It’s raining outside, and droplets pelt against the window panes of my father’s house in bullet like spattering splats that make me shiver with gratitude for my position at the kitchen table. I am sitting here, hair down and sweatpants on, scalding hot water bottle leaning up against my belly. Its heat is buffered by my bulky sweatshirt, which keeps me just warm enough to make the absence of a fully functional oil burner a tolerable situation. Gusts of wind beating at the house’s exterior, an introspective state of mind, dog snoring on the sofa, and the weight of sleep bearing down upon my eyelids…I cannot think of a more beautiful way to ring in 2007…and I have a feeling, this year will be one for the books.