hodgepodge*

First, I want to thank you all for your kind words both in the comments section and elsewhere, more privately. Things written in a dark hour are often cringe-worthy in the daylight. And for my dear writerly friends, I apologize for the mixed metaphors. Shards, splinters, trees, etc. So thanks for the love.

And speaking of love, I'm so looking forward to the so soon visit from Mrs. Arnold--I can't wait. Maybe we'll have to get pedicures.

Also, thank you for your overflowing contributions to my book list. I have lined up several of your recommendations in the book queue, and am currently halfway through The Bridge to Terabithia. Which apparently is coming out in movie form in February. I have also begun a new list of Newbury Medal winners, only a handful of which I have read. It should be a fun trip. I have always had a soft spot for young adult fiction. Maybe when I'm done with that (or at least the books still in print) I'll tackle the Newbury Honor books.

So other than reading reading reading, I'm hoping to have a restful weekend with Mr. Bump, or as I've been calling him this week, Bump the Grump. Work has been stressful for him and being downstream of that has been difficult for the Ru-dog and me. Once again we may get snow this weekend, (yay. more snow. can't. wait.) but I'm hoping that it won't amount to much. Today is the first day since December 18th? 19th? that I was able to take the bus to work. They plowed the streets which effectively buried the bus stops, and while they are not yet uncovered or melted, the walk to the bus stop is no longer treacherous, although still icy in spots. Apparently we've had an unseasonable warm 20 years, and this weather is more indicative of normal weather for Colorado. Either that or it is an El Nino year. Whatever. I'm over it. That damned groundhog better not see its shadow.

Oh, yeah. And I'm dieting again. Or recommitting to lifestyle changes. Again. You can see more about the program I'm using here--it actually really works, and uses math and science to understand what the deal is rather than just some magic voodoo formula or the "only eat these things" diets. Eat less and move more, basically, and figuring out your basal metabolic rate in order to figure out just how much less you need to be eating and just how much more you're going to have to move. I can share the formulas if anyone is interested. So wish me luck.

*a collection, goulash, hash, jumble (don't you love that word?--so fun to say), medley, mess, miscellany (there's another good one), mishmash, patchwork, potpourri. God, don't you love dictionary.com? Sigh.