Today my bookcase collapsed under the weight of my books.

For real. I was just sitting there on my bed, and then suddenly, CRUNCHCRUMBLEBLAM!

It was one of those cheap Wal-Mart particleboard bookcases, but had held up for over six months, so I thought it was good. I had tried to put most of my big hardbacks on the bottom and the lighter books near the top (it was a 6' bookcase), but I guess that only postponed the inevitable. The little fasteners holding it together were just plain ripped out of the boards.

Most of my books seem to be in pretty good condition. Some of the older ones got torn, though. *cry*

I'm trying to process this. I'm uncertain whether to take this as a Sign that the cheap cardboard construction that suffices for mainstream America simply collapses under the passion I have for books, or whether my passion has become an obsession that my life is collapsing under.

Either way, let my life serve as a warning to you all!

Sunday (the 20th! My sister's birthday!) my best friend became a father. I went down to Atlanta on Monday to visit them. Say hello, everybody, to the newest member of Dann's family: Aletheia



Isn't she beautiful?

Last night, we had one of our (very rare) snowfalls here in northeast Georgia.


The students responded with enthusiasm and gusto, but the actual amount of accumulation (1" or so) left something to be desired.


Nevertheless, we were treated to some beautiful scenes we seldom get to see.




In other news, I was at a party earlier this week, and the (5?ish-year-old) son of a friend of mine snuck up behind me and stuck a Butterfinger candy bar in my coat pocket. That's awesome! When I get a son, I need to train him to do that.

Well, my first week of the new year was spent cleaning up some ugly messes from last year. It was emotionally draining, but I'm feeling a lot better about it all. Now I can move on and focus on my new semester of classes: both the classes I'm teaching and the classes I'm taking.

My car battery died. AutoZone, however, allowed me to trade it in for 50% off a new battery, which I thought was a pretty good deal. (I saved $30.) Now, I'm good to go.

Last year was a rotten year. Despite having a really good first half (which included getting a promotion), the last half was so bad it more than made up for any good several times over. I haven't had a year this bad since 2001 (and I generally consider that my worst year ever). I feel beaten and worn out. I'm neither excited nor expectant about 2008. I have nothing on the radar to look forward to.

On the other hand, if everything goes right and nothing goes wrong (ha!) I can expect to graduate with my M.Div in the spring of 2010. I'm looking forward to that, of course, but that's too far off for me to get excited about right now.

My car mileage is 183,977. I drove about 25% fewer miles this year than last. Over the last two years, I drove almost half as much as the two years previous. Just doing my part to reduce global warming.