etc.

Thanks for your Vegas suggestions! You folks were all right on track with suggestions for getting off the strip and into the desert (just what I was looking for, how did you know?!). As it turns out, the preconference workshop on Friday morning tired me right out, so I chilled over a long lunch and ended up ready for adventure by no earlier than 2:30 pm. So, what did I do? I strolled the strip. And took all sorts of postcardy pictures you’ve already seen, of all the places in Vegas you already know. It was a nice enough stroll (the weather was glorious) , but I was pretty much over Vegas after about 10 minutes of dinging slot machines, reveling gamblers, and escort service fliers. After 4 days there, I was so ready to get home. The conference itself was fantastic, but even that couldn’t save Vegas for me.

Back soon with more of something. Not sure what yet, but something.

I have one free afternoon in Vegas. What should I do?

Some things:

• I love how you guys actually answer me when I ask a question. Seriously. I’m going to start doing more asking. Because, you know, I’m a bit tired of me and I’m more interested in you anyway.
• Did you notice? Same template. I spent an unfruitful 2 hours tooling around the internets a couple of nights ago, looking for that just right theme with a right nav. And I never found it (came close, but nothing just right). So, then I thought, “this is ridiculous”, and indeed it was ridiculous, so I went to bed. And I woke up this morning, feeling just fine about this current template. So, there you have it.
• Someone stole our green bin from our front walk on Wednesday, after garbage pick-up. Is the concept of personal property that difficult to grasp? I just don’t get theft.
• Hollywoodland is on as I’m writing this post. 20 minutes in. Boring, so far. Plus, Ben Affleck.
• I’m moving & shaking! Backstory: Library Journal profiles 50-ish North American librarians every year in a supplement called Movers & Shakers, and this year, I’m one of them. Crazy!
• Next week, Vegas! Have you ever been to Vegas? I haven’t. And I’ve never had much desire to go, either. But there’s a conference on, one I’ve always wanted to attend, and it’s in Vegas. Next week. I’m excited!

Is it just me, or does anyone else miss the right nav of yore? Right. Just me. That’s what I thought.

You know what this means, don’t you? That’s right, I’m actively looking for a new template. Because being unhappy with your nav is irritation enough to blow up your whole site and start over.

Also, I’ve been meaning to ask: how are you?

It’s -22°C outside and I’m thinking about spring cleaning. In all fairness, I first started thinking about spring cleaning in early January, when it was +10°C outside, a temperature that put me in a right spring cleaning spirit, and justifiably so. The forecast for this week makes me feel like spring is never going to get here, but of course, that’s just a little bit of drama on my part.

So, back to the spring cleaning. Truth is, I get excited about the annual purge every year, and then, inevitably, I chicken out. I have terrible dust allergies and I always seem to remember this just as spring cleaning excitement reaches a fever pitch. And once I remember the sneezing and sinus nightmare, I start making mental excuses to scale back on purge plans, which really doesn’t do anything for my dust allergies in the long run, but oh well, some days The Easy Way Out is the best way out. This year, I have some sort of steely resolve that I’ve never had before and I’m determined to sweep away the stuff & scree that’s been making me feel both bloated and bogged down, domestically speaking.

Plans, folks! I’m making plans! I’m great at making plans, aren’t I? Here are some spring cleaning plans:

• trunk: empty out and organize memory-type things in it.
• fridge: empty, clean completely, restock. The mister did the same in the pantry the other day so I might enlist him as the lead on the fridge cleaning too. He always says, “the kitchen is my domain, don’t worry about it”, so perhaps it’s time to milk that claim for all it’s worth.
• coffee tables: empty out drawers, toss unnecessaries. (We have wicker baskets in both our coffee tables, and you know what that means, don’t you? Point of Opportunity Dumping Ground for Things that Don’t Otherwise Have a Home).
• basement storage space: empty completely & purge with impunity.
• basement organization: hats & gloves on on top shelf of closet; other winter woollies in top drawer of hall table. Organize rest of hall table drawers too. (We just bought a Pax closet for the basement and our coats have never been happier! And our shoes too: we got one of these & installed it in the bottom of the closet. Shoe organization heaven!)
• guestroom: clean, purge, reorganize closet.
• hall closet: clean, purge, reorganize.
• studio: clean, purge, reorganize closet.

OK, I ran out of steam at the end there, but you get the idea: there are a lot of closets in our crazy, little house that desperately need attention! Just thinking about it all makes me disappointed that I could have let it get so bad (I’m not even a pack rat!), so I’m really, really looking forward to putting these plans into action. They won’t be merely “best laid” for long!

Cajun catfish, mussels steamed in white wine, garlic, and basil, couscous with wild mushrooms and toasted almonds

It’s good being married to the mister.

When things get quiet around here, it either means that (a) I’m away (which I was), or (b) I’ve lost my blogging mojo (which I have). When the latter happens, the quickest fix I know is to redesign (which I’ve done). Check it out. No, wait, don’t check it out yet, I’m not quite done*. It might look like I’m done, but knowing my pattern, I’ll be tweaking the stylesheet for another 24-48 hours. So, sit tight, OK?

* assuming you’re reading this in your aggregator and you’re not already here. If you are already here, hi!

Later: see the weirdness going on in this post? Stuff like that drives me crazy! Tweak, tweak, tweak…

The next day: I think I’m tweaked out. I can’t seem to sort out this formatting mess, but what the hell, one more post and it will drop off the main page. Then I never have to look at it again. Chalk it up to a minor exercise in Letting Go.

And, breathe…