Welcome back.

Check the sidebar for the January playlist. It's a little dated (Flo Rida?); you can expect a fresher take in February. Still, highlights include: "One Week of Danger," "Kids," and "Heart's a Mess."

I'm halfway through Changing My Mind and The House of the Spirits, hopefully I can finish both over the next week or two. My list then consists of Let the Great World Spin, The Vagrants, Serena, and The Best American Short Stories 2009.

Finally, expect Life is a Beach to continue. I've been having a blast writing about Kristin, and company; I hope you've been enjoying my attempts at humor and sociological insight. Cabo awaits!

It's a long December.

(We'll get to these crazy kids in a minute)

Hi! Welcome to December at (Title Pending). It's been a while since I've done a status report, and I have some exciting plans in the works for this lovely, little space, so today I'm taking a break from regularly scheduled programming to address some of the changes you'll soon encounter.

In the sidebar, you'll discover my December playlist. Every month, I'll post a new playlist, composed of fourteen songs arranged in a specific order I find pleasing. This month, I journey back a year to bring you the sweet sounds of Leona Lewis, and the early efforts of Lady Gaga. These fourteen songs represent my favorite downloads of 2008; highlights include "Sometime Around Midnight" and "Time to Pretend."

Over Thanksgiving, Colleen asked me what was up with the posts comprised of quotes from comics/books ("Are they about your feelings or something?"). The quote posts do not have anything to do with my feelings, they're simply quotes I like from things I've read. I find that format works well with comics, since I can include a juxtaposing image. The X-Men posts have been an homage to Grant Morrison's New X-Men, while the Fables posts feature a highlight from the most recent issue.

Join the party: if you're a regular reader (thanks!), leave a comment. I'd like to get a sense of the readership: who are you, what features do you like/dislike? Are there shows I should be watching, books I should be reading? I'm totally down for constructive criticism.

NEW FEATURE: You guys, I'm so excited about this. The City and The Hills wrap tonight, and Glee goes on hiatus in a few weeks, meaning my TV roster is about to drop down to Modern Family and the remainder of Dollhouse. Instead of scouring my cable box for shiny, new offerings, however, I've found something better. Effective this Saturday, join me for a new, weekly feature: Life Is a Beach. That's right, I'm going to recap Laguna Beach Season One. I can't wait! Just look at Lo's hair in the above photograph. I can't think of a better way to brighten a New York winter.

Whether you're a new reader, or an old reader, get ready for more books, movies, comics, music, and MTV It Girls at (Title Pending). I had a blast writing the first 70 posts, here's to the next 70 (or 700). I hope you'll join me.