“Hello” to anyone who has found their way here thanks to ShortWoman’s mention last week!

New in Google Reader this week
Citizen Jane Politics, via Girl with Pen
Dorky Dad, via ...And the Pursuit of Happiness
Santa Claus’ Blog (yes, really!), via Mir’s “Casual Friday” at Work It, Mom
Notes to Self, via Susan Wagner on BlogHer

Love and stuff
Love was in the air on Valentine’s Day, as might be expected. The Park Bench offered some nerd-tastic Valentine gift ideas. Pamie presented Valentine’s Day poetry, and Matthew shared a love note to his wife. Valentine’s Day was her parents’ wedding anniversary, and Meg Fowler wrote them a lovely letter. It was also an anniversary for Mojo Mom Amy and her husband Michael, which led her to some reflections on the “Marriage of Expectations and Reality.”

Speaking of marriage, The New York Times offered a scale for long-term couples to measure the level of passion in their relationships, and ideas about “reinventing date night” (hint: shake up the ol’ routine a bit.) But sometimes you can’t go back, and it’s not all about hearts and flowers; on that note, this Wall Street Journal Online column offers some based-on-experience advice on making a divorce work. (My ex-husband and I did some things along the lines of what’s mentioned here, and we’ve had a pretty decent post-marriage relationship. Just sayin’.)

And if you weren’t part of a couple this Valentine’s Day, that may well be preferable to meeting people in AA, sharing shoes, or crazy blind dates.

Someday your kids will probably be coupled up, believe it or not – this may reassure you if you’re parenting a teenager (link included especially for my husband!).

Money stuff
I read several personal-finance blogs regularly, but some of the best advice I’ve read on the topic came from a science-fiction writer – and I normally wouldn’t link twice to one blog in the same post, but I promise that this is worth it. John Scalzi’s two posts of “unasked-for money advice” are directed toward those who are attempting to be money-making writers, but their direct – “blunt” is probably a better term – tone and content make them must reading, and several of the points he mentions are just good money management, no matter where your money comes from. The posts are lengthy, but worth the time. Much of what he discusses is common sense, but necessary since that “sense” seems to be much less “common” than one would hope.

Books and reading stuff
Bookworms Carnival #8, “The Geography of Make-Believe” is now up at The Book Ninja. If fantasy and speculative fiction get you going, you’ll find links and snippets for lots of reviews and discussions. I didn’t submit anything this time, but I did win a book for helping to promote it! Carnival #9‘s theme is “Women in Literature” and is hosted by The Armenian Odar – submissions should be emailed to armenianodar at yahoo dot com by March 14.

Other stuff
Working Girl spent the week on her own “happiness project,” while the Happiness Project considered matters of marital harmony. Meanwhile, Consumerist posted Forbes’ list of America’s 10 most miserable cities, and MauiGirl was unhappy with a snowy commute. I sympathize, since I’ve certainly done my own share of traffic complaining around here…

Happy three-day weekend if you’re getting one (I am!).

Subscribe to Blog via Email