Happy New Year (Almost)!

Still no mailed holiday cards (yikes!) but we wish all of you a happy and healthy new year and will eventually get around to sharing those greetings in a dead tree, environmentally suspect format.

Normally, at this point in the day, I am panicking over last-minute party preparations. Not this year. After spending several years buying caseloads of bubbly, buying a single bottle seemed to lack drama. (It's a good thing I didn't need to buy tiny bottles out here -- they are nowhere to be found).

Classic entertaining timewasters for the last week of the year:

Carolyn Hax: Tell Me About It: You want sane advice on crazy (but everyday) subjects? This is your place. Many, many meditations on the holiday letter. Guaranteed to waste hours.

2007: The Year in Pictures (New York Times; registration may be required): Gorgeous photos of places I've never been, often of conflicts I pay way too little attention to. I should see if the Photos of the Day are available via RSS.

Iowa songwriters say "Get Outta Our Town": Our local TV market covers both southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, and we have seen many local TV spots for the caucus candidates. I cannot imagine how the Iowans feel.

Enjoy!