January blues

Here it is, almost the end of January, and I haven't written in my blog but once. How can I expect regular readers if I am such an irregular poster?!
It's been a month of a lot of work and a lot of things to think about and work on, besides my usual employment. And I did get the little Christmas tree dismantled and out to the trash, a few days ago. I'm trying not to get back into the mode of leaving the tree up indefinitely as I used to do. I was going to take a photo of it before I took it down and then forgot. Sorry. But it was pretty, thanks to some expert decorating by my dear niece and nephews...

So I haven't had any brilliant or even very interesting (to me) thoughts lately, thus I haven't posted. One of the slogans I learned from a wise friend many years back was "Do the Next Right Thing", and that's been my m.o. lately. I have felt so overwhelmed at times that it is all I can do to figure out what the Next Right Thing is, and then do it. Not much brainstorming going on.

Let's see, I have made lots of trips to the library; I could tell about some of the interesting books I have been reading, and some of the good music I have been listening to...
I just finished The Nudist on the Late Shift, by Po Bronson, and that was great! It's all about Silicon Valley culture in the late 90's or so, written in chapters all about different aspects of the computer software business. In each chapter the author interviews and/or shadows several individuals and tells of his experiences in that particular realm. There were places that I just laughed out loud, it was so crazy! (The title story in particular is quite amusing.) I learned a lot about how lots of things work (in business etc.) It also gave me a window into a culture that I will be visiting from time to time in the coming years. I originally found a copy at Book Buyers, then found another copy on the book sale table at the library and snarfed it up so I'd have one to share, and not have to give up my copy. Now I want to read Bronson's other books....
Just for fun I have started reading a Terry Pratchett book, Color of Magic, that a friend gave me awhile back, It's the first book in the Discworld series. It is very good so far but I am not far into it. (I ought to be reading that now instead of blogging, as then I might have some chance of falling back asleep! It's 3:14 a.m.)
I got several diet books out of the library to help me stay motivated on trying to eat healthier... one of them is Dr. Shapiro's picture perfect weight loss : the visual program for permanent weight loss by Howard M. Shapiro; it was suggested by a good friend who lost a lot of weight using this plan some years ago. It is a book that gives great inspiration for eating better, just from looking at the pictures!
I'm also reading 10 Habits that Mess Up a Woman's Diet, by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. It's another good motivator, very sensible, and an interesting read. I'm reading it slowly so I can work on one thing at a time and not get so overwhelmed by new ideas that I give up.

One other book I am reading very slowly is All Saints, by Robert Ellsberg. It has a short piece about one saint for each day of the year, but here's the unusual thing: not all of the people in it are canonized saints! They are all very interesting, though -- people from all different periods of history and quite varied cultures and areas of the world. The author must have done an unbelievable amount of research: each piece is followed by a reference (usually a book or two) about that individual. I'm reading one piece a day, so this is a book that ought to last me all year.

Oh -- music -- just one quick one before I sign off. I've been listening to some Putamayo cd's, one that Liz gave me for Christmas, "American Blues", and another, from the library, "South Pacific Islands". Both are wonderful. Then throw in some Chick Corea and Ella Fitzgerald, with a sprinkling of various Irish music, among other things, and you have what I'm listening to at the moment.

Well, it's about time to get back to bed. I'll try to write again soon!

My love to all!