I hope that my darling husband won't mind my stealing his blog idea for one post. I drove to work today under blue skies listening to radio DJs make predictions for the upcoming basketball tournament and couldn't help but think, "Damnit. Life is grand." I shook off the grumpy mood I'd allowed myself to succumb to this morning (after asking J in a typical whiny tone, "Why is it that our mail is always all over the house and never organized in a nice, organized fashion?" The challenges we face!) and started thinking about, not only what a fabulous life this is, but what a fabulous day I had ahead. Thursday. In North Carolina. Near springtime. Basketball. The fact that my giving up sweets for Lent does not, I decided, include 5,000-calorie coffee drinks. I can still have those. Here are some other things I like.

The Ricky Gervais show podcast, which you can learn more about here. Not only is this podcast, created by the team that produced "The Office" (the British version, my favorite show of all times) hysterically funny, but I get to feel cool and hip, because I'm downloading and listening to podcasts - by their very nature modern and technological. Never mind the fact that I download them and burn them onto CDs instead of the ipod shuffle we have. Because I don't know how to do that. Also, I can't get the headphones to stay in my ears.

Four-year-old Mina. This year Mina has developed behavior so precious that I dare even the most fervent dog-hater to resist her. She's developed tactics performed, mind you, to get our hearts to melt so that we might open the refrigerator and let her have at it. But I don't care. She may be wily, but she is also ten-pounds and has a curly tail. In the morning Mina likes to pop up between J and I. Sometimes she places her body against my chest and rolls onto her back looking up at me with smiling eyes and placing her paw gently on my nose. At times like this I have to remember certain events, like yesterday when I came home and the heavy, metal trashcan had been knocked to the floor, the contents carried to all corners of the room so the dogs could enjoy every last scrap properly. I know this was Mina's doing as she is the miscreant in our household. I have to remember moments like these, or else when she snuggles her body against mine like that, I would probably give her all my money and my car out of pure love. Incidentally, I think that's her ultimate goal.

Taco Bell. Should any of you choose to question my choice of this fast food establishment, don't tell me passing Taco Bell doesn't give you a barely supressible urge to stop by the drive-thru and buy several items. For, like, two dollars. Don't lie to me. I know you think it's great, if only secretly.

J's sudden fascination with Harry Potter. Because there is nothing like waking up in the morning, lying in bed for a while and hearing another conspiracy theory about what really went down in the sixth book...the dogs awaiting a run in the back yard, tails wagging frantically ("They're awake!"), in a house with mail all over the place because all we want to do is sit together and watch a movie at the end of the day...just lying there, having your husband pretend to cure any aches or pains you may have with some kind of spell he learned through reading about lessons at Hogwarts. It's a wonder that I ever make it out of bed.