It seems I ring in every new year with a cold. I think it comes from the downtime after weeks of travel. I’m very snotty right now, which is even more of a bummer since Dan is in town, and he’s been forced to watch very bad movies by my side, as very bad movies are the only thing that can cure a cold.

Hey, Why Girls Are Weird is one of the most blogged-about books of 2003! Take that, Neil Gaiman!

We spent New Year’s up in Big Bear. Since I don’t snowboard or ski (old-school pamie.com folks might remember my one terrible adventure into the Aspen slopes), I spent two days stoking fires, making soup and playing cards. I played Frontier Woman as I fed horses, brought in firewood and watched my face chap up like hide.

It’s been very cold over here in California. So cold that people visiting let us know that it’s colder here than in Boston or New York or wherever. It’s so cold that at night the cats pile up on top of my sleeping body so that I’m trapped under mounds of fur. It might sound cozy at first, but it’s a bit scary to realize that six blankets and three cats can actually trap you in your own bed.

Speaking of, I’m going back to bed. I don’t have an internet connection in my bedroom, so being sick will probably make me more productive.