Someone is shovelling outside. I'd go look, but then I'm afraid I might be compelled to help... especially if it is Brian, who swept up my leaves.

Connie, how would it be labelled?

Google found me some sites that sell "exotic" salts. Examples: [link] and [link]

bon, what happened to your foot?

I think a stress fracture, aggravated by doing the half marathon. I haven't been able to run since.

Is there another one you can run before next year?

I'm hoping maybe to make San Diego in June...we'll see. Sigh.

Oh man, that sucks. Those take too long to heal, don't they?

Surprisingly long. It doesn't seem to have gotten any better in three weeks. Very, very frustrating.

However! In good news, I friended someone I've been estranged from for about ten years, and he friended me back. I invited him to coffee and am practically on tenterhooks like I asked him out for a date.

Ya know, "some sites that sell "exotic" salts" is hard to say three times fast.

Oh, mended fences can be nice, bon. I hope all goes well.

finger foods and Zombie games.

I thought zombies wanted braaaaaaains, not fingers?

Zombies lose fingers here and there is where I think I was going with that.

Oh, I'm really sorry to hear about Rip Torn, he named by the same agent who named Tab Hunter. Ahem, neither here nor there. I always think of Torn in Cross Creek--he was wonderful. And then I think of him in Beastmaster, and my giggles become unseemly.

Also, so much better than those old-fashioned reindeer games.

How would the reindeer keep score?

I really don't know. Maybe this is why Rudolph was ostracized--he couldn't keep score accurately?

Good luck, bon. With both the foot and old friend.

Loki's positively drunk on heat. He'd sprawled across the covered radiator in the front room, and I went to pet him and he squeaked and positively lolled. Devi is the same way when she's up there. I totally get it, which is why earlier I'd been lying on the floor in the middle room with my feet up on the radiator there...

Some random thing sparked a memory of the drive from Kathmandu to the ...suburbs? Anyway, it was just so random in this snowy day, it's really stuck in my head. Tuk-tuks and the crazy traffic and cows and dogs sleeping in the middle of it and the exhaust choking you and the flirty banter and somehow it became familiar and yet foreign and my goodness, I miss it. Every since I've been back, I've eschewed coffee for trying to find the spiced tea (chai) I enjoyed at every seller who I entertained. Coming close, but still not quite the right mix.

Connie, how would it be labelled?

It's called "sea salt" around here, but that's not a good name. "Redmond sea salt" would be the full name.