I'm a huge fan of lists--and making sure I have ways to make those lists. I keep a mini spiral notebook in my purse for keeping track of shopping lists and other info. I also love having a whiteboard! It hangs in our hallway and is easy to see. My husband and I will both make random notes--things to do, phone numbers, messages to each other, and shopping lists. It's great if he uses up something in the kitchen pantry and I don't know we're out of it, or if he's out of some toiletry item that I don't think to check on before I go to Costco or Target. I try to add something to the shopping list when it's running low, to prevent entering crisis mode when it is all gone. Last but not least, I usually have a pen and at least a scrap of paper (like magazine subscription inserts) on my nightstand so I can jot something down if it comes to me late at night. I agree that those "obvious" things to buy and do don't necessarily stay on the front of the brain as long as they should!!

I was just talking about this with my husband a few days ago! I also find it incredibly annoying when some character has teeth that are so obviously not in keeping with the character's time period/socio-economic status/presumable lack of access to good dental care. I know some movies do teeth prosthetics/makeup, but a lot of smaller-scale productions and TV shows don't seem to think about the teeth. So white, so shiny, so straight....so distracting.

Fabulous! I love it. :) I may never be able to watch another movie trailer with a straight face.

Powell's is great! In Denver (still trying to get you here!), check out Tattered Cover: www.tatteredcover.com. A good independent bookstore in San Diego (La Jolla, actually) is Warwick's: www.warwicks.com. Near my parents, in Del Mar, there's Book Works (www.book-works.com) and Earthsong (www.earthsongbooks.com). And don't forget about the Smith Clubs! Good luck. :)

Awesome news, Ernessa! I can't wait to get my autographed copy. :) I'm also still hoping that Denver will be one of the stops on your book tour....

I've been wanting one of these candy wrapper bags for a while:
http://www.ecoist.com/pc/viewcategories.asp?idCat...
http://www.nahuiollin.com/c/index.php/candy_wrapp...

As a disclaimer, I am NOT a cat person. (Blame the allergies). That said, I've seen my uncle torment his cats with a laser pointer. He would beam it down the hall and then up the closed door at the end of the hall. The cats would pick up speed and then jump a good 4 or 5 feet up in the air trying to follow the darn red dot. It was hilarious. :)