Hi, all, and thanks for the birthday wishes! I'm celebrating by going on a diet (tomorrow, after I enjoy the Cupcake Royale goodies DH promises will appear today) and cutting up all our credit cards save one or two that will live in the freezer against any truly dire emergencies that come up before we can build a cash reserve to meet them.

Oh, and I'll be spending some gift cards and such. And watching lots of bowl games, as is my birthday habit. If I didn't love football, this would be an annoying birthdate to have.

I'm going to do Weight Watchers again. It has the virtue of familiarity and allowing me to eat whatever I like in moderation. Losing weight is one of a host of resolutions I've made for the year (also need to cut the debt, have my manuscript finished and to my agent ready to market by the end of the summer, etc.), and I don't know why I can expect to do any better this year than I have in the past except that I really NEED to do this. I'm 37, exactly, and none of these health and financial issues have been getting better while I ignore them. So. Happy Birthday and Happy New Year to me, and it's time to sort this stuff out!

May fortune favor your endeavors this year, Susan.

It's snowing here. I think I shall not be working out today. Instead, I shall develop a spelling program. After I start another load of laundry.

The Outdoor Hockey Classic is about to start --it's in Buffalo where it's snowing hard. I feel really bad for the players right now, especially the goalies.

I'm doing laundry and baking the NY Times' 18-hour bread (which is more like 24-hour bread to me, but okay). Now my parents are stopping by, and then there will be a hike with Java Cat, I believe. There are worse ways to start the year.

That's odd, they just sang the Canadian anthem and God Bless America rather than the American National Anthem.

I'm watching the Cotton Bowl. Go Mizzou!

Whoever is directing the broadcast fails at halftime. They went to a bunch of talking heads discussing games scheduled later in the day then to the on-field reporter saying "and now enjoy the Mizzou marching band" ... as the band marched off the field.

I should try to get some laundry done and I have to buy cat food sometime today.

That's odd, they just sang the Canadian anthem and God Bless America rather than the American National Anthem.

"God Bless America" has become the surrogate red state anthem.

Outdoor Hockey Classic

Is this an annual event? I think of professional hockey as exclusively outdoors, but my knowledge of hockey pretty much amounts to: ice, fights, penalty box, goalie, puck, Bobby Orr.

"God Bless America" has become the surrogate red state anthem.

Doesn't God bless America enough already? Aren't we His favorites and stuff?

Doesn't God bless America enough already? Aren't we His favorites and stuff?

Yeah but the Star Spangled Banner isn't particularly godly at all. It was mostly after 9/11 and some country guy had a hit version of "God Bless America" and it sort of swept the heartland as this dawning feeling of "Yeah, let's sing the America song with God right in the title."