I’m not sure why I’m excited by a long weekend, since right now every day is a weekend for me, but still I am. Over the next three days I’m hoping to:

• Go see Jasper Fforde, who is promoting his new book locally on Monday. One of my gifts yesterday was a gift card to that bookstore, so I will be getting a book signed, too.
• Catch up with some former coworkers for drinks on Sunday when they come to town.
• Hit the farmers market. I’ve had several salads this week, so I need some more greens.
• Put our new mattress pad on the bed.
• Write about books here.
• Bake a cake. My birthday baking got bumped by more social activities, so I decided to postpone it until either Sunday or Monday, when Rudi will be back to help me eat it.
• Phone my brother on Sunday to celebrate his birthday and a friend whose call I missed yesterday.
• Head up to one of the city’s indie bookstores that is celebrating its grand re-opening tomorrow after changing hands.
• Clean out the fridge.
• Dig out the bread maker. I’ve been buying bread, but I have the means, time, and ingredients to make it myself, so I really should.
• Complete a couple books. Akata Witch will likely get wrapped up, as may The Woman Who Smashed Codes.
• Finish knitting the sixth strip on my shawl and figure out if I’m doing a seventh one or not.
• Watch some dvds. I picked up Top Hat, The Thomas Crown Affair, and The Awful Truth at the library this afternoon.

How about you? What’s on your to-do (or to-not-do) list this weekend?

My birthday is Thursday and I’m somewhat at a loss for how to mark the day. Rudi won’t be home until 5 or so, which means I have most of the daytime hours to amuse myself before he comes home to join me for pizza and ice cream and cake. Because I’m currently at home all day, simply not being at work is not really as special as it would normally be.

Ideally, I’d find something low-key, but not humdrum, to do with my day…

I could visit a bookstore.

I could wander around town collecting all the freebies I’ve been emailed about from various restaurants.

I could go to a museum — either a free one or one that costs money — or a historic site — Frederick Douglass’ house or the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument are both high on my list of local sites I’ve never visited.

I could visit the Library of Congress, where they currently have a baseball exhibit.

I could go to the zoo or the Botanic Garden. (It’s supposed to be in the mid-50’s and dry, so the former isn’t a problem.)

I could spend time outside with a book or my knitting.

I could catch a film that Rudi doesn’t want to see (he wants to see all of them, though, so that’s probably not a great plan…)

I could see if you have any suggestions I haven’t thought of…

How would you spend your birthday?

I thought I’d share a sense (or five) of what’s going on in the Burrow tonight:

Tasting: Hot chocolate, which I just finished.

Hearing: The relative quiet after turning off my audiobook at the end of the chapter. Corey’s purrs. Rudi’s even breathing from the other room. The hum of the refrigerator. Cars passing by on wet roads.

Seeing: The pink glow of the fairy lights here in the living room. The glistening of the bushes above our window well reflecting the streetlight and the wintry mix. The coffee table, for the first time in a month. Piles of books to read.

Smelling: Not much. Very slightly, my deodorant, and, oddly, since none has been brewed since Thursday night, coffee. I must have stirred up the bag when I pulled out the cocoa canister earlier.

Feeling: The weight and warmth of Corey draped across my wrists. The softness of polar fleece pants. The slight ache in my head from the storm. Tired and ready for bed. Proud that because of that I will save my new-found curiosity about why “canister” has only one “n” rather than two until tomorrow.

I went for a long walk this afternoon, which ended in Chinatown. This past Tuesday was the Lunar New Year, marking the start of the Year of the Pig, and tomorrow is D.C.’s New Year parade. I caught the end of it last year, but crowds tend to stress me out, so I decided to skip this year’s but seek out something that I didn’t get to experience last year due to the long lines — mooncakes at one of Chinatown’s few remaining local Chinese restaurants (and our only Chinese bakery).

Mooncakes are more traditionally eaten at harvest time, the Mid-Autumn or Chinese Moon Festival, but they are delicious at any time. The Joy Luck House is noted for theirs, and the line tomorrow will be down the block.

I bought both their lotus seed and their red bean paste mooncakes and a mochi, all of which are delicious and highly recommended. The red bean paste is what you’ll find in mochi, and I preferred it to the lotus seed paste, which understandably tasted more flowery and sweet. The latter wasn’t bad; I am just a big fan of red bean paste! The mochi was covered in unsweetened coconut, which gave it a nice texture contrast to the sponginess of the glutinous rice cake and the smooth filling. The taro bun, while pretty, came pre-packaged, rather than from the counter-top display case, and was consequently, I suspect, less fresh and drier. I also picked up a package of almond cookies, which I’ve saved for another day. It did not fare especially well in my bag on the way home, but I suspect the cookies will still taste pretty good in small pieces.

I served the desserts with a pot of Yunnan Gold tea, which contrasted nicely with their sweetness.

The best part of being unemployed right now is that I am regularly seeing the sun set. Tonight’s evenfall was particularly gorgeous and I kept turning around to snap photos before darkness pulled its curtains closed.

Sarah and I spent Saturday afternoon together eating Southern food and browsing bookshops. I had cheesy grits and (noncheesy) beignets.

Saturday night, I stopped at Glen’s, our local market, to buy a baguette and found their outdoor fireplace lit, but deserted. I was dressed for cool weather and had a book, so bought myself a cup of tea, which I kept warm by keeping my handknit mittens on top of them. Knitters are always prepared.

Today, I caught the final waning rays of sunlight at the park by my house before retreating to the local bakery to continue reading. Sadly, it was too late in the day for them to be doing any baking because when they do, it’s an intoxicating place to sit, filled with the scents of butter and vanilla wafting upstairs.

How was your weekend?