The new year has sprung, and with it, winter. There is snow on the ground, and I smell like burning wood, like wood stove, like warm winter nights curled up under three down blankets with a pile of books.

As I ball up pieces of newspaper to start the fire again, random headlines catch my eye. Why 2008 Was a Great Year. Money Troubles in the NPD. Low Stock Prices Expected to Continue Into 2009. Somalian Pirates Arrested. Neo-Nazi Tried for Attack on Leftist Summer Camp. Germany Prepares for Climate Change. Seven Hundred Palestinians Dead.

War, tragedy, death, corruption, (finance) crisis, violence, theft. I put it all in the oven, light a match, watch it all burn, and smile.