I "heart" Richard Peck

Which is why I'm so happy he's appearing at TKE (15th E. 15th S., SLC) TOMORROW NIGHT (Monday, March 1). If you've never had the pleasure of hearing him speak, you should come. He's always funny, insightful and v. urbane.

See you there!

How I can tell February has gone on 60 days too long

1. I have started to watch Judge Alex
2. I have started to watch Judge Judy
3. I have started to watch Judge Joe Brown
4. As a result I have started to sympathize with women who cut up their ex-boyfriends wardrobes into tiny vindictive bits
5. I also have started to watch curling competitions
6. And I care who wins

My funny friend Chris Decker is the one who said February has lasted 60 days. And she's right.

On the other hand, I just got word that Viking is buying a picture of mine called SOPHIE'S FISH. And so February hasn't been all dreariness . . .

Hot cross buns

I buy them at Backers on South Temple. I don't always love everything Backers does even though it's a total Salt Lake institution. But their hot cross buns are tasty treats--really yeasty and current-y and all the things a hot cross bun should be.

So yes. I'll eat them until Easter because why should other religions have all the fun?

This and also that

First, thanks for the happy wishes. What nice friends you are!

Second, I've been reading. Just finished MR. DIXON DISAPPEARS by Ian Sansom. It was a mystery, natch. The sleuth is a Jewish vegetarian Englishman who drives a bookmobile in northern Ireland. Gimmicky yes. And the mystery itself was pretty lazy. But there was enough humor of the WAKING NED DEVINE sort to please me. Just picked up the first book of the DRESDEN FILES about a Chicago-based PI who's also a wizard because dude. Why not?

Third. Um. Yeah. I'm pretty sure there was a third thing I wanted to say. Once upon a time. Maybe it had something to do with the fact I ate 2 hot cross buns and also a raisin filled cookie yesterday.

But I doubt it.

Please Take Note

That I am capitalizing again. Why? Because I can hit the "shift" key. Why? Because Surgeon Steve said NO MORE SPLINTS FOR YOU, YOUNG LADY! (Except that he should have said NO MORE SPLINTS FOR YOU, MIDDLE-AGED LADY!)

Anyway. I am free. Free at last! Free at last!

It's very true that my hand and wrist feel naked and limp. But the thumb works and the index finger points and all the tendons seem to be lining up like planets in 2012. Or whenever it is that the world is supposed to end. In which case it won't matter if my thumb works and my index finger points.

But whatever. I'm still happy. In fact I'm so happy I think I may eat a cupcake today.

what I did with my left hand on friday

i waved at the guy in the car next to me! and it was a big happy cheerful I-love-you-and-isn't-america-great kind of wave.

the reason for all this joyful waving? the guy in the other car was waving at me! and i thought what a lovely man! he's waving even though we don't know each other!

that's when i realized he wasn't technically waving at me. technically he was flipping me off.

obviously i did something to anger him. cut him off unawares, perhaps?

i can totally promise you this. my waving at him with a big dopey grin on my face probably made him even madder.

readers write

so this week the desnews forwarded me a seven page letter from a reader who wants to help me to choose the right by not choosing caffeine. especially the kind of caffeine i accidentally took to church once in the form of a dr. pepper can. which was full.

i would write this reader to tell him/her thanks for his/her concern. but oops! he/she forgot to include his/her return address! and also sign his/her name!

it's always an interesting experience to be on the receiving end of an anonymous letter. i used to find them disturbing, sometimes even mildly threatening in their anonymity.

now? well. basically i just think she/he would have felt better about the endeavor if he/she had felt brave enough to sign the letter. owning up is better than owning up, i think.

it's hard, though!