"13 plus 14 is 27... that's an apricot!"

Having a roommate addicted to hidden-object games makes for interesting overheard moments.

This post will be somewhat historic. Not only is it the first post after something of a long silence (for which I do apologize) but it is also the first post I am dictating using my brand-new computer and my shiny voice recognition software!

Although it did not capitalize "this", and although it is a little rough on the autopunctuation feature, it is still very useful and will save me a lot of time. Not to mention, it will keep me from developing carpal tunnel syndrome!

The life of an unemployed, and at the moment vacationing, writer is a quiet but fun one. (Should I find it amusing that when I said vacationing the voice recognition put in occasioning?) For instance, today, I washed a large pile of smelly bowls, petted two attention-hungry cats, and walked to my local library.

Walking to the library serves many goals. First and foremost, of course, I love to read. I gobble books at a speed terrifying to anyone who doesn't know me well. A speed-reading friend and I wagered a paperback on which one of us could finish Deathly Hallows first. I won, in two and a half breathless hours.

My mother has also been nagging me about getting enough exercise. My back is sore? I'm not getting enough exercise. I'm not sleeping well? I'm not getting enough exercise. I'm overtired? I'm not getting enough exercise, doggone it! So today I got exercise. This one's for you, Mom.

But most unexpected of all, I love to look at pretty things, and the neighborhood through which I walked to get to this library branch is full of them. From old stone houses with squat towers and slate roofs to overgrown gardens full of black-eyed Susans, the walk was delightful to the eyes.

It was also not nearly as sweaty as it could've been since the weather has broken some, which is a great relief to everyone. 85 degrees and humid may be nothing to our southern cousins, but around here, that makes people (and cats) melt. Today was a balmy and breezy 80. Just right.

So, having gotten exercise and located my nearest source of free books, I think I can consider the day well spent. Tomorrow is for laundry, for an appointment, and for wondering whether I should deal with my lack of social life or get started on my writing first. Thoughts?