Ah, January

Well, Good Evening before another semi-significant birthday!  Big plans include, um, work, and going out to dinner somewhere.  Anywhere, as long as I don't have to cook or clean up, right?

Let's see...I can tell it is January--even in Colorado I feel the lack of winter sunshine.  In protest of the endless driving in the dark, I'm leaving my outdoor lights up until the last day the HOA will allow them (January 31, for the record) and then I may replace them with simple, white, twinkle lights...my own little protest.  I have three new classes this semester--two are repeats (with different students) of classes I taught last semester and one is a support lab type class.  So far I'm enjoying all my classes.  I have several students new to me, and get to continue my two favorite classes of the year, so its all good.  Three of my classes even have windows....so I can see daylight once in a while!

Morrison the puppy is settling in well--she actually sleeps better than Tigger.  Mr. IM and I are awakened nightly, several times nightly over the last week, by Tigger's song of his people.  Last night he stopped for a few minutes when I got out of bed, scooped him up, and plopped him in bed with us. My theory is that he gets cold...so I think I will knit him a sweater and force him to wear it. We'll see how that goes... (probably not well, given his history with sweaters).  Morrison goes to bed between 8 and 9 most nights--if she stays up until 10, she is like a sleepy toddler and has to poked, prodded and sometimes carried up to her upstairs kennel.  She goes out between 5 and 5;30 (Mr. IM takes her out at 5 when I get in the shower, however, her laziness has refused a couple times and has waited for me to get her at 5:30).  Alice and Tigger still detest the puppy, but Liberty seems to (sort of) love her.  She at least likes drooling on the puppy, which leads to lots of baths for Morrison, which Morrison loves...

The Girl has joined a club volleyball team as a practice player (don't know if I mentioned that yet?) so that fills my weekends while Mr. IM and The Boy are skiing (snowboarding).  The Girl and I continue to try to keep up with Downton Abbey...waiting impatiently for January 26, when the whole season will be available (for a fee) from Amazon and we can just binge watch the whole season (between volleyball events, while the boys are in the mountains)

I have already finished a couple great books--Charles Martin's newest, of course, will probably go on my top 10 (and it is only January 11...11.5 months to go in this year) and I really enjoyed Ready Player One...a dystopian novel with an 80's trivia twist--if you remember the 80's you might enjoy it...it you loved video games in the 80's (or dungeons and dragons) you'll probably really love it.  I'm also getting ready to finish book 3 of the Blackcoat Rebellion series by Allie Carter--teen lit at its best, but entertaining.  Unfortunately, it will be YEARS before there is another Diana Gabaldon book....maybe I'll have to do something useful!

Good Night, from Morrison and I!