Books + Coffee + Sun = Love

There is a really cute bookstore, Maple Street Book Shop, a few blocks from me that I visited this afternoon. It's very small--a converted shotgun whose entire frame leans to the left a little bit--but they've crammed a surprising number of books in there. I bought American Gods by Neil Gaiman and 1 Dead in Attic: After Katrina by Chris Rose, a collection of short stories about life after the hurricane. The free bookmark now tucked after the first few chapters of American Gods (which have been quite good) says "Fight the Stupids!"

I took my new books to the Starbucks outdoor patio across the street, drank iced coffee and read for a few hours--the temperature and lighting were perfect, I was quite content. The rain we've gotten lately seems to have cooled things off a bit. Walking back just as the sun was starting to go, it was making me squint but I was just... in a great mood. It was a moment of clarity, I think, although I'm not really sure what it was that felt clearer. Maybe a moment of peace, because anything unclear wasn't really bothering me. Regardless of what it was, it was unexpected. *ponders* Ok I'll stop now :)

All in all, though, this weekend went pretty well. Friday I was boring and stayed in to do laundry. But Saturday I exchanged my bike for a new one with hand brakes and speeds and everything--the brakes stopped working properly on my way home from the 7th Ward Thursday. I almost got hit by a bus, it was a great time! Hopefully this new bike will not try to kill me.

Later Saturday I went to Bourbon Street for a little while and tried a hand grenade (rum, gin, vodka, grain alcohol, and melon liquor served over crushed ice and in a silly looking plastic cup), which was extremely potent and probably responsible for the headache I had this morning. It didn't taste that spectacular either, but I'm told hurricanes are better so I'll have to try that next time. I'll also have to bring a camera to capture all the crowds and drunk people falling off the curbs! My night ended back at Bruno's, one of the bars a few blocks from my house. A nice ending to the day, I'd say.