I did love

. . . your responses to the Gratitude Journal post. Thank you, thank you, and also I love you.

I'm off to Denver tomorrow morning for a few days to participate in the Mountains and Plains booksellers trade show. The University of Utah Press is republishing CHARLOTTE'S ROSE, and so I'll be at the booth, doing a little promotion dance. I'll also be hanging out with Anne and Jenny from TKE, and it will be good times.

Truthfully, I'm so glad Charlotte gets a second chance. It's a book I'm really proud of, probably because it was just soooooo hard to write. Historical fiction is hard to write, you guys. YOU HAVE TO DO RESEARCH AND STUFF, which is v. exhausting for a lazy writer like me.

I'll be back on Monday. Enjoy the weekend.

Gratitude Journal

My son Geoff has been feeling kind of down lately, so I told him that as cheesy as it sounds, keeping a gratitude journal can be helpful, because the act of noticing the good things in your life helps rewire your outlook. So I bought him a notebook--a small one, though. And I told him I bought him a small one on purpose, because actually he doesn't have that much to be grateful for.

But whatever.

I'm a little down in the mouth, too, so I thought I'd start off my morning by listing a few of the things I'm grateful for. Thanks for indulging me.

1. Indians summers
2. Fresh peaches
3. Late roses
4. Neighbors who go to late night movies with us
5. Dogs
6. Even though the big one drools
7. The knowledge that there's always another good mystery to read
8. Warm days
9. My boys
10. Their father

Another Saturday!

Another column!

A phone thang

I noticed today that whenever the phone rings I start shouting I'LL GET IT! I'LL GET IT! I'LL GET IT! I immediately go into this crazy five-alarm-I'm-gonna-save-that-damn-house-from-burning-down-to-the-ground mode because you know how it is. That phone call is JUST SO IMPORTANT!

And besides I'm doing everyone a favor. I'm answering the phone so no one else in this house has to.

But here's the deal, which deal I just realized today when I nearly broke my neck getting to the phone whilst tripping over dogs and pillows. Here goes: I'm not doing anyone a favor because absolutely no one else who lives here bothers with the phone now. They're just all hey call me on my cell if you really want to chat.

Insight.

TV TV TV

Well, GAME ON is all I can say when it comes to Television Viewing right now. It's good to have TV friends back in the house.

In review--

Castle was okay. Obviously we all knew Kate wasn't going to die. We also knew Castle would declare his lurve. We probably also knew this would drive Kate to do a runner--which, okay. I get that a series thrives on sexual tension. I get that it's hard to make it last for SEASON AFTER SEASON AFTER SEASON. I get we're usually disappointed in the end when "it" happens (to wit: Sam and Diane, Maddie and David, Remington Steele and what's her name, Daphne and Niles).

Well, okay. Maybe not Daphne and Niles. Actually, I think we all had a hard time buying Daphne and Niles EVEN THOUGH I LOVED THEM BOTH.

But whatever. I'm starting to find Kate's inner wall thing kind of tedioso.

Didn't get to watch HAWAII 5-0, which is one of those shows where the actors bring more to the roles than the writing deserves. But whatever. The theme music is awesome. The scenery isn't half- bad.

Didn't get to watch any of the NCISs.

Did watch both Modern Family episodes last night and was not disappointed. (I'm waiting for it to turn into The Office, which I loved. Until I didn't.)

ALSO. Did watch Revenge by accident and oh people. I will be watching it again.

Tonight? I'll be turning into the Mentalist and Person of Interest starring that creepy guy from LOST and also the not creepy guy who played Jesus. Am popping the popcorn now.

Now there's a thought

So Ken and I always buy this knock-off Cetaphil product for skin-washing purposes, and right there on the front it says it's "non-comedogenic." WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN REAL LIFE? Because, of course, in that fake life I'm always having in my head, it means "this skin cleanser is NOT hilarious." Which is sad. You should have plenty of stuff lying around the bathroom that makes you laugh, right?

Fun with tunes

So my kids load up my iPod with stuff, and it's always fun to get little listening surprises because of it. Q loaded some James Brown on there, and I have fun predicting what the next line of a song will be, even if I've never heard it before. Like this morning, I heard this line:

I don't care about your past
I just want . . . .

HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! How do you think that line is gonna end?