in my biggest, thickest wool sweater trying to find the positive in this situation.

This is what I've come up with:

• I just finished a very wonderfully warm bowl of homemade curried squash soup. I put extra cayenne pepper in it to warm me up from the inside, out.
• The sweater I'm wearing is one that my mom knit for me when I was in high school. It's traveled with me a lot of strange places. I once lived the life of a Dharma Bum. Those were good days and this sweater reminds me of those times. It's been a long time since I've worn this sweater and it feels as comfortable as it always used to.
• I have a space heater. Thank GOD.
• I have two heat-seeking cats who are snuggled up next to me. Viscosa has my back and Moonshadow has my feet. I'm covered in cat warmth.
• I can't go paint which means that I have time to catch up with writing a few letters and emails to friends. Being busy all the time has gotten in the way of some really incredible friendships that I would hate to lose. Being home-bound means that I can redirect some of my energy in the form of letter writing. And that's good, because I miss my friends!!!
• I made a latte in my very biggest mug and put extra cinnamon on top. After that big bowl of soup, it is making me feel much calmer. Maybe I'm not so mad anymore.
• It is a balmy 14 degrees f. It could be worse, much worse.
• The sun is shining.
• They're coming to fix the furnace TODAY versus tomorrow. The temp. is supposed to fall below zero tonight.
• I can work on a story from home. Believe it or not, after painting and working for the past 3 days, I actually miss working on my thesis. Did I just say that?
• If it gets too cold in here I might be "forced" to bake a loaf of bread or something.
  
• We'll eat an extra warm meal tonight. Something that requires both the stove and the oven!
• If time, I might even curl up in a warm blanket and read the first chapter of Finding Water.
• I'm burning candles because it at least smells warmer in here that way.

Okay...it's not that bad. This is a better list than I thought it would be.