October started out great! I woke up in time for the end of a small thunderstorm- a little bit of thunder and lightning, steady rain, and not too much wind. It makes for a lovely wake-up call. I didn’t even mind that it woke me just before my alarm! Thunder is better for waking up than a persistent beeping.

After that, it was onto breakfast with my parents. They were in town for a volleyball game last night, so we went and had pancakes before they headed home. As usual, we went to Sam’s Club, and my mom will ask me where things are there. I never know because I never shop there. I have no need for 600 plastic spoons or a gallon of ketchup. I stop by a proper grocery store a few times a week after work to pick up the few things I need. I don’t know why she always asks me where the granola bars are, and we always have to go hunting for them. Perhaps she wants to get away from me and my Dad for a bit when we get onto weird conversational topics, like today, when we were discussing how to get water to Mars.

We are a couple of weirdos.

We finally found the desired granola bars, and they headed home. The rest of my morning was spent on domestic things, like vacuuming and sweeping. It’s a thriller of a Sunday around here.

Not a lot has changed since my September Summary. Last night, I finally finished The Gift, a collection of poems by the Sufi poet Hafiz. This edition was translated by Daniel Ladinsky, who made the language far more modern and, in my opinion, more engaging than if he had stuck with older styles (Hafiz lived in Persia during the 1300s). If you’ve never read Persian poetry before, The Gift is a brilliant read and introduction. many of the poems are short, and their meanings shine through so brightly you can’t miss them. And they make you think.

“And love
Says,

“I will, I will take care of you,”

To everything that is
Near

-Hafiz

I didn’t really go anywhere last week, though a friend and I had planned to go out for dinner at our beloved Irish Pub that is closing soon, but those plans fell through. We’re going to try again tomorrow. The place always seemed so busy, and it reminded me of the pubs I went to in England, Scotland, and Ireland. But they announced a week or so ago that they would be closing their doors, to be replaced by yet another version of the same twenty bars down the street. Apparently we don’t get to have nice things. Just more of the same old, same old.

I’m particularly grumpy about it, now that I’ve reminded myself of the beautiful little alehouse we loved so much, and how it closed down. The owners of the building sold it so someone could develop a hotel (yawn), and though the old building was supposed to be demolished almost a year ago, nothing has happened. A beloved small concert venue and a charming English-style alehouse closed for, essentially, no reason.

Apparently we can’t have nice things.

Anyway. I’m going to stop feeling sorry for bygone gathering places and think happy thoughts- like about books! I’m still working on All the Birds in the Sky, and I plan to start reading Ann Patchett’s The Magician’s Assistant later today. I’m also thinking about what book of poetry to leave on my nightstand to read before bed. Should I read Rilke, Cummings, Neruda, or finally start on The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar?