Lassitude

Lassitude: Weariness of mind or body from strain or oppressive climate.  Well ok, ok I haven't really been suffering from lassitude due to an oppressive climate.  Rather the opposite, I've been suffering from laziness in writing due to the oppressive climate.

                                 

With the horrible weather (note the gale force winds sweeping by my feet) I've been feeling all well...rather not depressed.

                                     

Just look at these fish that I caught! And here, look at how happy my dog skiing along Archangel in Hatcher Pass:

                                       

What can bring me back to writing?  Well only THIS

                                     

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What are they?  Why book vending machines in Paris and Spain!  How fantastic is that?  You can just go and pick up a little something to read.  Apparantly the Spanish like Victoria Holt but who cares! This is really great.  It means that people are still reading. Not only that but enough people are reading that books are doing well in vending machines!  I'm eagarly awaiting the time when I'll see them in airports.  Wouldn't that be perfect?  It's certainly not the first thing other than soda and candy to be put in a vending machine. The Parisians have access to toliet paper, and even carnations in their vending machines.  A friend of mine told me about these which are "kerplunking culture." And then there's this company which makes a machine that prints just about any book you want while you wait.  It takes about 9 minutes and is a lot cheaper because there aren't any shipping costs for the books and it only makes as many copies as can be sold (since it prints after payment).  Very exciting.