1. We have perfect house guests right now, which is evidenced by two of the things they brought along with them: a Christmas gift for Maya (a rawhide chewtoy/beefstick that she adored - I've never seen her get that excited by a dog treat!) and their Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit boardgame to play with us. Can I say how happy I am to have friends who share my obsessions? And: finally, a trivia game that plays to my strengths! Sadly, the game was won by Patrick. But I feel convinced that I could win if we play again. Maybe I can find a used copy of the game on Ebay...

2. My dad sent me a link to a wonderful online comic which has been going since 2002 but is new to me: Girl Genius. It's subtitled: Adventure, Romance, Mad Science! and it is such a fun steampunk adventure. In case there's anyone else out there who hasn't read it yet, here's a link to the beginning.

3. Tiffany Trent sent me a piece of writing advice I think I need to tattoo to the backs of my hands: try writing what you think you *can't* write. This is such powerful advice, and its value has been proven so many times over my writing life, yet I keep forgetting it and subconsciously trying to push myself into a little box of safety, limiting myself in all sorts of little ways. (Oh no, don't follow that trail of ideas, you know you can't write that kind of thing...wait a minute, WHY NOT?) Here's my New Year's resolution, a week early: to write more of what I think I can't write. And to have as much fun as possible doing it!