Lynn Raye Harris

Yeah, it’s been a while — again. But things are coming together finally after several months of upheaval. We’re in our new house. Our household shipment arrived last week after being in storage for nearly 8 months. My desk is set up beside a window. My Internet connection is on. I itch to get back to work.

Random snippets:

1. I love Alabama. Yes, I do. It took awhile, but this is a FABULOUS place to be. Check out Kiplinger’s June issue and see why Huntsville is one of the top 25 cities to call home.

2. This is my first American Idol season. I am irritated. The finale should have been Melinda and LaKisha, IMO. Jordin is good, but not as good as she will be when she matures. And she comes from a privileged background. I’d prefer the million dollar contract go to someone like Melinda or LaKisha, women who come from humble backgrounds and who can sing so beautifully. Jordin gets a little screechy for me. Love Blake’s innovative side, but he’s not a great vocalist. Such a disappointment watching A.I. for the first time.

3. Iced mint tea is pretty awesome. I haven’t had it in years, but had some at a garden tour last weekend. Great!

4. Do I really have this much stuff? We shipped 10 crates from Hawaii, and had another one in Baltimore. Over 14,000 pounds of stuff, lots of which goes in the kitchen.

5. Love my new LG Steamwasher! Quiet, efficient, and pretty. Ordered white but got red because of a mix up by Home Depot. The red costs $100 more per appliance, but I got the upgrade for free. Not upset by that at all!

6. National is approaching. Pluses: I’m registered, plane ticket purchased, roomies who kindly invited me to share, the prospect of seeing friends from Hawaii and elsewhere, and all the stuff I’m going to learn. Minuses: Southern cooking. I’ve gained weight and I need to get rid of it. No, I don’t know how much. I haven’t stepped on a scale, but I’m guessing it’s in the vicinity of 15 lbs. And I need to do it before National if I want to fit into the clothes I already have. Why buy a new evening gown when I have several!? Must stop eating grits and fried green tomatoes.

7. I miss working on my book.

8. It’s very hard to type with a cat lying beside the computer and randomly attacking fingers and screen.