Well, it's time. After avoiding buying almost anything (well, something for the nephew-by-friendship the last time I was in Florida), tonight's the night. I'm taking the plunge and going (gasp!) Christmas shopping. But I think I've got a workable plan. First, I go home from work and get the credit cards I'll need (I'm reserving three of them just for shopping purposes). Then I go to the local mall, Bridgewater Commons, and hit Eddie Bauer and Williams-Sonoma for gift cards, and Yankee Candle for small gifts. Then I head for Highland Park and meet Bill-the-Honeybear at Bloom's, a great store with lots of little (and some not-so-little) unique items for gift-giving. After that, dinner, probably at Charlie Brown's. Then home. Wrapping can wait until the 24th.

Then there's tomorrow. For a few people, I'll be getting gift cards for Barnes & Noble. The only reason I'm not doing it tonight is that going to B&N takes me in the opposite direction from all the other stores. But I can hit it tomorrow, between the chiropractor and bowling.

The power of the press. I've been asked if I would be interested in being the editor of the newsletter for a group I belong to. I've got quite a few questions about how the operation runs, and they have to be answered first before I decide. But I've been looking over the newsletter and thinking about ways to make it a more interesting read -- not in terms of graphics per se but in terms of content. Both need to be addressed, but I think for now improving content takes precedence over improving layout. Anyway, I'll have a chance to get my answers and put forth some of my ideas before the end of the year. All I have to do for now is suppress the rising excitement -- this is something I really want to do.