It appears I have an addiction.

This morning, I ordered another copy of “A Christmas Carol” from Amazon.com.

Um.

Ok. Actually, two.

Yes, I have a problem, and I’m considering seeking professional help.

But, to be honest, I think I can quit any time.

This morning I opened a copy of The Annotated Christmas Carol while I drank my coffee. An hour later, I realized that I really should leave for work. However, I briefly considered calling in sick. Just briefly.

It’s amazing how many motives can be attributed to an author, when one really puts one’s mind to it. While I doubt that Mr. Dickens actually had all those thoughts and motives when he wrote it, I suppose those influences did indeed exist somewhere in his subconscious. But to read the annotations, you’d think that each sentence took him a week to research.