scattershot odds and ends

• Although not particularly religious, I love it when random people tell me to "have a blessed day." I'm not sure why, but it feels so much more sincere than the obligatory "have a nice day" - like blessings can't be handed out haphazardly, so that person must really mean what she's saying. (And I know - it's rotely spoken and so it probably holds no more special meaning than "have a nice day," but just give me this, yes?)
  
• Armed with the invincibility of being wished a "blessed day," I finally ended my two week-long gym sabbatical yesterday. It's been about two years now since I've been a regular fixture at my gym (a place frequented by more dads and grandpas than beefcakes, for the record) however, I still can't help but feel a bit like the lone gazelle who stumbled into a circle of lions whenever I grab a bench in the free weights area. Me, my size small sports bra and my ten pound weights can't all help feeling a bit...vulnerable, as if the attack is simmering and inevitable.
  
• Speaking of the gym, I saw Santa Claus again yesterday! Alas, the experience was entirely without perviness. Could it be that I'm starting to look older, consequently less appealing to mythical figures? Sigh.
• On the subject of sighs, we went to see No Country for Old Men this past weekend. Unfortunately, I was still midway through reading the book, but being that it's Cormac McCarthy we're talking about I had a fairly good idea what I was getting myself into. And I was right. Please don't misunderstand - the movie was fantastic, but one of the best moments was being part of the collective audience groan at the ending. It made me realize that I haven't been part of a collective groan in far too long.
• As for books (and groans), I heard a doozie of a student book talk today on the *ahem* critically acclaimed young adult piece titled TTFN - a book written entirely in instant message-speak. Girl read a passage aloud to us, and OMG! Just listening to one paragraph, like, totally made me want 2 kill myself! 4-real!!! But seriously, have we really come to a time where text/instant message speak is so pervasive that as a society we're just giving into it by writing books in the "language"? Am I the only one who hears the pitter patter of the approaching four horsemen of the apocalypse?
  
• And not like a little snow spells the apocalypse, however I am afraid it's finally time for me to bust out my winter coat.
• That means it's probably also high time I start wearing a pair of sodding socks, despite my general hatred of them.
  
• Finally, I'd like to point out that as of today I've posted 29 days in a row. As you have probably noticed, I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel here.
  
• Nonetheless, you go on now and have yourself a blessed day.
  
• Sincerely.