Early to bed...

So what does a person do when they wake up at 4 AM and can't go back to sleep? If you're me, you pick up the laptop from the floor beside your bed. Before you know it, it's time to get ready for work.

Happy Saturday, y'all.

Hey Brad...I need a title

Funny how a day can turn around. I'm at Starbucks drinking a decaf caramel latte, extra caramel, and I feel fine. I went to the doctor's and I'm only 6 1/2 pounds overweight. My pants aren't tight, so the guilt hasn't set in. That will happen tonight when I change into p.j.'s. For now, I'm just great.

I got up and out after my last post and headed to the pool. Swam my mile. The first 10 laps always seem a little long. Once I get to 15 I know I'm almost at 20. After 20, there's only 16 more. It helps counting in increments of 5 laps. One, two, three, four and five and I'm done with the first group. Then I move my water bottle to mark that five. If I didn't play little games with myself, I don't know how I'd pass the time. I got distracted on one lap and banged my head into the end of the lane, but not too hard. I usually get into the hot tub and do my stretches when I finish swimming. I don't really like it. Here's some random observations. There were 24 seniors doing some sort of water aerobics. All but four had tinted hair. There are a lot of Asians there. Just an observation. Most women (myself included, unfortunately) have flat butts. The breasts aren't bad. Better than I thought. Mind you, I'm one of the younger ones there. Most women use the machines that blow warm air to dry their hair, as opposed to bringing their blow dryers. I'm usually the only one with a dryer. I'm the only one putting on make-up. Everyone is very friendly, and I see a lot of regulars in the locker room. I get the impression that a lot of the women have been coming for years.

I stopped at a place called Toucan Taco on the way home. I hadn't been there for probably 30 years. I had chulupas with guacamole. Not a diet lunch. They weren't as good as I remembered. I brought Emily soft tacos. The meat was too spicy for her. I tried it and agreed. Oh well.

I went for my orthopedic appointment. I was tempted to cancel it since my knee is about 80% better. My boss convinced me it was still a good idea. Then I realized I could talk about my shoulder too, so I kept the appointment. I really liked the doctor. I become very talkative and animated around doctors for some reason. Let's see if I can remember what he said. I'm bow-legged and knock-kneed. My tibia is curved, but I don't think too much. He showed me how I was probably situated in the womb. I don't remember if my left leg was crossed over my right, or the other way around. He said my kneecap probably shifted in my sleep and when I got up, it wasn't in place, and that's how the 'injury' occurred. There was swelling, and instead of the fluid going to the front of my knee it found a way to the back. There's a name for that, but unfortunately I don't remember what it is. He told me one simple exercise to do. And that I should water walk a few times a week. Which doesn't fit into my schedule, btw. As far as my shoulder is concerned, it's an over-use problem. He said I should find a way to swim that doesn't cause it to hurt or it will just get worse. I'll work on that.

I went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for broccoli soup. I'm going to use the master recipe from Fine Cooking. BTW, the Butternut squash soup I made this weekend turned out to be fantastic the next day and the days after that. I'll definitely make it again.

I dropped Emily at a friend's, and this Starbucks was nearby. I sure hope it was decaf in that coffee...

Procrastination

I'm so disgusted with myself. I know that sounds extreme. Why is it that weight has such an effect on us? Or on some of us? I'm gaining weight. My clothes are getting tight. I'm eating stupid stuff, and then feeling depressed. I'm not overweight, but working on it. Oh joy! The knee is what started it. I couldn't swim. Couldn't do my walking. Today will be my 5th time back to the pool. I did my walking DVD once this week. I'll go swimming today. I have an appointment with an orthopedist this afternoon, even though my knee is 80% better. Now I just have to control my eating.

Time to stop procrastinating and get my bathing suit on. Hard to do when it's in the 20's outside, but not impossible.

Later!

Mysterious stranger

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Then I stared. What the heck was this man doing? At first I thought he was brushing something off his book. Then I realized he was holding a bookmark, and sweeping every line. I think he was speed reading. The sleuth in me took out my camera, and slyly took this video. What do you think?

How does my garden grow?

By leaps and bounds

It doesn't take much to entertain me

Unlike a holiday meal...

Unlike a holiday meal, it didn't take too long to prepare. Like a holiday meal, it took a lot longer to make than it did to eat. I won't share what Emily said it looked like.


My friend Kit told me she loves to make pureed vegetable soups. I tasted the carrot soup she made last week and it was just wonderful. My new issue of Fine Cooking has a master recipe for pureed vegetable soup, with 'endless variations.' Step 1 is choosing your ingredients. They listed the ingredients for making butternut squash soup with garam masala, yogurt, and lime, and I decided to make that. Step 2 is choosing your aromatics (mine were leeks, shallots, celery and garlic), sauteeing them in butter, then adding your choice of spice (mine was garam masala). Step 3 is choosing your vegetable (mine was butternut squash) and simmering it, along with the aromatics, in your choice of liquid (mine was vegetable broth). Step 4 is pureeing. Step 5 is finishing with a dairy, (mine was Greek yogurt), an acid, (mine was fresh lime juice), and a garnish (mine was chopped cilantro). It really was easy. Was it fabulous? No, but it was good. Not a keeper. It think it was the garam masala. I've never used it before, and though it contained only a teaspoonful, half of that would have sufficed. I will use the master recipe again. I was glad to use the Greek yogurt and cilantro that were left over from a recipe I made on Monday. And just as a btw, Emily wouldn't try either of the dishes I made. Not even one little bite. I wasn't surprised.

Saturday morn

The weekend is here. It's 7 AM on Saturday, and I have a few minutes to go before I leave for work. Actually, I'm going to try to finish yesterday's newspaper before I leave. One of these days I'll make the decision to either stop getting the paper delivered, or just say it's OK to throw it away if I don't get to it. I bring it into work every day so my co-workers can read it, so it's never a waste. There's just so many interesting things to learn about, and I want to keep up with the new government.

Not much going on around here this weekend. Last weekend was an exciting one; now it's back to normal. I'd like to make some soup. I need to read. Do some cleaning. Visit my parents. Visit the blogs...I've been neglectful. I have shows to catch up on that I've 'taped.' I'm feeling overwhelmed already. One of the things I love about my job is that I only have one thing to do. And I get to socialize all day. Not bad.

Have a great Saturday!

Checking in

Hi!

I'm tired and ready to do some reading before bed. It was a long day at work. Two more days to go.

My brother and sister drove to Atlantic City yesterday. They had a great time last night drinking and gambling. They drove my parents home today. My father is very sore...his ribs, wrist and nose. He'll get checked out by his own doctor, but we know his head is OK and his nose isn't broken. I say he should only go to AC if its with a friend that can also drive. I wonder what he'll think of that.

Hope all is well in your worlds. I'll write something interesting soon. I hope!

What a day!

I realize that not everyone is an Obama fan, and you might be tired of my talking about it. I'm almost done...

Emily, Sean (her boyfriend) and I went to a moveon.org sponsored get-together at a local cafe to watch the inauguration. Em and I wore our Obama t-shirts. It was wonderful watching the inauguration with a group of enthusiastic people. Much better than watching it at home. I woke up very early and watched the crowds gathering before daybreak. I am so, so, so glad that I didn't go into town to be part of the crowd. Those people are freezing their butts off. I imagine the first thing Michelle said to Barak when they got into the limo was, "I can't feel my toes or fingers. Do we really need to walk a few blocks for this parade?"

My parents left this morning for a 3 night stay in Atlantic City, which is about 4 hours away. My father goes about once or twice a month. My mother called to say my father fell in the parking lot of Caesar's while taking the seat of his scooter out of his car. My mom was already on her scooter. Luckily the Atlantic City Medical Center is next door to the casino. What we know is that he broke a tooth, possibly broke his nose, and is waiting for a CT scan. I spoke to my father and he sounded fine. I hope so, and that he rests in his comfortable hotel room for the next few days, and is able to drive home. The last time he had a bad fall and hit his head, he seemed fine for about 3 weeks. Then one day he couldn't walk. He went for a CT scan which showed he had suffered a subdural hematoma. That led to brain surgery, and months of rehab. Thank goodness he's getting a CT scan today. What we learned from our last experience is that anytime an older person has a fall and hits his/her head, they need to get a CT scan.

The Obamas are walking. It's almost frightening. Whew, they're back in the car.

I just heard from my sister. The CT scan was fine. We'll wait and see how this turns out.

You don't need me to give you a blow-by-blow. What a day, in more ways than one.

We Are One

A day to remember

Yesterday was a day I'll never forget. I could have stayed home, gone to the movies, cleaned house, hung out at Paneras. Instead, I visited my parents, then picked up my friend Kit and headed out to DC. It's about 15 miles from her house. I was the driver, she was the navigator. We were able to use her parking garage, which is in the Penn Quarter area of DC. We started walking. There were vendors on every corner hawking Obama souvenirs. Flags festooned the avenues. Bleachers in place. Catering trucks backing into buildings hosting inaugural events. Everywhere there were people. And latrines! I think I read that there are 17,000 in place! Everywhere you looked were people with smiles on their faces. We knew history was being made. Young and old, black and white and everything in-between. We were one. We sang together, clapped together, were in awe together. It was utterly exciting. Obama-mania.

I had no clue how many celebrities would be speaking and performing at the concert. No idea Obama would attend and give such an inspiring speech.

I stayed warm. I wore: silk long underwear, a fleece lined athletic top, a fleece sweatshirt, fleece pants, two pairs of socks, winter boots, scarf, fleece earmuffs, and a long, heavy full-length coat. I had hand warmers in my heavy gloves. I had a slim hipster purse over my shoulder under my coat, so I was hands-free. I impressed myself with my foresight!

Random shots of the day











I look a little stuffed with all my layers



Last but not least, The Tomato

Uploaded - 1\18\09

Kit's parking my car in her work parking space. I'm so excited to be downtown!

This that and tomato plants

BTW, it was just last year that I learned when to add an 'e' to the end of the word tomato. It took a long time to learn that 'a lot' was correct and 'alot' wasn't. No matter what, I can't get my 'it's' and 'its' right. I've tried. I like 'it's' better anyway, so that's my way. And the 'me' or 'I' dilemma? I try not to use it because I can't remember the rule. I've asked Kathy many times, and while she's a good teacher, I'm not a good student. Too many highways and all that.

Most of the time I'm happy to be alone. Today I could have used some company. Work was great. Busy. Good clients. Glad to have the day come to an end and head to Borders. I read magazines that featured iPhone articles and tutorials. I'm always looking to learn more and to find out about the latest and best apps. I added Mancala. I just played a game and won but had no idea what I was doing. I added i.TV too. Just because it was voted a best app. We'll see.

I got carry-out from a favorite Asian restaurant. Ate it sitting here on the couch while I read blogs. I'm caught up. Unless someone decides to post something new, in which case I'll be behind again.

I just realized that I've been sitting in absolute silence for about 3 1/2 hours. I think I'll turn on the TV for company.

I'm trying really hard not to post pictures of my tomato plants. They've doubled in size this week, but I don't think you'd find that as fascinating as I do. I'm easily amused. It'll take about 4 months till I'm getting tomatoes, so I don't want to overload you with too many tomato stories yet.

Kit suggested we got to the National Mall tomorrow to watch the Inaugural concert. Is she crazy? I'll let you know if we go. If we do it will mean I'm crazy too.

A busy day off. What else is new? I went swimming and it went...swimmingly. I did the every other length freestyle stroke again, and swam a mile, again. I was starved afterward so I drove till I found a Chinese restaurant. I was the only one there for a while. The food was just OK. I went to the dentist. Started the work for the bridges including having one of my molars hollowed out and a temporary filling put in. I'll go back in two weeks. Much to my chagrin, the tooth is really sensitive. When I was done I went to Muvico and saw Gran Torino. It was great. I can't believe a matinee costs $8. I also can't believe I've seen 3 movies since Christmas.

A full day...so far

Pool, dentist, movie, ?

More than I planned

Just a quick hi before work. It's the coldest day of the season. Brrr. Emily actually wore a coat. I learned a long time ago not to even try to insist. I figure the worst that can happen is that she's cold. I hate to be cold.

I'm listening to a great audio book: Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz. He sure is a great storyteller. I'm never disappointed. I can't wait to get in my car and listen on my way to work.

I have a big break today. What will I do? Pick up my X-rays. Go to the mall? Get my hair done? Start the book club book that I have to read (Life of Pi)? Of course, the break could get filled with clients. That would be best.

Tomorrow I'll go swimming and to the dentist. I'm going to have work done to replace my Maryland bridge. Ever hear of one of those? It was developed many years ago at the dentistry school at U of MD. I went to their clinic as a young hairdresser because of the price. They only accept patients that have interesting work to be done. All the appointments are 3 hours long, and you had to go twice a month. I think it took 13 long months to complete my work. The first step was getting my gums in perfect shape. Then redoing every filling. Then the start of the bridges(2). My dentist was wonderful, every step of her work was approved and graded by her instructors, and I knew I was getting Grade A work done. Better than I could have gotten at a regular dentist. It was all very interesting. The worst part, beside the time, was that they had to use a rubber dam every time, and those clamps were a killer. They did everything by the book. To make a long story shorter, about 2 years ago I had to have one of the bridges removed because of a cavity in a neighboring tooth. I never got it replaced. It's only been recently that I saw a picture of myself and realized that if I smiled big and you were on the side of me that you could see the gap. (With this bridge, the teeth on either side of the missing one are fully intact). So, it's time for some dental work. I would also like all of the metal fillings to come out and be replaced by the white kind. I'm very fortunate to have a dentist in my family.

So much for a short post. Gotta run.

I'm tired

It's before 8:00, but I could put on my pajamas right now and go to bed. A little while ago Emily asked if I'd take her to the mall to buy make-up. I looked at her like she was crazy.

I made an appointment this morning with an orthopedic doctor. I didn't want to, because of course it will be all better as soon as I see him. I told the receptionist I thought it was something vascular. Like I'd know. Now most of the discomfort is behind my knee. It started out on top, and sometimes it's on the sides. So, who knows?

I made myself go to the pool today. I'm starting to feel like a Shar-pei after so long with no exercise and all the holiday/post-holiday eating I've been doing. My favorite strokes, the breaststroke and the elementary backstroke, bother my knee. The freestyle stroke doesn't, but I've never had the stamina for it. I found that alternating one length of freestyle with one of the others was tolerable. I was actually impressed that I could swim what amounted to 18 laps of freestyle. I didn't know I had it in me. My knee feels none the worse. I think all the swimming is what has me so tired now. I'm going to be sore tomorrow!

I drove out to visit my mother afterward. I was inspired by Mo's challenge to do a random act of kindness, but I modified it for someone I know instead of a stranger. I knew how much my visit would mean to my mom. She's pretty much stuck in the house, and has to rely on others to take her for outings. My sister Lisa takes her out more than anyone. Thank you Lisa. Before her stroke she was just like me...boundless energy and always on the go. What the stroke has done to her life really is sad and a shame. My dad does his own thing...shopping, going to the bank, Atlantic City, etc. They always did their own, separate things. Now my mom is stuck. Anyway, she and I went out to eat at Sticky Fingers for lunch. I had ribs and she had salmon. I used a nifty new app on my iPhone to calculate the tip. Just saying. I clipped and filed my mom's nails when we got back, a job I don't like. I made her a salad for dinner. My dad was watching Season 1 of LOST on his little kitchen TV. A Blu-ray DVD, no less. Not on his 52" Samsung top-of-the-line TV in the living room that has a Blu-ray player. They have the whole Bose surround sound speaker system too. Nice set-up. I asked my mom if she watches DVD's on the big TV. Nope. She doesn't know how to use it. I've written down the directions for them before, but I guess I'll have to do it again.

I'm embarassed to say I made Chicken Helper fried rice for dinner. You know...from the Hamburger Helper people? A complete waste of a pound of boneless chicken breasts. What was I thinking? I ate mine, but Emily wouldn't. I picked out the chicken to use in my salads and put the rest down the garbage disposal.

We finally put the tree in it's box in the basement. Now there's a big empty place in the living room. I need some furniture.

My little tomato babies are coming along. I've pruned them so there's one plant growing in each pod. They're starting to get real leaves. I'll post pictures from time to time.

Little Sprouts

Big Sprout


Oh, I meant to write about Doubt since a few people asked. The movie was really a great character study. Meryl Streep played a very unlikeable person. She suspected the priest of wrong-doing, and based upon that, she was determined to destroy his position in the church. She had no proof. A young nun was caught in the middle, not knowing who to believe. The movie left you pondering the ramifications of acting on doubt. How's that for a quick review?

Over and out for today!

Mo on the Go sounds so much better

I'm not a hibernator. I wake up, and I'm up. A good Sunday morning for me is getting up, dressed, and out the door to Panera's or Starbucks. I could stay home in pajamas and have my own coffee and bagel along with my very fast Internet. It's just more fun for me to be out. So, here I am. Panera's. My coffee club card was fully stamped, so I got a free large latte. The heck with calories. At least I had low-fat cream cheese? I did sleep just fine last night, by the way. I went to Kit's after Border's. We had pizza at Ledo's, then hung out on her double, very soft leather recliner with our respective laptops, listening to old-school music on her TV. Middle-aged geeky fun. When I left, I picked up Emily and her boyfriend from the ice skating rink, paid for Chinese carry-out for them, and brought them home to hang out for a while till his mom picked him up. So, a good day and a good night for me.

This Panera's is across the street from Muvico, and I'm thinking of catching the movie Doubt that starts at 10:10 AM. A perfect time to go to the movies. Muvico is an amazing theater. They seem to be mostly in FL, with one in IL and one here near me. This one has 24 screens with an Egyptian motif. It must have cost millions to build it. It's pretty amazing. I love that they have early movies, not that I really go to them. I've seen the preview for Doubt, and heard excellent reviews. I think this will be a go.

Enjoy your Sunday, whatever you do. Football for a lot of you. None for me. I'm glad the Ravens won yesterday...lots of people around here wearing purple.

Deux

Boy am I going to be sorry. I had a BOGO coupon.

I came home from work, ate bad food (cookies, etc..), and watched Howie Do It. What's happening to me?

The thing about titles

The thing about titles is that they're sometimes hard to come up with.

I got an envelope in the mail yesterday, hand-addressed to me with no return address. No note, no nothing. Inside was the drivers license I lost in October 2006. The license was in perfect condition. It will remain a mystery. My picture on that license was terrible, so I didn't mind having to replace it. I have a habit of losing licenses. I've been really good with my current one because I like the picture.

I watched Ann Coulter on the Today show this morning. I've never seen her on TV nor heard her talk. Later I saw snippets of her morning interview with Harry Smith. Very combative. I think she's a nut case.

I took off work for the Inauguration. I plan to spend the day in front of the TV wearing my official Obama inauguration t-shirt. Really.

My knee started acting up last night. A different side of my knee cap. I'm icing again. I'm hesitant to go to an orthopedic doctor and have an MRI. I think it's going to get better on it's own. I did decide not to swim tomorrow. There's no sharp pain...just 'something'.

The tomatoes are growing. OK...you can't tell they're tomatoes yet. Here's the update:

I had an hour break today and asked one of my co-workers to style my hair straight. I've been swishing my hair around all day. Curly hair doesn't swish. One of the assistants was running her nails through another assistant's hair while we were talking. I asked her if she'd do that to mine. You can't run your fingers through curly hair. Most everyone at work said I should wear my hair straight all the time. Uh, no way. It took my co-worker 40 minutes to do it. And I'm a curly girl. It's an attitude.


Let's see...anything else random that I can write about? Our weather has been terrible. Lots and lots of cold rain with some freezing. For days. I know it's been horrible around the country so I can't complain. I've gotten to use my Vera Bradley umbrella!

I'm going to be a great-aunt! I found out a few months ago but forgot to write about it. My nephew Aaron and his wife Rachel are expecting a son in June. Aaron is the second oldest child of my GA sister, and the first of my nieces and nephews to be having a baby. I'm so excited for them. Aaron and Rachel live in Wisconsin, go to Bible College, and plan to be missionaries.

My sister Lisa's oldest son Ryan just graduated from Towson University and got a great job at an advertising agency in Annapolis. How exciting is that?

I need to write Bon and accept her invite to meet for breakfast. I'd love to see Karen at her new house. Kathy's busy with a lunch date, if she remembers. I'm going to school conferences in the afternoon, oh joy. I'm watching cooking shows that I DVR'd while I write. And rambling. So, with that, I bid you adieu.

This, that and the other

Finally, life is back to 'normal'. Well, after-the-holiday normal. I left my house early yesterday morning to visit my parents, met with Kit at Panera's, did some local shopping, went to the mall, then two grocery stores. I made pizza for dinner.

I went back to the pool today. I didn't know if it would do more harm than good, but I knew I had to give it a try. I swam very slowly. Varied my strokes. Swam 12 laps instead of 36. I felt very wimpy, but knew it was the right way to go about it. I spent about 10 minutes in the hot tub. It's really too hot for me. It took longer to shower, dress, put on make-up and dry my hair than it did to swim! Plus the 19 miles I drove to get there. But it felt good and my knee feels fine! I'll be back on Thursday if everything continues to feel good.

I called my therapist from the car to see if she had an opening today and she did. I spent the time before our meeting having tortilla soup at Panera's. And I had my laptop. Just happened to have it with me, you know.

Is this boring?

I made baked ziti with sausage for dinner. A 9 X 13 casserole for the two of us. What in the world am I going to do with the leftovers? I'll freeze some portions and bring the rest to my parent's house. Good idea.

I got an AeroGarden as a gift. Here's a picture of it. It's big and silvery. Very high-tech. It makes a nice gurgling sound, like a fountain. The lights are so bright that it makes the dining room glow, and the lights stay on for 16 hours a day. I'm going to have to keep the house chillier to make up for the electricity!


I'm growing tomatoes. Three pods of cherry tomatoes. One Golden Harvest and two Red Heirlooms. I sit and watch them every day. It's very Zen. The Golden Harvest has 4 sprouts, and the others are close behind. I feel like a momma. I expect a bountiful harvest in 4-5 weeks, and I don't need to build a fence to keep the squirrels out. I'll post updates.


I happened to turn on the TV last night about 20 minutes into 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' on Masterpiece Classics. It was wonderful. I went to Sparknotes to see what I had missed, and I'm recording the first part over. Part two concludes next week. My DVR is also set to record the 6-part series 'The Story of India' that premiers tonight on PBS. Will I really watch it all?

On that note, I'm going to watch Brothers and Sisters now. Can't let the DVR get filled up.

It was an exciting morning as I met Happyone at the salon for her first haircut with me. Her husband Ken has been cutting her hair for a long time, just trimming the ends. She's been letting her hair color grow out, and made the big decision to have her hair layered and shortened to get rid of a lot of the dark hair. It will take a few cuts to get rid of it all. So, she looks a lot different! I'm anxious to hear what she has to say once she dries it her way. Fingers crossed.



No silver here

A little this and that

Dressed up

dressed down

Dressed up

very dressed down


The bare tree is all that's left standing, and who knows when I'll get that put away. I'll need help, but it's out of sight, so it's OK.

My knee has been feeling somewhat better. It's still not right, and when it feels better, of course, I do too much. Today doesn't feel too good, so I'll be icing again and I've taken my Motrin. I still haven't heard from my doctor, so I'll call again today.

I'm ready to head off to a very busy day at work. Time for things to be back to normal. I can't believe tomorrow is Saturday already. Crazy. The holidays really mix you up.

Emily left this morning for a whirlwind trip to NYC with her father and step-mother. All of her dad's family lives there. They'll stay in a nice hotel right by Central Park. Do all kinds of fun things today and tomorrow with family. Emily should be home around midnight on Saturday. Her boyfriends's been in Colorado for the past week, and they'll want to see each other on Sunday.

I was so good about keeping up with reading posts, and now I see I'm 50-something behind. I'll be around tonight after work.

Happy Friday!

Lazy start, then I'll run

Cause I have a running kind of life. I'm happy to be sitting on the couch, sort of. I'd be happier if there were 36 hours in a day so I wouldn't feel like I'm wasting away part of the day. That's just me.

I had a fabulous time at Bon's New Year's Eve soiree. My plan had been to drop Emily off at her friend's, stay a while, and be home by midnight. At 12:14 I saw my daughter had texted me a New Year's wish at midnight, then again with, where are you? I was the last guest to leave well past midnight. I only had one drink. I don't D&D. There was wonderful food made by Bon and her husband Steve. I finally got to sample their cooking. The house was filled with neighbors and friends. Karen and her husband Ken were there and we spent a lot of time hanging out. It was amazing to see that a few of Bon's friends are clients at my salon. It's a small world. I finally left and picked up Emily. We stayed up till 2 AM, and somehow, after waking up at 6:30 AM, I fell back asleep for 2 more hours. That never, ever happens. And here I am. I've been on my laptop for hours. Emily is still asleep. I'll need to get up and going soon. The family will gather at my parent's for a New Year's Day meal.

Welcome 2009!