Heat Wave

(I don't think this reading is accurate--seems like it's 10 degrees warmer.)

Oh my gosh, it's warm today--too warm to be inside. Too warm to be January. So I spent this morning with my husband and kids at the park. And once they went down for naps, I went to my local Starbucks to collect my thoughts. Here are a few random ones before the kids wake up.

1. I finally wrote a poem, the first one of the year (Woo hoo!). I'll post it later for Sunday Scribblings.

2. At the end of February, I'm going to the AWP Conference in Atlanta, GA. I have family there, so I'll be able to stay for free. And my employer has agreed to pay the registration fee (another woo hoo for my boss!). AWP brings together current students, educators, and publishers to discuss the business of literature. I hope I can make a few contacts, learn about industry trends, and attend some interesting sessions while I'm there. But I'm painfully shy at these events; I'm not one toot my own horn so I envy those who do.

3. I'll blog all the way through the conference.

4. Not sure if you knew this, but I've been working out five days a week since before Thanksgiving. I manage to get to the local Y at 5:20 a.m. and work out until 6 a.m, and I'm starting to notice the difference. My arms are shapelier, my thighs and calves look great, and overall I feel better than I have in months. Now I just have to work on the tummy.

5. Last night I went to a 40th birthday party with my husband, and late into the evening a drunk woman came up to me and asked if I was pregnant. After I picked up my jaw off the floor and said no, she came back at me with, "Are you sure?"

I hate letting moments like this get to me but it changed my mood completely, especially because I'm working so hard in the gym. Oh well. She was drunk and lacking social skills. Was happy that my husband was more pissed off about it than me.

6. Tonight, we're having ribs for dinner.

7. Wish I could spend a whole day writing. I could plan to do it because I have plenty of vacation time. But I have a feeling I would waste the day doing everything but write.

8. In the background, I'm watching The Rainmaker with Matt Damon. I'm impressed with him, not so much with his looks or ability but the roles he chooses. He really seems like an actor rather than a movie star. Rarely does he make a bad movie.

9. Time to wake up the kids.