Happy Monday!

Well, it looks like I'm lucky to get in one post a week right now. I get to Friday, and I honestly don't know where the week has gone. My weekends are now some combination of putting my house back together, planning for class and cooking something that I'll be able to eat for the next week. But here's a random assortment of stuff for you today:

I should do a book post, but I've now forgotten most of what I read. But I did recently finish two good books I wanted to share. Historical fiction is definitely my favorite genre right now. I really enjoyed The Book Thief. It's set in Germany during World War II and focuses on a 12-year-old girl's experience. It's told from the perspective of death; it sounds weird but very fascinating. The second book, This Burns My Heart, is set in South Korea just after the end of the Korean War. The book follows one woman and is about the way her life is impacted by choices she made.

Winter decided to arrive in mid-February. It was sunny but freezing all weekend and now there is snow in the forecast for later today. But yesterday, I decided to build my first fire in this house. I loved spending my Sunday afternoon reading by the fire.

I skyped with my niece last weekend. It was actually a double skype session, I was on one computer and my parents and sister were on another. She was playing in her room, and my brother-in-law gave her his Blackberry. A sidenote, my sister and brother-in-law text about one photo a day to the family from pictures taken on their Blackberries. When she got it, she talked on it like a phone, and then my sister said, "take a picture." Here's the screenshot I took of her. How adorable is that?

There were five deer in my front yard last night. That continues to amaze me, and I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it.

I have never been a basketball fan. I love watching football, and I can even get into a good baseball. If I ever get a chance, I'll watch soccer all day long. But I never get into basketball. So this would be the year, the Missouri men's team is 23-2 and consistently ranked in the top 10 and even the top 5 recently. Obviously, this has an impact on my job and will continue to. But I have to admit I've suddenly become a fan. I was cheering out loud during the Kansas game last weekend and listened to the Baylor game on the radio as I ran errands on Saturday. And I'm now both dreading and looking forward to March Madness.