Sunday Salon: The one where I implode from happiness

Hey friends!  Long time, no see!  At least here at the Salon.  Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and got everything they wanted.  Ultimately, I had intended this post to be an accounting of all of my New Year's literary goals, but I can't restrain myself.  I had to share.  Goals, schmoals.  I'll talk about them some other time.  I have to show you what Santa brought, and talk about what I've been reading (or not).  


So first, Precious #1.  My husband, my parents and a family friend (my stand-in Grandma) all chipped in to give me a place to put my books.  Or at least get them off the floor.  These gorgeous bookcases came from IKEA believe it or not.  They weighed a million pounds, but Santa got them in his car, carried them into the house, and assembled.  Although I caught a nasty flu bug on Christmas evening, I mustered all of my energy to move my floor books to a better place.  Ahhh.  I almost want to weep.  

Precious #2, from my husband.  After three years with a beloved little HP netbook that crashed with a simple video, I received a brand new 11 inch Macbook Air.  Oh, it is just an amazing thing.  It is so thin and light and blasts all over the Internet at the speed of sound.  I was a teeny bit scared making the transition from Windows to Mac, but it was actually seamless.  For those of you who are Mac people, you may be rolling your eyes at me, but you understand. 

So what have I been up to?  Well, not a whole lot of reading really.  I tried, but all that shopping and cooking and gifting and fluing took up all my time. I did finish "Dog On It", a cozy mystery narrated by the most awesome dog.  This is a series, and I can't wait to read more.  I also read the graphic novel "Anya's Ghost", a gift from Heather, and loved that.  Now I am working on "Unsaid" by Neil Abramson, about a female vet who has died, but has yet to pass into the afterlife because of unresolved issues with the animals she cared for in life.  I know, why not just rip my heart out and stomp on it, but this author made an impression on me at SIBA this year.


My audio activity has been almost nil, but I did start Stephen King's 11/22/63.  I'm only on disc 5 (out of 30) but it has been gripping from the first word.  Jill and I are reading this together, so prepare for some dueling reviews when we both finish.


We brought in the new year last night with our New England friends, lobster, steamers, chowda, high cholesterol and laughs.  So!  The diet has officially started in earnest.  I've banned butter and carbs from the house and I have a trainer that has accepted the mission to make a silk purse from a sow's ear.  Or whatever that saying is. 


Hope you all are relaxed and recovering nicely from your celebrations over the last week.  What are you up to today?