Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

Known colloquially as the ABNA. Here is a fun post:

http://johnochwat.wordpress.com/

I've stopped visiting the message boards, et. al., and have gone on to other things, like writing! No matter whether one was chosen or not, there seems to be massive quantities of sturm and drang about, and well, it's just too much.

I spent three hours making some complicated airplane reservations yesterday, taking into account 5 different parties schedules, and trying to get a good fare, and arrange good times of day for everyone to travel, and double-checking, nay triple-checking everything, and feeling virtuous and vastly relieved to have this rather sucky chore off my list.

Guest what? Someone calls today and can't arrange the time and now I have to scramble. It's a $75 re-scheduling charge (remember when airlines did this for free?) but I can cancel the rental car, and visit a good friend instead and so I think I landed (ha ha) on my feet. The problem is, these fares go up between the times one logs in.

Snow forecast late tomorrow, and we need to get to the supermarket for the superbowl dinner. Have decided to do a chicken pot pie for a change. It's "lite"--hate that word, but hope it will be good. W're also have chips and bean dip and don't get me going on that again.

All in all, it's been a good week. I am buoyed a bit by praise for the first paragraph of "Such Stuff As Dreams." As Mary Poppins always said, "well begun is half done."

Off to read Proust. Isn't that what you do every night? No?
Hey listen, I am loving this "Treatment" show on HBO. It's a pain to reserve 9:30 every night. I'll probably start watching it on demand.

Grapeshot