the shadow that everything casts

despite the fact that our furnace and our dishwasher both chose my birthday on which to expire,* i had a truly lovely day yesterday, filled with gifts: nice-smelling stuff, a coveted vintage vest, a movie, many many emails and facebook messages, phone calls from my bruddies, cheesy fries, a nap, a walk through the park, a salted caramel soy latte, a beautiful blue-skied, gorgeous-clouded day.

*all is well now: the furnace is fixed, and the dishwasher nearly so!