I'm getting a late start today as my girl and I went to a museum where we saw artifacts and art from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. We also had a girly lunch at a restaurant that was too fancy for us. She endured having a napkin placed across her lap, and then we shared bites of each other's meals. The highlights were the spinach ravioli and a salad of buffalo mozzarella, gorgeous tomatoes and 12 year old basalmic. Holy cow!

Anyway, after a wonderful day, I'm sharing the wallpaper from my desktop. I lived on this beach longer than I've ever lived anywhere else. It makes me happy. ;-)

Hope you're still having good holiday fun, too!

Do you ever think...

you have all the time in the world? I'm being a little dramatic, but my sweet girlo has to go back to school next week, and I thought I still had a couple of weeks with her.

I'm rethinking my policy of not resenting all the work I've been doing lately.

And we're packing the next few days full of good stuff.

And--I'm also wondering how loud I have to push the volume on my laptop to avoid hearing the personal conversation the couple standing about twelve inches from me (in the coffee shop) are having. Apparently, my headphones have afforded them a false sense of privacy.

Back to work. (The girlo's reading an excellent book across the table from me, where she has also just put on her headphones!)

Happy day after Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

I've been swamped with work so blogging had to take a back seat for a while. But I wanted to wish you the happiest holidays. And I'm hoping the new year brings you all your dreams!

Belonging Again

Even though I graduated from another university, which I love, my heart belongs at St. Mary's College of Maryland. My English degree took the equivalent of most people's Master's in effort. I married young and my husband's job took us many places, but I was one term away from graduating when we had to leave MD. I loved my friends and the southern tip of Maryland is just a beautiful, laid back place to live, but most of all, I felt as if I were losing a lifelong connection when I had to leave the school.

I'd gone to two other colleges before we moved to MD. One taught me that a biz degree was not for me. The other was a wonderful experience, but I remember my first term at St. Mary's, I suddenly discovered a true love of learning. I spent that first term in a state of near panic. All my life, I'd been "the smart one." I never really had to work for grades. I just knew things. It came easy, I think because I've always been naturally curious--about everything.

Then I went to St. Mary's. I remember crossing underneath a winter-bare tree between the library and the building where I was almost late for class, and my thought--"These people are serious!"

This week, I was wandering around webcams and found the one at St. Mary's. Then I bumbled into the alumni link on the website and discovered I was more than qualified to join. With the most excellent help of the Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, I've joined, and I feel as if I've gone home again! Isn't it funny how those young days hang on to us? Well--young days and a life-changing experience.

Secret Pleasures

Of the movie type.

This must be semi-vintage-movie month on the satellite. Two that didn't make a big splash when they originally came out really appeal to me. Junior, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Doc Hollywood with Michael J. Fox.

People absolutely mock Junior, but there's something so touching and gentle about AS's character, Alex, as his pregnancy goes on. Of course, you have to suspend disbelief over the "science," but talk about a character arc. From total logic and a total lack of connection with the human race, to dancing, asking his non-friend, friend to touch his smooth skin, and then fighting for his baby, and totally taking the blame for everything wrong, but wanting his child's mother to be a part of his life as well as the baby's. Danny DeVito also does a great character arc, from salesman/angry, divorced ex to caring, loves-his-life anyway, and wants to be a father to her baby. When he asks his ex for a second chance, he's a hero in my eyes. I really do get kind of weepy through the end of this one. (And who can resist a Frank Sinatra/Bono duet over the credits?)

Doc Hollywood gets me for many of the same reasons. Michael J. Fox is an amazing actor, but he also does a who-cares salesman with ease at the beginning of this story. He professes to feel disdain for the country folk in the (gorgeous) southern town that ensnares him by use of a fence that attacks his car :-), but he finds kindness very soon. Immediately, I go from disliking a non-heroic hero who wants to doctor for the money, to admiring a guy who gets wrapped up in the letter of a patient who doesn't need medical care, but can't read mail from family without help. By the end of the movie, I'm cheering when he goes back to his new home. And the heroine remains take-no-nonsense, but she also learns to trust by the end of the movie. Her change is not as obvious (or as endearing) as the good doctor's (because they don't give her as much comedy, actually), but it takes courage. And, finally, this movie has the most romantic dance scene--worth the price of admission! :-)

Better get back to work. I forgot another celebration the beloved and I have to do today, but this is one of those days I wonder how we ever survived without laptops!

New Monday

So--five more days off. That's not good. But I had such a busy week. Saturday was my local RWA chapter's holiday party--always great fun--and I caught up with several friends I hadn't seen in a while, plus had a great time with my next-room neighbor from the retreat!

From there, I went to my husband's holiday party with his Harley Owner's Group. I hadn't met his buddies there before, and that was also a great time. Got to chat with several new and interesting people and now I can picture them when he talks about them. Plus--they collected toys for The Angel's House, and ohmyhosh, what a great job they did! They put them in the back of one of those oversized trucks (my daughter would know what kind it was, but I'm sadly clueless) and the toys were totally overflowing the bed! Very cool!

Yesterday, I cooked literally from about 10 a.m. till about 7 p.m. And we had friends and the girl for dinner last night. Well--they joined us. We didn't actually have them for dinner--after all that cooking! ;-) After three nights in a row of baking into the wee hours, I hardly knew what to do with myself with nothing to bake last evening. (So I nodded off in a chair.)

I regret the pages not written, but not enough to regret the lovely, lovely time well-spent!

However, today is a brand new Monday and I'm heads-down now for the book. No time to waste being all friendly! :-) I must be hermit-like and catch up.

The Holidays and Time

Doesn't it fly? Time, that is. We're almost as dry as a desert here, but today it was finally cold. Cold enough for sweats anyway. I love the winter and it goes too fast. I find myself dreading its passing already.

So I want to live in each day and remember them all.