This morning I’m working by the fake fire at Starbucks. It’s 10 degrees outside, and my last fillup of heating oil was $3.90/gallon, which adds up to some incentive to sit by the fire here instead of cranking the heat at home.

When I bought the house, it came with these shelves in the dining room. They were too busy for that room, so I took them down. Today I set up two-thirds of them in my bedroom, as I needed something for the blank wall. They’re pretty nice – solid wood – perhaps teak? In any case, nicer than anything I could afford today.