Sixth sense

My entries of lists are proliferating.

1. It's nice to be able to say "pop" without catching myself.

2. King Kong was good, although a few effects disappointed - though Naomi Watts did not. Today's other viewing, Cold Mountain, was superb, one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.

3. Someone made me a mixed CD for Christmas. I listened to it on the way to Michigan. It was a good CD, but I find myself wondering if other people put as much thought into a mixed CD as I do. I wonder about each song, about each choice made. I convince myself that every song is a psychoanalysis of my psyche by this person.

4. The mixed CD was one of my favorite gifts this season. You should see the cover.

5. I wish the current novel I'm reading - Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep - didn't look like a chick lit book. It's hard to explain to people at the gym that it's not actually chick lit, but a damning examination of prep schools, or a honest and funny coming-of-age novel a la The Catcher in the Rye. Instead, I get a cover with a pink belt.

6. And thanks to the reader who sent that one along to me. I have the paperwork at home and I got it right before I left for my break, so I can't give you a proper thank you at the moment. But thank you. The book is really good, and I know a few kids are reading it for extra credit, so getting the book was timely and will allow me to have some cool conversations with kids after school.