I hope it's warm enough for visiting Minnesota and Wisconsin this winter...

I ventured out of the house today! I went to the hardware store and bought a coat hook, and installed it near my bedroom door. Not very exciting, true. But this is a good sign that I am recovering. The anti-viral treatment has really made a remarkable difference. Usually I struggle through with the flu and am miserable for a week, but today I was really feeling significantly better. Of course this would happen now that I've missed half of NASCO Institute. But I talked to Clare today and bought a train ticket to visit her and Rachel (and Cedric!) in D. C. I shall have to get them a house-warming gift. But I just don't know what they'd need....recommendations welcome.

This, of course, all reminds me of how much I miss them and being together in Madison. It is very strange, not that I don't miss Madisonians at all, but with Clare not being there any more, a sizeable piece of my desire to go back is gone. I am glad that Clare and I are still friends. That is a weight off of my shoulders. But I suppose I should have known, because we stayed friends even when she moved out of the house. So YAY! for friendships.

I also bought a coat online. When KMJ came to town to visit, we were out at a restaurant and this woman who was leaving had the most beautiful bright purple pea coat with empire waist. I stopped her and asked her where she had got it from, and she told me that this mall store had an online section with plus sizes. So, as it's been getting progressively colder here, I decided to stop at the website and order a coat today, in the hopes that it will arrive before I freeze to death. But the coat didn't look like the same one online, and it wasn't in quite the right size, so I started poking around at other plus size sections of other stores I know. And I went to Fashion Bug, a store about which I have very mixed feelings, and they had cute pea coats in a bunch of colors marked down to $60. Not cheap, but about what I would expect to pay for a coat. I decided to get the bright blue one. Then I poked around at boots for a while and finally decided to buy the coat. I checked really quick for online coupons, found one that seemed to good to be true and plugged it in. Imagine my surprise when this coupon for 50% off worked! I got this $110 coat for $30. I quickly checked out before the coupon expired or something. It's coming this week, and I'm excited about getting such a deal on it.

Woohoo for not freezing to death!