10/16/09 Friday GO!

1. Yes, this is cheating. Guess what? It's my blog, and my rules. I am doing it more for the symmetry of an index than for any other purpose.

2. I am getting a vacation! Cabana Boy and I are going to Puerto Rico for Thanksgiving. Traveling over Thanksgiving is really the greatest thing: never have to deal with family obligations, don't have to cook, aren't tempted to shop on Black Friday, and usually have to take fewer vacation days. I am ridiculously excited about this vacation. Of course, it warrants new shoes.

3. I have a stability ball which I now use as my "writing chair." Before, I had the "Chair of Literacy" -- my Ikea chair where I read or wrote. Now I have this great little nook behind the dining room table for my office. My desk and my official Aeron chair, where I sit for actual work, are next to the corner where I sit for my writing. Before, I was sitting on a folded up blanket with a cushion -- very futon like -- and it was fine. Until a lizard got into the house and leapt for safety into those cushioned folds. Now I have something that lifts me off the ground AND works my core.

4. Today is my friend's birthday. She often said she wanted to celebrate for a full month, or at least for a week. A "12 Days of Christmas" sort of thing. Another friend got very outraged, that this girl might be comparing herself to Jesus. Yes, some of the people in my life are crazy. Other friends hate their birthdays, and refuse to divulge the actual date. But I think extended birthday celebrations are rather nice. Before I turned 30, I did a "30 Days Til 30" campaign, and scheduled a massage, bought some new shoes, etc. We don't do enough in this culture to celebrate birthdays. I'm not really talking about the whole "Hey, it's me! Look at me!" thing, because, um, Facebook? But instead the celebration of life and, yes, of aging. Because not everyone gets to age, and we never know when it's going to stop, so each new year really does deserve to be a party.

5. Cold fronts in Florida are funny. I saw a woman at the grocery store wearing Uggs. Now, I do love my Uggs, and do occasionally wear them in Florida, because my actual slippers don't have rubber soles. But, it was about 70 degrees. Still, I was the one wearing a fleece jacket later that night, when it dropped to about 62.