Since I’m still somewhat despondent since I broke up with/fired my literary agent, I thought I’d make a list of things to cheer me up.

1.  I am not Tiger Woods.  If I had to compare our weeks, I’m pretty sure I’d come out on top.  By far.

2.   I’m also not Amanda Knox.  Again, I’m willing to bet that my week was better than hers.  Actually, there’s a very good chance that my life will be better than hers for at least the next 26 years or so.

3.   A new George Clooney movie came out this weekend and  it’s supposed to be terrific.  Also, it co-stars a girl from Portland, Maine.

4.  I hired my next door neighbor to snowblow my driveway for me this winter.  I can’t even tell you the joy it brings me to not have to worry about getting up at 5:30 am, wondering whether my snowblower will start and how I’ll get into work.

5.  19 days until Christmas and my shopping is pretty much done.  The hard work is now all in the hands of the lovely people at Amazon.com and UPS.

6.  Mid-season cliffhangers and short season finales are upon us.  No more Supernatural until January 21st, but it went out with a satisfying bang (as did Jo and Ellen as a matter of fact…)  The Mentalist mid-season finale may have even surpassed it as the most surprising and fast-moving hour of a TV series I’ve seen in a while.  Also looking forward to the Amazing Race finale, Top Chef finale (Go Team Kevin!) and the final two episodes of Merlin.

7.  “This is the Life” by Amy MacDonald.  I heard this song somewhere and now can’t get it out of my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xaz6vtcvPI

8.  Now that I’ve finished 25,000 words on my NaNoWriMo project, I can put that aside for a little while and go back to my true second novel that’s been festering in my desk drawer for the last two years.

9.  The Christmas cards have started coming in.  Now, let me be very clear.  I hate sending Christmas cards.  that said, I dutifully send them anyway because I LOVE receiving them.  People don’t write letters any more, so the only mail you get are bills, advertisements and catalogs.  Once in a while you might get an invitation, but more often than not, even these have been coming as E-vites.  The holidays are the one time of year when you can go to your mailbox full of excitement and wonder what treasures you might find.

10.  Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate.  I wait all year for this treat.  There is no bad mood that a cup of warm cocoa infused with the taste of candy canes can’t cure.  (Well, unless your bad mood stems from the fact that your jeans don’t fit… in that case, you might want to skip this particular item, return to #3 and go see a George Clooney movie… without popcorn.)