Since the middle of last week, I have been attempting to write a post about the cost of hardcover books. For reasons unknown, I can't finish the damn thing. My thoughts are so scattered that I can't construct an argument or organize sentences to form paragraphs. Distractions are everywhere:

• The wood stove needs feeding.
• Hundreds of unread books beg me to finish The Wasp Factory.
• Piles of old newspapers threaten to topple.
• The vacuum and dirty dishes accuse me of living in squalor.
• A box of cookies screams to be let out of a dark cabinet.
• It snows. The walk and driveway want shoveling.
• Family and friends harass me to update the resume.
• The cat meows endlessly and I think I'm starting to understand his language.

Is this writer's block? Can I suffer from it even if I'm not a writer?

As a first step toward making life easier, I'm tossing what I've written. I'd simply like to declare:

Hardcover books cost a lot of money.