Dear Reader,
The spa was wonderful, as always. I have no idea how it manages to relax me, but it does. I got to read The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck, both by Brian Selznick, and I highly recommend them. The books also smell faintly of lavender and rosemary from the dry sauna, where I curled up under a dim yellow light and read. Not your usual ink or musty book smell, but a nice olfactory memory nevertheless.
There was a mildly disorienting feeling, though, that something was a little off. We stayed in a wing that we don’t normally stay in, and it was definitely warmer. We went to the NC Arborteum and went for a little hike along bubbling Bent Creek. It was actually a relief to have a creek path, as it was shaded and about ten times cooler than the unshaded trail. Also, one of our favorite clothing stores had closed, so it was a little sad not to have it there (and also to pet its resident labrador retriever). I guess changes are never easy, even when you expect them.
There were some new favorites, though. One of them was The Thirsty Monk, which is a really stellar beer pub. They have two levels, one for NC/US brews, the lower for Belgian-style brews (Belgian and US). All of them are on tap, I think, though they do have some bottles. The whole place is decorated with beer tap handles and is actually well-lit for a pub. I discovered why very soon when I was handed my beer card- you fill it out with your 4 choices of beer, and they bring it to you in 4 oz glasses. The card was very informative, as it provided blanks for smell, sight, taste, and other observations. This is definitely a dream bar for beer snobs and appreciators.
So yeah, it was a relaxing, food-and-beer-appreciating kind of “weekend.”
***
Oh wow, February is already here. I don’t have plans for this month (though I should). Some challenges I’m eyeing:
Month of Letters. You mail 24 letters (can be a postcard, fabric swatch, newspaper clippings, whatever) for the whole month of February. It’s still not too late to start, though I’m not sure there are 24 people I know, so if you want a letter, let me know.
Utilitaire. This is cool except for two things: 1) many places I go to are well under two miles, and 2) I sort of have a zero social life (I don’t belong to any committees and I haven’t been to a movie theatre or book reading in ages.). Maybe I should aim for “bike at least 4 miles a week on two different days per week,” which is fairly doable if it’s a dine-out night… or maybe this is telling me I need to get out and interact more. 
Anyway, the week beckons, so I’ll end for now.
Later,
E.
I’ll take a letter