Odds & ends

• I missed Microblog Mondays this week. :(  Hoping to get back into the groove next Monday.
• In case you missed it, one of the authors of the book "Mastering the Art of Quitting," which I recently reviewed here, dropped by to comment on my post. :)  Thank you, Peg. :)  
• Peg said she never thought of her book in terms of infertility.  You never know just when or how your message is going to touch someone, do you? 
• Speaking of authors & books, Lorraine Ash recently guest blogged at Life Without Baby. I read Lorraine's beautiful memoir, Life Touches Life: A Mother's Story of Stillbirth and Healing, shortly after it was published in 2004 -- seven years post-Katie but still a few years pre-blogging. I donated a few copies to our perinatal grief support group, and it's one of the books I have constantly recommended to newly bereaved parents over the years.
• Lorraine's story was especially meaningful to me because it paralleled mine in so many ways. We are of a similar age, both became pregnant after 35, both lost our only babies (girls) within a year of each other (my Katie in 1998, her Victoria Helen in 1999), and both have opted to remain childless/free since then. We both come from journalism/writing backgrounds, and (we discovered) we're both January girls. I sent her an email to tell her how much I loved her book (something I don't often do) & we traded emails for a while -- something she remembered when I commented on her guest post at LWB!  
• Lorraine has written a sequel/followup book, Self and Soul:  Creating a Meaningful Life, which I will look forward to ordering online soon.
• Saw this great article online recently about the emotional and physical benefits of writing. We bloggers are definitely doing something right. :)
• I got on a scale the other morning. In the two months since I was laid off, I have lost 5-6 pounds. :) (I was about the heaviest I have ever been at that point. :p ) Dh & I have been walking 30-45 minutes, 3-4 mornings a week and I guess that's helped. The Catholic high school near us has a beautiful paved track. We walk up there after breakfast (while the kids are in class), do a few laps & then walk home again. We figure it's 1.5-2 miles, depending on the route we take and the number of laps (usually 2-3). I could certainly stand to lose a lot more weight, but it's a step in the right direction. :)