One more literary note (for now)...
The whole "tea and bravery" deal comes from another work, another author, probably my (current) favorite alongside Nabokov.
From The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, "Dress up warm, lots of tea and bravery. That seemed the answer. After all, what but war or weather breeds such comradeliness in a big, cold city?"
I have the tea part down, of course. I have at least half a suitcase full with sweaters. And the big, cold city is waiting for me. So now the bravery should just fall into place.
