I am officially going to Boston at the end of March! And it's not just for fun -- I'm attending the Public Library Association conference. I just booked my flight today and I'll be gone for six day -- I think it's March 21 through March 28 or so. Whatever the last Sunday of the month is. I'm really excited to see Jenny H. again -- I haven't seen her since last July! And there was a promise of perhaps going candlepin bowling. I've gone duckpin bowling, but never candlepin bowling. And I seem to enjoy the smaller sized bowling more than the regular bowling.

Today was Fat Tuesday and my church had a pancake dinner. I got there a little late -- I went right from work -- but the pancakes were still delicious. Even though I didn't get any sausage. And then Trip and I got Caribou Coffee. I had a vanilla latte but he got one that had a name something like S'mores Latte. I can't find it on their online menu, but it came with marshmallows, chocolate peels, and whipped cream on top. Delicious!

In the 100 Books Challenge news, I am waaaaaay ahead of where I was last year. I was feeling like a bit of a slacker earlier in February, but two months into the challenge I've already managed to read 23 (yes, twenty-three!!) books. Most of them are either YA or chick-lit-esque, but still, that's a lot of books in just two months. I don't feel like writing long reviews, so I'll just make notations on good ones.

9. In Cold Blood (1/24) - Read it after I saw Capote. A creepy, creepy book. But a fascinating look at a true crime story. Definitely started an interesting genre, but I don't know that I've read many true crime books that measure up to this one.

10. Love Overboard (2/1) - Cheesy romance.

11. Get Bunny Love (2/1) - Ditto.

12. As Simple As Snow (2/9) - A re-read. I still haven't figured out what happened, but it's still a fascinating read. Can't wait until more people I know have read it and we can discuss it.

13. The Dashwood Sister's Secrets of Love (2/8) - YA romance novel based on Sense and Sensibility. Pretty good.

14. Masquarade (2/16) - Another YA book -- this time it's a golden oldie. I love the retrospective collection at the library.

15. Company (2/18) - A new fiction book that just recently was reviewed in the New York Times Book Review. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who enjoy Office Space and work-related satires.

16. Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls (2/18) - A YA mystery. Better than most. Short.

17. Flavor of the Week (2/19) - A YA romance. This time starring an overweight boy who finally gets the girl through his cooking. A bit of a Cyrano de Bergiac (spelling?) story, only with cooking rather than talking. Wouldn't recommend it.

18. Rock My World (2/21) - A seriously wretched YA romance. The heroine is a rock star's daughter who leads a picture perfect life. Bad, bad writing that teenagers probably love. Barf!

19. Dreaming in Technicolor (2/21) - A sequel to the book that I read back in September, Dreaming in Black and White. A Christian chick lit novel. Also made me say, "who the heck thinks about marriage a couple of weeks into a relationship -- especially before she's ever kissed the guy?" Even I'm not that stupid! Pretty good though, and I would put it a cut above most chick lit -- mostly because it doesn't have the stereotypical ending. I'm still interested in finding out what happens to our heroine -- I wonder if she'll get another book.

20. The Bronte Project (2/23) - A chick lit movie using a Bronte scholar. Okay and a quick read.

21. Conversations with the Fat Girl (2/23) - I don't know why I read this book. Books about fat girls always make me feel more self-conscious. This one had a nice ending though.

22. The Other Woman (2/24) - British chick lit!

23. Vagabond Summer (2/27) - Another YA book from our retrospective collection. This time it's about a girl who hostels around the US and Canada for the summer. I wish I could make it around the US and Canada for a mere $500! A very quick read and fun.

So...if I keep up my current pace, I'll be on track to read over 120 books this year. Who knows?

In musical news, I don't think I mentioned that I went to an Umphrey's McGee concert last Monday. It seems like so long ago, but it was really just a little bit over a week! It was pretty fun and they're a pretty good band. A jam band, I might add. The newer librarian (Abby) is friends with one of the bandmates from high school, so she's the one that convinced me to go. I think I'd go again when they are in Baltimore. We even got offered to go back stage, but because it was a Monday night and already pretty late, Trip and I didn't end up doing it.

Nothing else too exciting coming up this week. I'm looking forward to having Friday off -- I don't have any thing exciting planned, but it's nice to sleep in on a weekday. Even if it does mean that I have to get up early and go to work on Saturday.

This weekend, however, is another story! I've got plans for each night this weekend -- a duckpin bowling party on Friday night, a dinner party with people from church on Saturday night, and an Oscar party with the library ladies on Sunday night. Should be a busy weekend!

Okay, I should go watch Scrubs.