a gift from nick hornby

so many weeks ago i got a parcel containing an ordinary yellow paperback. it looked ordinary enough that i could just toss it out on my stack of yet unread books and forget about it. i thought it was just one of those books that i mooched from somebody at bookmooch. upon closer inspection however, i learned it was nick hornby's slam. now why would i mooch this book when i already have one? turns out i won it on one of those book central websites that i chanced upon one of those early mornings that i was bored to my wits.

so now i'm stuck with two SLAM books. but what's great about this ordinary looking yellow paperback is the fact that it is an advance uncorrected proof. these kinds of copies are the ones that they give out to media people, book reviewers and such before the book goes to press.




anyway, what makes this book really special to me is because it was signed by nick hornby himself. yes! nick hornby, the english writer who i adored ever since his high fidelity and about a boy novels came out. how about that? so now i'd be re-reading this book again and again knowing that nick's hands has held it's pages (he he he ang baduy!). hey! it's either that or i'd tell people that nick took pains in wrapping and mailing me this yellow book as my christmas present from him.

today

the sun is shining brightly outside. temperature is on the high 60's and i actually drove with my windows down, can you believe that? i went out for a quick trip to the post office a while ago and dropped by borders to get a little bookstore therapy for myself. before heading home, i stopped by my favorite bakery to buy something that i have been craving for for several days now. something that is sinfully good which is gonna make me pay big time on the elliptical and treadmill this week.

i bought this.

(my favorite brown derby cake. a chocolate cake filled with strawberry and banana custard filling.)

anyways, i got three new books from my short trip to the bookstore
which is reason why i shouldn't be going out of the apartment at all. i step out and i end up buying stuff. come to think of it, i shouldn't be allowed to have web access too because shopping is also as easy as clicking a button. hopefully those books will tide me over the days that i plan to just bum around at home. so on my "to be read" pile of books is nick hornby's newest fiction SLAM, murakami's collection of stories blind willow, sleeping woman and david sedaris' barrel fever. i'm so excited, i can't wait to start reading them.

last time i wrote about an NBA game that we were planning on going this december right? well, just the other day i got a normal looking envelope from the mailbox and guess what's inside? seven tickets to the knicks vs. nets game! woohoo! it's official... we are going to be at madison square garden on the night of the 15th of december. he he he... super excited! i know it's still a month away but its reason enough for me to behave myself and be a good girl at work.