With the American Music Awards scheduled to air on Sunday, I can't help but obsess about what Taylor Swift must be thinking. 

Last night, I had the opportunity to go to the launch party of the new book, Kirtsy Takes a Bow: A Celebration of Women's Favorites Online (Bright Sky Press, 2009).  The book, edited by Laura Mayes of Kirtsy.com and authored by over 100 online writers, is basically an anthology of some of the best online content to date.  It's the kind of book that you'll love whether you're involved in social media, or have no idea what social media is, but you love intelligent, funny or insightful writing.

 Or, let me put it this way: Will the right three stars make it to the Finals? 

Harry & Sally. Rhett & Scarlett. Lancelot & Guinevere. Lucy & Ricky. Johnny & Baby. Name famous romantic couples and since 2007, Marlboro Man and The Pioneer Woman deserve a spot in the Top Ten.

One of Fox's fall hits, "Glee" got itself in a bit of trouble last week with an episode called, "Wheels."  It was about wheelchair user Artie (Kevin McHale) and head Glee-meister, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) trying to teach the other Glee kids a little something about living with a disability.  Add to that the sight of a Down syndrome student trying out for Sue Sylvester's (Jane Lynch) Cheerios and the keyboards set to tapping in the blogosphere.

The L Word ended on Showtime in March. For people like me who don't have Showtime, the final season is just now coming out on DVD. We are finally getting to see season 6 and watch how the series ended.

We all have pet peeves, those things that drive us crazy for no good reason. Most of the time it's just a minor annoyance but when it comes to books they can drive us to distraction or possibly even to the point of throwing a book against the well. (Which I am sure is someone's pet peeve - book abuse!)

"When I hear the official language [of the health care debate] it makes me suppose that this is a time when we need a lot more art that's not going to have answers that are in black and white. " Anna Deavere Smith to Bill Moyers, November 13, 2009

If you want a less stressful, less expensive, less wasteful holiday celebration -- without acting like an eco-grinch -- take a look at the new holiday book of the season: I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas: Gifts, Decorations and Recipes That Use Less and Mean More by Anna Getty.

I believe in "short time" holiday decorating-limiting the exposure of Thanksgiving and Xmas decorations to something close to 10-14 days. It's a personal choice that makes seeing any of these items appear much more dear to me. The one exception to this rule is the door wreath. Wreaths can decorate doorways years round - either changing the actual wreath by the season, or changing some element of it to indicate the seasonal changes. Wreaths are one of the simplest items for anyone to make and decorate themselves, making them a perfect crafty project for a winter afternoon.

I was standing in my parents' kitchen eating cereal and staring into space, as I do, when my eyes landed on the refrigerator - and more specifically, the pictures on it.And the magnets, and the invitations, and the um, business card for a particular blog that no one reads because I think they still think there's a secret password to get in and hey, who am I to correct that notion? But mostly it's the photos.

The beginning of a new year is a wonderful. It's bright, shiny and full of possibilities. So we dutifully fill it up with hopes and goals. There's just under seven weeks left in 2009 which makes it a good time to check in with your reading goals.