i've been getting ready for my bicycle trip. as i think of something i'll need, i put it in a cardboard box in my room. it's up to the top now with bicycle shirts and jerseys, ziplock baggies, a first aid kit, raincoat sweatpants bathing suit beach towel, sandals, little plastic vials of sunblock and peppermint soap and bug spray, and so on. this evening i went up to the roof to test out the alcohol stove my parents lent me. i tended the blue flame, lighting it, adjusting it, putting it out, and heated up a pan of water. in the kitchen i've been making energy bars. two successful recipes out of three isn't so bad. i've been laying off on the bike riding, and so of course we're now into our second week of perfect weather. it's making me anxious, and i sleep in and stumble off to work with no breakfast. now i'm writing to try and settle down enough to go to bed early, do some laps in the morning.
on the subway in the morning and evening i'm reading short stories from bard's literary magazine. this issue is full of stories of the slightly fantastic. like magical realism, but reined in a bit. so many of these stories are about longing and loneliness. it's all very self-indulgent and lovely. they suit my mood.