I’m in Estes Park, Colorado (population 5,000) at my parent’s house. It’s the first time I’ve seen the house. They built it this autumn. It’s wonderful, huge, looks like a ski lodge from the outside. 2 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a whole basement that isn’t even finished yet. They want to turn it into a bed & breakfast eventually, just like that one prescription drug commercial.

I lucked out yesterday, wandering around ‘in the town’ (where every other store seems to be named Gramma’s or Grandpa’s) and into a bookstore & there on a table was a NEW novel from PAUL AUSTER! My fave writer in the WHOLE WORLD and I didn’t even know he had a new book out! ‘Oracle night.’ I bought it at once and went down the street to the Starbucks, grabbed a table (it was a zoo in there) and sat for about 3 hours and read. Forcing myself to pause now and then to write something in my notebooks so that I wouldn’t finish the whole book at once. I have about 75 pages to go now. It’s vintage Auster; this is the Paul Auster that I know and love.

I’ve been lucky: I’ve had a pretty good Thanksgiving I hafta say. Seems from reading everyone else’s LJ entries that it’s mostly been a heavy/melacholy/down-in-the-dumps weekend. You all have my sympathy. I’ve been there. And in a perfect world, we’d all rent a ski lodge together and have a weekend all to ourselves, melancholy be damned.

And usually holidays with my family can be dull at the least. But somehow this year I’ve been able to let go and just relax, for the most part. I’ve been able to quit thinking about ‘all the stuff I’m missing out on by being here’. Played Scrabble with my mom (she’s one once and I’ve won once). Last night we went to the only theater in town and saw “Master And Commander.” And it’s damn good! It makes me happy to see that someone can still make a David Lean-type adventure and really get it right. The performances were all superb, and there were lots of hunky blonde sailors. The action stuff was really gripping.

Today we’re going out for lunch at some chophouse and then rent some movies and then go for some coffee. My parents love coffee just like I do. It’s certainly been a bonding device for us all.

I wish Andy could be here & enjoying it too. But my folks still have a ways to go on the acceptance scale. My mom has been asking about him pretty regularly this weekend though. So maybe next year …

Tomorrow I will get to see a friend or two in Denver before I catch my plane. I was hoping there would be a way to get down To Denver this afternoon so that I could go out for a drink tonight, but I can’t get a ride. O well. My folks are going to church tonight so I’ll have the house to myself this eveniung for a bit. Not that there’s much to do with it, hehe.