So, what's all this ABOUT, anyway?

So. After much hemming and hawing, a generous dose of procrastination, some sleeping on it, and then thinking it over, I'm here where I thought I would be a year or more ago: I'm starting a blog.

That's right, folks. All Melospiza, all the time.

Which brings me to my first blog-problem: what to WRITE about? I mean, I love reading about the minutiae of everyone's lives. Dogs and kids and pets and weddings and projects: it's fascinating. Until I get to me, and then I start yawning. God, Self, I say, does anyone really want to hear all that?

Actually? No.

But, here we are, so let me be as entertaining as possible.

First, the cast of characters:

• Melospiza. That's me. 37, currently, uh, "between jobs."
• Virgo. My husband. Father and fisherman extraordinaire. Also good at gifties, dishes, and "being employed."
• Silas. My son, 7.
• Helen. Daughter, 4. Almost 5, as she says (and I say, yes, honey, in about ELEVEN MONTHS. "That's what I MEAN," she answers.)
• Costi. The dog.
  
• The birds. They have names, which no one knows except me.
• MIL. Generous, lovable, and OMIGODSUCHAPAININTHEASS. Also psycho. Which I mean in the most loving way possible.
• SIL. Brave and beautiful, and my kids' favorite grownup in the whole world.
  

Second, the goals:

• To make this damn place feel like home. After 12 years in a mid-sized town, we moved over the summer and now live in the suburbs of the Big City. Although I've stopped moping around on the couch about this (mostly), I'm still Sad.
• To get a job. In order for the Melospiza household to be totally financially stable, I need to clear about $20K after taxes. Got that, Universe?
• To finish the damn novel. For updates, see the panel on the right.
• To work my way through my Best Easy Hikes book. That's 24 hikes, people. It can be done. With or without the chorus ("Is this surprise a HIKE, Mom? I HATE hikes! This is the worst surprise EVER!")
• To do my best to be an "appropriately warm, appropriately in-control" parent, in the words of my latest parenting guide (The Friendship Factor, by Kenneth Rubin and Andrea Thompson. About way more than just friends [and says nothing about whether you should teach your kid to greet friends at the door and offer them something to eat and drink. Which may or may not have been the reason I checked it out in the first place.])
• Okay, FINE. I'd like to lose three pounds. I'm going to do this by #1--working my way through the Best Easy Hikes book and #2--increasing the mileage on my runs.

Exciting, yes?