This week I started driving again, after more than a month. It felt good to be a little independent again, if slightly slow. My progress continues to be encouraging...I still have some muscular pain, sometimes quite intense similar to a charley-horse in the muscle closest to the incision, but much more important is the sense I have that the surgery has corrected the bulk of the problem that was causing my chronic pain. I won't know for sure until all the pain from the procedure itself has faded away, and I don't know if some of the original pain will remain, but right now things are looking very good and I'm filled with hope!

I'm paying closer and closer attention to all things election lately. I mentioned a few months back that I'd be for Huckabee except that he didn't really have a chance. Well....HUCKABOOM! I shouldn't have spoken so soon! Disclaimer: there are a couple of things about Mike Huckabee's positions that concern me, but then there's no one with whom I'm in complete agreement. On the other hand, some of the concerning things that I've checked into turn out to be either fabrications or perversions of the media or his opponents, so I'm learning to be very careful about who shapes my political leanings!

I've started listening to the audio book Song of Saigon and think it may turn out to be one of my favorites of '07. That is, if I get it finished in '07!

And I'm already compiling my list of Books to Read in '08. Have any suggestions for me? I will read just about everything but romance novels, which I don't consider to be real books. So if you've got a favorite, old or new, fiction or non, long or short, tell me!

To update my computer saga: my old new computer is in the box and DHL will be picking it up tomorrow. A very patient young man at Dell in OKC helped me in two long phone sessions to get everything transferred from the lemon Inspiron to the replacement, and now everything seems to be just peachy. Well, everything but the nasty Windows Vista, which I'd ditch in a heartbeat if I could. Not that there aren't a few new features I like, but I'd trade them for the comfort and the stability of my XP without hesitation. Even though I can't switch to a Mac, I am SO enjoying Apple's TV campaign making fun of Vista and all the people who are trying to "downgrade" back to XP!

So we're waist-deep in the delightful project of filling out and submitting FAFSA forms. I didn't think I'd ever fill out financial forms more confusing than the ones the IRS dreams up. But I was wrong! Did I mention that in January we'll have three kids in college? Yeah, it's gonna be interesting :-)

One of the sites I've used to come up with some GREAT deals this Christmas season is Pinching Your Pennies, specifically the Screaming Deals Online forum. Over half of the gifts I've bought this year, including almost all of the toys and electronics, are ones I found through this forum and I got a lot of deals that beat anything I'd imagined. I'll be checking it often through the year, for birthdays and for buying ahead for next year!

How many of you are reading one of the Arnold Ytreeide Advent trilogy books this year? We're reading #2, Bartholomew's Passage, and enjoying it as much as ever. For those of you who have tried to locate one of these books and can't find anything but a $400 used copy (NO, I'M NOT KIDDING), I'm hearing whispers that they'll be republished in '08. I'll broadcast it when I hear for sure, and then I'll be urging everyone to grab them while they can, just in case it turns out to be a limited run!

Snip, snip...that's all for the snippets. Have a wonderful week!

Labels: Books, Health, Holidays, Kids, News, Political Observation, Technology