Archives - Weekly Update

I am Kansas City-bound today for the American Booksellers Association’s Winter Institute Conference. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with bookseller friends and hear about the books that they are reading and what is happening in their stores --- and to meet authors publishing spring/summer books. The conference moves around the country, giving attendees a chance to see new cities. Besides the conference, I am looking forward to meeting up with Ann Bruns on Sunday. She was a Bookreporter chat host years ago and later went on to work with us in various capacities on the sites. Sunday she is going to spend most of the day showing me Kansas City. I am sure there will be lots of book conversation among the sightseeing. I will have much more on the authors I meet and the news that I hear there next week. I am lucky that my schedule this week was so busy at the office that I did not leave yesterday the way I originally planned. The snow that piled up on KC would have made getting there an adventure and probably a frustrating time of endless delays. I can see this is going to be a “boots on the ground” kind of a trip…literally. Snow gear alert!

When we left off last week, snow was in the air. I am pleased to report that the Fitzgerald men enjoyed it with tractor snow blowing (Tom), skiing (Cory) and winter hiking (Greg). I was content to read, knit and bake the Valentine’s Day cake --- and take a walk once the skies turned blue again. I definitely like the snow better when it is set against a blue sky. Gray is such a drag.

Forget the snowstorm. The world may be ending. Both Greg and Cory, of their own volition, were cleaning their rooms last weekend. Cory redecorated with the help of his friends, Stephen and Josh. I was summoned after he was done to weigh in, and I was really impressed. I am not sure where this motivation came from, but I hope it continues. Maybe this will be something more exciting than shoveling this weekend. Which IS more exciting? Shoveling or excavating your room?

Where did January go? It feels like it just flew by. That calendar page flipped way too fast, and I am afraid that if I blink, February as a short month will do just the same.

It's made me more than happy that I usually like to do two things at once. I read and knit. For the record, I also consider reading in front of a roaring fire to be multi-tasking. During the summer, multi-tasking includes swinging in the hammock and reading, or bicycling around the pool while in my chair float --- and reading. The one thing I do not do when I read is listen to music. Unlike my husband, who listens to music all day long, I am someone who likes to read in silence. Thus, while he plays golf in the summer, I read outside in quiet. As soon as he comes home, the outdoor speakers get cranked up.