1. Pretty Little Dirty by Amanda Boyden
2. The Mathematics of Love by Emma Darwin
3. All Aunt Hagar's Children by Edward P. Jones
4. Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found by Jennifer Lauck
5. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
6. The Rules by Ellen Fein, Sherrie Schneider, Sherrie Shamoon
7. All the President's Men by Woodward & Bernstein
8. The Stand by Stephen King
9. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
10. Come As You Are by Michael Azerrad

1. Completed the Crunch Fitness yoga workout twice. (Still a little sore due to that, but in a good way.)
2. Watched the entire television broadcast of the Academy Awards. (I deserve an award for that, by the way. Although I did enjoy the Will Ferrell, Jack Black, John C Reilly song.)
3. Cleaned the floors.
4. Read a book. (The Dead Beat by Marilyn Johnson - very good book.)
5. Re-inflated my exercise ball. (There may be a 3rd workout in just as many days brewing.)

Other than that, I was rather dull most of the weekend. Which was a good thing. Or at least I'm trying to convince myself of that fact. Is it a good thing that I am verbally trying to convince myself of that fact?

Well, off to be productive.

• Jodi Picoult books - it's hard to characterize her genre, because her books are unique. I guess if I'd have to describe it in six words, they would be "more than one side to every story." Personal favorite: My Sister's Keeper
• Laura Ingalls Wilder books - what can I say? I grew up in her neck of the woods (pun intended). We even had Laura Ingalls pageants for goodness' sake. Personal favorite: Little House in the Big Woods
• Douglas Coupland books - like Picoult, he is almost a genre unto himself. Big shout out to Amtrak to introducing me to him.  Personal favorite: All Families are Psychotic
• Flowers in the Attic series - yup, I'm that person. Even enjoyed the f-ed up movie with Kristy Swanson. I'm a mess.
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - one of my favorites in a 'classic'al way.

• Veronica is in jail for 'helping' the coach's son (Josh) escape from police custody.
• Lots of Neptune's citizens visit Veronica while she's in the joint (Keith, Logan, Wallace, Cliff).
• Logan joins Mac & her beau and Parker on a very naughty Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt.
• Professor Landry accuses Keith of having Veronica bug his cell phone.
• Veronica is released from custody thanks to Cliff. Upon her return home she encounters Josh waving a gun with Mason tied up in the trunk of his (Mason's) car.
• The gun is turned over to Veronica, who tells Josh that she'll help him escape the US if he lets Mason go.
• Mason is moody. Shockingly enough.
• Sparks fly between Logan and Parker at the conclusion of the scavenger hunt, especially after they both brave cold ocean water to swim out to the final clue.
• The fearsome foursome gets 3rd place in the scavenger hunt.
• Mac and the beau get it on.
• Keith gathers some final damning information about Mrs. O'Dell, which he shares with the Sherriff.
• Sherriff Lamb actually plays nice with Keith and follows up on the lead(s) provided to him.
• Mrs. O'Dell is a douche while in custody.
• Keith finds out that the Coach's wife had hired Vinnie to spy on her husband before the shooting. She thought he was cheating on her.
• Vinnie provides pictures of the Coach with another woman.
• The other woman is a doctor who informs Keith that there wasn't an affair, but the Coach was dying from a rare brain disorder.
• Veronica continues to help Josh, as she believes in his innocence. He informs her that he has $10,000 worth of collector's coins that he could cash in and live off of in Mexico. With her help, of course.
• Meanwhile, the Sherriff has discovered that Mrs. O'Dell's former husband's (creepy Richard Grieco) fingerprints were on Dean O'Dell's computer's keyboard.
• Creepy was then brought in for custody, where Cliff is given the honor of being his court appointed lawyer. Thus, allowing Steve (aka Creepy) to leave police custody under a very weak loop-hole.
• Keith is at the Coach's widow's house confronting her on the fact that he believes that she had Josh kill her husband for the insurance money. The wife responds by bringing out a gun.
• At the same time, Veronica is at the bank with Josh. She's afraid that if he brings out the coins, he killed his dad. If he doesn't have the coins, then his mother hired a hitman to kill the Coach.
• The coins are in the vault, but there's also a CD/DVD in the box.
• Keith ascertains that the widow did not use the gun, she simply wants Keith to have it tested for ballistics.
• Keith brings the gun to the Sherriff. While there, he overhears that there's been a break-in at the O'Dell's (most likely Creepy again).
• Veronica and Josh watch the CD/DVD. It's a message from the Coach, informing them that he had set up the murder in order to spare the family from his health conditions and the financial ruin.
• Josh identifies the other person on the CD/DVD as the Assistant Coach.
• Keith follows the police to the O'Dell's house.
• Sherriff Lamb enters the house. He accidentally shoots a mirror image of himself while inside.
• Creepy Steve then comes out from around the corner and bashes the Sherriff a few times in the head with a baseball bat.
• The other police officer then shoots Creepy. Lamb mentions smelling bread before passing out. Keith takes charge of the situation.
• Veronica assists Josh with escaping to Mexico. She shares the CD/DVD with Keith, explaining that Josh will stay missing until after he is 21 and the statute of limitations is up for the insurance claim.
• Weevil discovers bloody clothing hidden in the basement of a University building.
• While watching the CD/DVD, Keith receives a phone call from the County Commissioner informing him that Sherriff Lamb has passed away.
• Veronica and Wallace discuss the sins of Josh while at the cafeteria, where Veronica sees Logan cozying up to Parker.
• Mrs. O'Dell is once again brought in for questioning regarding her husband's death. This time by the new sherriff, Keith.
• Keith informs Mrs. O'Dell that the bloody clothing found has her luva's initials on it. So, either she is lying for Professor Landry or Professor Landry is lying for her or....to be determined next week.

1. Notes on a Scandal - I really liked the book, so I'm hoping that I'd really like the movie.
2. Pan's Labyrinth - Ready to have my mind blown.
3. Factory Girl - Not up for any awards, I just want to see it...and it's actually in Baton Rouge!
4. Letters from Iwo Jima/Flags of Our Fathers - Cuz I adore Clint Eastwood and his movies. Plus, I have an affinity for all things WWII.
5. The Departed - Not a big Leo fan, but I do like a lot of the other actors. Especially Marky Mark. (I plan on visiting Blockbuster to see if I can find a copy to rent.)

1. Target - In order to purchase gift cards for newly born babies and newly impregnated or engaged friends. Plus, the Jumpin' Husker Ferrets need more ferret litter.
2. Whole Foods - The beginning of the new me diet begins soon, so I should upgrade my pantry. Plus, the have a good beer selection.
3. Lane Bryant - There's a new one opening in town today. That will make 3 of them in Baton Rouge.
4. Barnes & Noble - Because I love me some books. What can I say? I'm an addict.
5. Wal-Mart - Work-related purchases. woo-hoo. Plus, it's just fun to people watch whilst there.

1. Finish cleaning and rearranging my bedroom.
2. Clean the Jumpin' Husker Ferret cage.
3. Update my resume.
4. Finalize plans to go home to SD in April.
5. Celebrate Mardi Gras in my own special way.

1. Handing out anti-Valentine's Day cards at local 'dating' establishments, such as bars, restaurants, hotels... Two years ago, a group of us quite enjoyed doing just this. Good times, good times.
2. Protesting the war.
3. Changing your MySpace song to one of the following: Love Bites, Love Stinks, Closer, Loser
4. Feeding the homeless.
5. Dating the homeless.
6. Buying a stranger a drink.
7. Placing condoms under the windshield wipers of cars parked outside of bars.
8. Eating ice cream while watching a Lifetime movie at home and realizing that relationships always end with a bruised Meredith Baxter Birney or Daphne Zuniga.
9. Drunk texting your exes whilst they are trying to get some from their currents.
10. Reading a good book. I'm truly enjoying I Capture the Castle.
11. Smooshing candy hearts into the carpet.
12. Plucking your eyebrows while listening to Liz Phair. Preferably one of her earlier albums.
13. Pretending that it's just a normal Wednesday. Denial is a wonderful place to live.
14. Signing up for Match.com or e-harmony.com. It's way more fun to be alone with another person.

1. Read at least one book per week. (Of these books, at least 5 should be categorized as 'classics' by either a library or bn.com.)
2. Exercise 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.
3. Send 'real' (aka 'non-electronic') cards to friends and families for special occasions.
4. Mend fences.
5. Bring my lunch to work 3 times a week.

I have read more than one book a week, with one classic (Persuasion) so far. Trust me, Barnes & Noble s  me. A lot.

Exercise. I've watched a lot of exercise programs on tv trying to determine which one would be best for me, but alas I haven't exercised at all really.

So, overall, I'm 2-for-5 with my resolutions, with a third in the works. Which makes sense. One must try to ground themselves internally before working on the external parts. Or at least that's what Dr. Drew said on Discovery Health once.

Wes: Ah, this is not going to be a very good show tonight. And I think you should change the channel. Change the channel, go on, right now... or better yet, turn off the TV, okay? No, I know it seems like this is supposed to be funny, but tomorrow you’re gonna find out that it wasn’t and by that time I’ll have been fired. No, this is… this is not… this is not a sketch. This show used to be cutting edge political and social satire, but it’s gotten lobotomized by a candy-ass broadcast network hell-bent on doing nothing that might challenge their audience. We’re about to do a sketch that you’ve seen already about 500 times. Yeah, no one’s gonna confuse George Bush with George Plimpton. Yeah, we get it. We’re all being lobotomized by this country’s most influential industry that’s just throwing in the towel on any endeavor to do anything that doesn’t include the courting of 12 year old boys. And not even the smart 12 year olds. The stupid ones. The idiots. Which there are plenty, thanks in no small measure to this network, so why don’t you just change the channel? Turn off your TVs, do it right now, go ahead.... A struggle between art and commerce. Well, there’s always been a struggle between art and commerce. And now I’m telling you art is getting its ass kicked. And it’s making us mean, and it’s making us bitchy. It’s making us cheap punks. That’s not who we are! People are having contests to see how much they can be like Donald Trump?... We’re eating worms for money. Who wants to screw my sister? Guys are getting killed in a war that’s got theme music and a logo? That remote in your hand is a crack pipe. [monitors] Oh yeah, every once in a while we pretend to be appalled.... Pornographers! It’s not even good pornography. They’re just this side of snuff films. And friends, that’s what’s next because that’s all that’s left. And the two things that make them scared gutless are the FCC and every psycho religious cult that gets positively horny at the very mention of a boycott. These are the people they’re afraid of – this prissy, feckless, off-the-charts, greed-filled whorehouse of a network. And you’re watching this thoroughly unpatriotic Mother-

Cal: Go to VTR, now!

Guess I will be watching tonight's episode afterall. You should join me.

1. Attended a Mardi Gras parade with T in Baton Rouge. Gorgeous weather. Timely parade. Bag of beads for T to send home to relatives. Delightful day overall.
2. Cleaned the living room. The Jumpin' Husker Ferrets truly dislike the vacuum cleaner. (I also cleaned the vacuum cleaner!)
3. Watched the Grammys. Yup. Instead of watching something truly cultural like Dracula on Masterpiece Theatre. I watched the modern day horror show known as The Grammys...although I did enjoy it more than I have in recent years. (Basically due to the fact that I'm normally at a conference in Florida during The Grammys, but we won't dwell on that sad fact.)
4. Slept. A lot. I didn't think I was in need of sleep, but again I was wrong.
5. Bathed the Jumpin' Husker Ferrets. They've almost forgiven me. Almost.

1. Homer Simpson
2. Simon from The Chipmunks
3. Space Ghost
4. Velma from Scooby Doo
5. Brainy Smurf
6. Milo Oblong
7.  Quagmire from Family Guy
8. Captain Caveman
9. Darkwing Duck
10. Wile E. Coyote
11. Penny from Pee-Wee's Playhouse
12. Barney Rubble
13. Timmy Turner from The Fairly Oddparents
14. Arnold from Hey, Arnold!
15. Stewie Griffin from Family Guy
16. Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons
17. Brock Sampson from The Venture Brothers
18. Kim Possible
19. Marsupilami of Disney fame
20. Arthur Read from Arthur
21. Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force
22. Brak
23. Harvey Birdman
24. Scrooge McDuck
25. Foghorn Leghorn

[Sheriff Lamb runs into Keith leaving the police office with the report on Dean O'Dell's death.]

Lamb: Always looking for a crime where there isn't one. Think you need a new hobby, Keith.

Keith: Oh, I don't know. I find solving an investigation very relaxing. You should give it a try some time.

[Veronica does an online search for Max's hooker based on his nerdy friends' description.]

Veronica: It's like a Zagat guide for hookers. How did people find sex before there was an Internet?

Veronica: From 18,000 down to two. Your attention to detail has served us well, young Jedis.

Veronica: I just want to get to a place with you where we can be really... intimate.

Logan: That's what the female praying mantis says before bites the male's head off.

 Honestly, why aren't you watching this show?

1. Short - For the life of me, it seems as though my 'childhood' only lasted for a few months, not a few years. Must be due to my rapidly increasing age.
2. Poofy - It was the 1980s, everything was poofy from the rock stars to the hair dos. Alas, my bangs just wouldn't stand to attention as they were supposed to.
3. Midwestern - I know someone is going to argue that SD is the 'Heartland' not the 'Midwest', but I'm okay with that.
4. Cousins - My sister and I spent a lot of time with our cousins back in the day. Whether it was staying over at their house for days on end or attending their Girl/Boy Scout activities, we enjoyed the extension to our family.
5. Swimming - One of the few outdoor activities that I loved. Hours were spent in the sun, with very little sunscreen. I spent a few years looking like a lobster, it was great.
6. Grandparents - I was very lucky to have 2 grandpas, 1 grandma and 1 step-grandma who were within 20-ish miles of my house. I spent a lot of time with them. Almost as much time as I spent with my cousins.
7. Chores - I grew up on the farm, therefore I had chores. Not as many as other farm kids, but it seemed like a lot of work back then.
8. Bookworm - My dad loves to tell the story of how I used to grab a book, sit on his lap and demand that he "READ!" when I was only 2 or 3 years of age.
9. Hickory - Our St Bernard that was so big that we could ride him around like a horse.
10. Muppets - Another one of my obsessions that has lasted until this day.
11. Picnics - I grew up in a time and place where the neighbors knew and liked one another, so there were a lot of neighborhood picnics.
12. Croquet - Game we'd play at my grandparents house during family gatherings.
13. Esprit - THE brand that you wanted on your school bag.
14. Outfits - My mother is a great seamstress, as such she used to enjoy making outfits for my sister and I that matched. The only difference would be the size and color. Mine were usually blue or purple, my sister's were pink. (Mom also enjoyed dressing us in similar outfits for pictures...)
15. Mowing - My dad and grandpa helped mow the church cemetary during the summer months. My sister and I would usually go with them and help the older ladies prepare a lunch for the men after they finished mowing.
16. Sleepovers - I really think that I spent more time at my friends' and cousins' houses than my own. Honestly. I am pretty sure that I did.
17. Christmas - It's always been my favorite holiday, but even more so during my childhood. The excitement of getting a Christmas dress for the church or school programs. The giant Christmas tree in the front of the church. The apple and peanuts I got after the programs. The treats from Bob, our busdriver. The excitement my dad had when Santa came. The list of memories is long...
18. Blizzard - Both the DQ treat and the weather occurrence. One I always enjoyed, the other one I only enjoyed if it allowed me to stay home from school. (My favorite Blizzard flavor as a child: Butterfinger.)
19. Buffet - I like food. My family likes food. My grandpa taught me to love salad bars, hence the connection to buffets.
20. Busride - I was a weird child. I truly liked riding the bus to and from school. Basically, because I liked school. Which makes me a nerdy child too.
21. Cartoons - Especially on Saturday mornings.
22. PBS - I grew up in the country. Without a satellite dish. Without cable. With only an antenna on the house. Therefore, we got a bunch of different versions of PBS: Iowa, Minnesota, SD, sometimes Nebraska.
23. Recess - I honestly never liked recess. I'd rather stay inside reading, but again the teachers made us go play tag (usually of the Kiss or Kill variety) or falling from the swings onto pavement. I lost at least 2 toenails due to recess.
24. Basketball - In fifth grade I joined the basketball team because I was tall. I knew nothing about the game. I grew to love it eventually. But I'll never forget the first game, where I was put in as a center and didn't know what a jump ball was and grabbed the ball instead of tipping it. Good times. Good times.
25. Cats - Again, I grew up on a farm. Where we started off with a few cats. That gradually grew into way too many cats. The mother cats (Reu and Twig) seemed to always be pregnant. With my sister and mom always acting as their midwives. The cats taught me a lot about the birds and the bees. Way more than any child should know. Probably.

Today's Goal: Finish reading Eat, Pray, Love. Before watching Veronica Mars, of course.