How the city hurts your brain

Link via nancylebov and supergee: How the city hurts your brain... And what you can do about it. See also comments over on Whatever.

I love the tree outside my window. Even leafless, covered in the rags left by last spring's overabundance of tent caterpillars, it is soothing to look upon.

Weekend+ Update

When I was in college, I used to have fun going to a certain record store in Silver Spring, Maryland and hunting for special extended 12" singles by Nik Kershaw or Howard Jones or whoever, wondering if that song on the B-side of the latest Johnny Hates Jazz single was worth the money you'd need to pay to hear it. Maybe this little excursion would be followed by lunch with a friend at a nearby Indian restaurant. Neither the record store nor that restaurant exists anymore, but I still enjoy hanging out in Silver Spring sometimes.

Anyway, on Friday after returning books to the library, I still had energy enough to go somewhere and do something vaguely interesting, so I went out to Silver Spring to look for lunch. Didn't go to any of the major restaurants, but ate at Kefa Cafe, a coffee shop that's been around awhile but I never seem to go into. The chicken salad sandwich was overpriced, as is the case at most coffee shops, but sandwich, brownie, and hot spiced cider were all quite tasty. The owners are friendly and helpful, the customers enthusiastic, and the physical shop itself quite a nice place to be on a brisk January day. Recommended.

On the same street is this used book store, which is a terrific place even if I never actually know how to find anything. Didn't buy a thing there on Friday, which is okay since they have gotten plenty of money from me down through the years.

After not seeing any used science books begging to be bought, I decided it was time to participate in the yuppification of Silver Spring and go to Borders, where the last of my recent batch of coupons finally got used. Then went to Whole Foods where seven different brands of yogurt somehow ended up in the basket. Then came home and collapsed.

Saturday: Wiped out. Never went anywhere. Spent much of the day in bed, reading or sleeping or drinking tea.

Sunday: Realized that on top of everything else, I was coming down with a cold. Went to the grocery store to buy chicken in case soup became necessary, then came home and collapsed some more.

Monday: Never left the house. Spent lots of time in bed. Need more tea.