Snow has drifted and piled around the windows, the wind is howling, the shadowy figures of wolves are slipping among the shadows, the whale oil is running low in the lamps, food is merely a memory and everyone is starting to look out of the corner of their eyes at the other family members as if the Donner Party had the right idea. Ok, so that might be a slight over-dramatization, but we have had about 8 inches of snow today and it is like a blizzard out there now. I *am* wrapped in two blankets, a turtleneck, a fleece pullover, two pairs of socks, heavy slippers and a scarf, and that's with a fire roaring in the fireplace. Caitlin had to shovel a path for the dog across the deck and into the yard so that she would venture outside. I’m heading for San Diego on Monday and warm weather has never sounded so good.

Movies: Dirty Pretty Things. Caitlin declared it boring, but I enjoyed the story of two illegal immigrants - a London hotel night porter/taxi driver/former doctor and a Turkish maid/sweatshop worker. What must it feel like to always look over your shoulder for the immigration police, to not be able to legally hold a job (although there are always a surfeit of jobs that no one other than an illegal will perform), to be unable to find a place to live?

Books: The Dead Sit Round in a Ring by David Lawrence. The dead at the beginning of the book do all sit around in a circle, but only one of them is actually of any interest to police detective Stella Mooney. The rest of get to watch as she struggles with her relationships (live-in boyfriend vs. journalist), a wounded woman from Bosnia, and a contract killer who is bored with waiting for his contract to be switched on.