I always find myself making lists — grocery lists, “to do” lists, packing checklists, etc.  Today I’ve been jotting down various tidbits as they rattle through my brain.  It’s simply one way to keep my thoughts organized.  Here’s a sample of today’s passing musings:

1. Have to unpack from my vacation.
2. Hope my daughters get well soon, and pray that my two-year-old does not catch what my five-year-old has.
3. Need to research more about mono.
4. Need to cancel the party we had planned because the girls are so sick.
5. The dish-washing and laundry fairy never came in the middle of the night to clean up, even though I wished very hard.
6. Should probably be unpacking, doing laundry, and washing dishes rather than blogging.
7. Need to write book reviews for two more books that I’ve finished reading.
8. How should I get my haircut on Tuesday?  I’m thinking maybe Bettie Page bangs and a dark color with a hint of something flashy.  Maybe different colored tips?  Can that be done?
9. Still haven’t updated my blog picture from my last hairstyle change.  (It’s currently long, dark almost-black, with a once red but now copper peek-a-boo streak on one side.)
10. Book club meeting today.  The book was truly atrocious.  It’ll take great effort to bite my tongue enough so as to not brutally slay the writing like the evil beast it is.
11. Do your book club a favor, friends, and don’t pick a self-published book when it’s your turn to choose.  Sure, there is maybe one in 300,000 worth the time, but make sure you know that it is one of those.  In general, most self-published books don’t undergo any kind of professional editing process, and in most cases, no agent or publisher wanted to publish them in the first place.  Choose a book that has received good reviews, so that everyone might stand a better chance at actually enjoying what they’re reading.
12. Need to go through my 1,000+ emails that piled up while I was away.
13. Can’t wait to go through my regular mail.  Several big new packages arrived from HarperCollins publisher.  That’s always a treat!
14. Need to go to the nursery and buy some things to plant before it gets too cold.
15. Wonder what it would take to move to another country.  Any suggestions?
16. Need to find a way to clear everything else off my plate and make writing my fiction a higher priority.
17. My tea is getting cold.
18. Ah-Ha!  The dish washing husband is making lots of noise in the kitchen.  I knew if I wished hard enough, those dishes would get done!
19. Love it when my five-year-old daughter wakes up and wants to create something before asking for breakfast or anything else.  She’s sitting in front of me right now drawing.
20. Need to call the doctor and get a medical note excusing her from school, art class, and ice skating lessons for the next few weeks.