Yeah, it's been a while — again. But things are coming together finally after several months of upheaval. We're in our new house. Our household shipment arrived last week after being in storage for nearly 8 months. My desk is set up beside a window. My Internet connection is on. I itch to get back to work.

Random snippets:

1. I love Alabama. Yes, I do. It took awhile, but this is a FABULOUS place to be. Check out Kiplinger's June issue and see why Huntsville is one of the top 25 cities to call home. πŸ™‚

2. This is my first American Idol season. I am irritated. The finale should have been Melinda and LaKisha, IMO. Jordin is good, but not as good as she will be when she matures. And she comes from a privileged background. I'd prefer the million dollar contract go to someone like Melinda or LaKisha, women who come from humble backgrounds and who can sing so beautifully. Jordin gets a little screechy for me. Love Blake's innovative side, but he's not a great vocalist. Such a disappointment watching A.I. for the first time. πŸ™

3. Iced mint tea is pretty awesome. I haven't had it in years, but had some at a garden tour last weekend. Great!

4. Do I really have this much stuff? We shipped 10 crates from Hawaii, and had another one in Baltimore. Over 14,000 pounds of stuff, lots of which goes in the kitchen. πŸ™‚

5. Love my new LG Steamwasher! Quiet, efficient, and pretty. Ordered white but got red because of a mix up by Home Depot. The red costs $100 more per appliance, but I got the upgrade for free. Not upset by that at all!

6. National is approaching. Pluses: I'm registered, plane ticket purchased, roomies who kindly invited me to share, the prospect of seeing friends from Hawaii and elsewhere, and all the stuff I'm going to learn. Minuses: Southern cooking. I've gained weight and I need to get rid of it. No, I don't know how much. I haven't stepped on a scale, but I'm guessing it's in the vicinity of 15 lbs. And I need to do it before National if I want to fit into the clothes I already have. Why buy a new evening gown when I have several!? Must stop eating grits and fried green tomatoes.

7. I miss working on my book.

8. It's very hard to type with a cat lying beside the computer and randomly attacking fingers and screen.