Happy First Day of School!

No, I'm not going to school. (I wish!) But today is the first day back in both my hometown and the city where I now live, and I can hear the children who live in my apartment complex congregating outside as I write this, and it just feels like the start of something, you know? September has always felt more like a new year to me than January ever does - especially since it means the end of the hot weather that makes me feel like I can barely function, let alone be creative or productive. So I'm taking this first day of school as a time to reassess, to regroup, to start getting myself back into my normal routine that I've let slip a bit over the past few months. I want to be reading more, writing more, watching more, knitting more (Christmas is coming!), thinking more - and that school bus outside seems like as good an impetus as any.

What does that mean for this blog? More posts, I hope! (And more consistent linking to things I write elsewhere.) Much as I love compiling Morning Coffee, I never intended for that to be virtually all I do here. What would you like to see me write about in this space? TV stuff? Book reviews? Knitting? Food? More pictures? Ramblings about the Issues Of The Day or whatever random thing catches my fancy (like this post, I guess)? I'm sure I'll end up just posting whatever strikes me, but it would be great to know what interests those of you who are reading.

And to those of you who are headed back to school, or are sending your kids - good luck! I hope everything goes wonderfully! Sharpen a pencil for me!

Morning Coffee (2/27/13)

My friend Beck wrote a lovely riff on the controversy over Ben Affleck's "marriage as work" thing.

Downton Abbey as Super Nintendo game! Amazing.

Fascinating: From Women's Page to Style Section

Bill Cunningham's Big Gay Heart

Hee: Pixar Star Trek

Can Knitting Give You a Runner's High?

I did not really know anything about Oscar Wilde's marriage.

Love in Amish Country

Sad News

A quick explanation for the lack of posting: My cat Dewey's health problems were both recurring and worsening, and today we made the very difficult decision to end his suffering. It's been a very tough week, and obviously I'm extremely sad, but I know it was the right decision. I may not be around much for a bit more time. Thanks for understanding.

Note

I'm dealing with some personal stuff, so blogging will be light to nonexistent for the time being. I'm not ready to talk about it yet but I didn't want to disappear and worry anyone. Thanks for understanding.

The Mouse Battery Mystery

I go through a fair number of batteries for my wireless mouse. That's to be expected. What I don't understand is the way I can never, ever find any spares and have to buy a new pack every time. Where do they go? It's not like I'm possibly buying AAA batteries two at a time. They must be somewhere. There must be several partial packs of AAA batteries in this apartment, but they're not on my desk, or with the other spare batteries, or anywhere else I can think of. It's baffling.

I will buy more batteries on the way home today. I will put them in the linen closet with the flashlights and other spare batteries. I am putting this out there so that next time I have this issue, one of you can perhaps remind me.