1. My own personal jury is still out on those shoes. The Spouse doesn’t like them, so I’m not sure. Plus there’s that whole broke thing anyway.

2. Morbier cheese is quite stinky, and equally delicious.

3. Writing everyday isn’t as hard as I once thought.

4. Writing well everyday might be.

5.  Damian Lewis is my new favorite redhead. Life is a great show, thank goodness it’s been renewed.

6.  Tomorrow will be a tough day–my dad’s birthday. I’ll probably post something maudlin and goofy, so you’ve been forewarned.

7. I keep dreading November 20. And it’s not like I’m a Special Date kind of person, it normally doesn’t bother me, but I did see him every year around his birthday. This year, I won’t.

8. Okay, on to happier things. Lessee: I am reading the newest Elizabeth Hoyt, I needed something fluffy and romantic-y after finishing Jim Butcher. Dennis Lehane awaits after that, can not wait (and if that is true, why didn’t you read it right after Butcher? Because I needed a romance palate cleanser, that’s why. Pfft.).

9. The Knicks’ Nate Archibald is a testament to practice and will. He’s only about as tall as me, yo!

Whaddayou got?

My husband has Knicks season tickets. While this may dismay some–especially Knicks fans–it thrills me. Why, you ask? Because he is out for a set number of evenings, which means I can do what I want, including:

1. Write

2. Eat early (i.e. not 8:30)

3. Watch historical dramas/MI-5 with impunity

4. Write. Really, this time.

5. Talk on the phone.

6. Check various sites for shoes I can neither wear nor afford.

7. WRITE, Megan.

8. Read.

9. Make excuses for not writing.

10. Write long emails to justify the not writing thing (gotta stay in touch with the fam, yo!)

What do you do on ‘free’ nights?

So I have a TON of things to get done–dispose of old paint, clean up basement, figure out storage for handbags, devise mail system, go through son’s clothes, etc., etc.–and since the Birth of the Son has made my memory less than reliable, I realized I should take a notebook and make a list of all ongoing projects.

So I don’t get overwhelmed.

Plus I’m a woman what loves lists.

Problem is, I get overwhelmed even by thinking about writing it all down.

So now what?

Stupid me.

1. WFMU
2. J.R. Ward
3. Loretta Chase
4. capri pants
5. slides
6. hoop earrings
7. Tweezerman tweezers
8. iced coffee
9. our Holland Grill
10. the deck
11. flowers
12. brainstorming friends
13. Playing Scrabulous and Scramble at Facebook
14. Adele
15. Santogold
16. Unaccompanied Minors (thanks, Goedi!)
17. Trailers for Hellboy II and Quantum of Solace.
18. My washer and dryer.
19. The number ‘19,’ which is my birthdate number.

Notes from the weekend:

1. Jackson Heights, Queens, has a lot of Indian restaurants. And sells cherries for $1.99 a pound!

2. No Country for Old Men’s Oscar win almost makes up for the fact Brokeback Mountain lost to Crash. Almost.

3. Having a grill can change your culinary life.

4. Naps can make for some spur to the creative process.

5. Narnia: Prince Caspian was good, but too long. And I felt kinda squicky thinking PC was hot.

6. Murakami is incredible.

7. Leon Powe!

8. Central air conditioning?!? Who knew how awesome it was?

9. Beer is good. Scotch right after is better.

10. I still get hangovers (see #9). Only one scotch, too!

1. My Marie Claire essay got approved, so is going to run in March, I think.

2. I wrote yesterday, am in the middle of the second of last three (plus epilogue) scenes. I WILL be done by Friday, or heads (namely, mine) will roll. Not that I have two heads, but ‘head will roll’ sounds weird.

3. Almost all of the Christmas discs have been uploaded into the Mac. If played continuously, all the music we’ve got on the computer would play for 143.8 days (thanks for giving me the scoop on that info, Goedi. I didn’t realize that data meant that). I wonder how much you would actually like?

4. I wore a dress on Saturday. No-one mocked my knees.

5. I have a new friend. No nickname yet, though.

6. I am seeing the faux critique group this week. ANOTHER IN-PERSON EVENT, and I am looking forward to it.

7. Steak is for dinner tonight!

8. The Super-Smart Lawyer is coming over this weekend to see a bad movie and drink red wine.

9. The Son is getting what he most wants for Christmas.

10. I got a refrigerator. Yay!

11. And this book:

Of what I hate:

People who take the time and effort to make recommendation lists on Amazon, then say things like “really good,” “sexy novel,” or “Magical. I couldn’t put it down.”

How, exactly, Ms. List-Maker, do you think you’re actually adding to anybody’s life or reading list with those vague phrases? Incredibly unhelpful. I regret clicking through to your stupid list, never mind that some of you have the SAME DAMN AUTHOR listed many times over in the same list. If I wanted that kind of list, I would check out an author’s backlist.

Not helpful, I repeat; even Carla Kelly and Loretta Chase have written duds in their day.

Okay, so this might be the most inane one I’ve seen thus far: “As soon as I started this, I couldn’t stop till I was done.”

I don’t usually review stuff, except to say ‘yay! I read it! I loved it!,’ which isn’t really helpful for anyone, including me. But I have seen a fair amount of movies, read some books and heard some good music lately, so I thought since I feel as lethargic as someone can who actually bothers to finish writing ‘lethargic,’ that I would do some quick reviews. Maybe incite some discussion.

Shoot ‘Em Up: Abby asked me what I thought of this starring our boy Clive. I think it was a laudatory attempt to take the action movie to its nth degree, but it wasn’t quite clever enough. It was a load of fun to watch, but hardly resonant after. Not to say I won’t want to own the DVD when it comes out, but it was just a fun movie with a lot of death. Plus it had Clive for me, and Monica Belluci for the Loves Pale Women With Dark Hair Spouse.

Eastern Promises: Amazing. I love Cronenberg, apparently, and Viggo Mortensen gets so inside the skin of his characters it is astonishing (Plus he’s really freaking HOT!). This was a lot more memorable and complex than S’EU, with fewer deaths but way more violence, if that makes sense. Not for the weak of stomach.

Agnes And The Hitman: I didn’t care for the first Crusie/Mayer collaboration that much, but Jennie said this one was really good, so I gave it a try. And it was so much fun! A rollercoaster of action (bam!), romance (pow!) and way more death (kaboom!) than is usual in a romance novel. Totally refreshing, thanks for the rec, Jennie.

Beguilement (The Sharing Knife, Vol. 1): Oddly enough, I don’t like Lois McMaster Bujold’s most famous series, the Miles V-whatever his last name is, but I have totally adored her fantasy such as the Chalion series and now this one. She does subtle romance very well, and her world-building is complex and compelling.

Little Miss Sunshine: I was expecting a cute indie film with quirky characters, ooh, aren’t the disfunctional people funny, but this was way better than I had anticipated. This has depth and characterization and you really feel for all of the people involved, and it wasn’t just the fish-in-barrel fun of examining kids’ beauty contests. So, yay! I loved it!

Alice Smith: Amazing artist, her record is being re-released here soon. Alicia Keys meets Melanie, I’ve been singing her songs in my head ever since I first heard it. I love, love, love this record.

Kate Nash: British singer, a clear, pure voice like Sia’s or Bjork’s and with a biting wit like Dorothy Parker. Her record isn’t out here yet, but was #1 in England. Search for “Dickhead” on YouTube for a preview.

Lady Tigra: Oh, lord, totally stripped-down hip-hop, like ESG, only with a good rapper, and her songs are good allthe waythrough, which is just plain awesome. I am completely hooked on this one, too, I can’t believe how good it is.

Okay, so what’s got you stoked lately?

1. Sleep Late.
2. See Shoot ‘Em Up
3. Get Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich. Yum).
4. Nap
5. See Eastern Promises
6. See documentary Inside Deep Throat
7. Drink Wine.
8. Bed

Result: Renewed enthusiasm to write and live life happily and well and get things done. Yay for the Perfect Day.

Married women who keep silent during marital disputes have a greater chance of dying from heart disease and other conditions than women who speak their minds. (LA Times)
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