Have stick, will travel

We are nearing the doldrums of winter...that grey and cold time in January and February where winter seems to crush the breath out of me. I am trying to get outside and walk with the dog every morning. We go out, the two of us, one aging and sleepy, the other young and vibrant, to start our day. Kali can hardly contain her joy of life. The whole of her wiggles and vibrates to see me each morning, and she gleefully gallops in circles to welcome the day. It is quiet and still dim when we go out. I've found that finding a good stick is necessary in order to prevent her from consuming of all sorts of nasty things. Kali will happily lead the way on our walk, stick in mouth, for the entire time.

Surviving the doldrums involves copious fresh air, and many other tricks. Usually I get myself really busy in a project, and don't notice the time slip by as fast. At this point, I feel so far behind in my scrapbooking (the thing I really need to work on) that I can't make myself start. Thus my tricks so far are evasive. I'm watching movies, reading books, or listening to audiobooks on my iPod. (I'm slightly tech-challenged...just this month got my iPod, which I received for Mother's Day last year, to the point that it's usable.)

This evening, I watched "Angels & Demons" with my folks. With the exception of the BBC's "Pride & Prejudice", I always enjoy the book more than the movie, and this followed suit. I might have been a bit lost had I not read the book by Dan Brown previously.

JP and I managed to slip out 2 weeks ago to see "Avatar" in 3D. That was 3 hours well spent! It was right up there with some of my best movie experiences: "Contact", "Matrix", and the LOTR trilogy.

I am listening to "Marley & Me" by John Grogan, on my iPod. We watched the movie with the girls last winter, and all of us shed a few tears. Of course, we watched it just a couple of months after losing our own little dog. As expected, I am enjoying the book more than I did the movie.

I have several books lined up on my bedside table, some partially read: "Parenting the Strong Willed Child" - Rex Forehand & Nicholas Long (that's for dealing with L), "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" - Barbara Kingsolver, "Eaters of the Dead" - Michael Crichton, "The Secret Between Us" - Barbara Delinsky (the last 2 donated by Dad, who already finished reading them), and "Emily of New Moon" - L. M. Montgomery (never read it, but LOVE the Anne books...L's middle name is Anne - with an "E" in honor), I'm also on the list at the library to get "Lovely Bones" - Alice Sebold, when it becomes available. Whew...that in itself should keep me busy for awhile!

Of course, I'm also way behind in my CME (that's continuing medical education), and need to get about 100 hours logged by August. It's possible to do...if I just WOULD! All that other reading is infinitely more interesting! It is important, however, to keep my license, especially since I am looking to increase my work hours a bit come Fall.

Ho hum. Another way to beat the doldrums is to sleep through them. I have been finding myself needing much more sleep as of late, and blogging at 11:30 PM is not conducive to a long night of sleep. It's time to take Kali out in the hush under the moon and call it a day.

Good night, sleep tight, which good book did YOU read tonight?