YAY: It's Friday, a beautiful sunny day in Colorado, and all I plan to do today is read.

YAY/NAY: I'm off to Philadelphia for a conference this weekend, which means schmoozing with English teachers and publishing peeps, but I'll miss the Broncos game and The Amazing Race. Bummer.

YAY: Sher and I are going to the Starz Film Festival to see Two Spirits, the story of Fred C. Martinez, Jr. FC was a trans teen who was brutally murdered in Cortez Colorado, and the person to whom I dedicated my book, Luna. I'm thrilled to know FC's story lives on.

YAY: Then we're going to see The Blindside. You know how much I adore Sandra Bullock.

NAY: (RTV Spoiler). Sherri and I were both unhappy that Irina won Project Runway. Not that her talent is lacking in any way, but her collection was so BLACK. She totally ignored Tim's suggestion to add some color, and she comes off as such a snot. I thought every outfit looked exactly the same. Oh well. I'm glad I don't have to judge -- or wear those clothes.

NAY: The Mentalist last night was a shocker. When, oh when, will they catch Red John?

YAY: I finished Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol and I don't care what anyone says about his books, I find them intelligent and thrilling. Whew. It's hard to catch your breath after that one.

YAY: By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead will be out before you know it. Ask for a bookstore gift card for Christmas so you can run to B&N or Borders or your local Indie bookstore on January 5th to pick up a copy hot off the press.

Here's the stunning cover.

 

RAVE: Beautiful weather all week. Almost all of our snow is melted.

RANT: I miss the snow. I know, I can't have it both ways. Except, in Colorado, I can.

RAVE: It's quiet without my foster kittens and I've accomplished a lot this week.

RANT: It's quiet without my foster kittens and I'm not very motivated to work. Even when you have the best job in the world, there are times you'd rather be shopping or hanging out with friends.

RAVE: We're back to our regular programming on FOX. I think I'll spare you my assessment of reality TV this week.

RAVE: Reading Dan Brown's, The Lost Symbol. Way good suspense thrillers, these books.

RANT: I have so much reading to catch up on. Wish I could cocoon in front of the fireplace for a month and read 24/7.

RAVE: Sherri was on Channel 9 News with a kitten yesterday, promoting the shelter. She said when she got back to the shelter from the TV station, it was packed with people wanting kittens! Maybe my fosters will find their forever homes today.

RAVE: The snow is beautiful. If we hadn't had to shovel the driveway three times, it would've rated in the spectacular category.

RANT: Sherri had to go in to the shelter early today to clean because only two cleaners showed up. I hate when she's responsible for others' irresponsibility.

RAVE: A fantastic writing week. I finished the first pass revision of my 2011 book, She Loves You, She Loves You Not... I'm giving it a thumbs-up.

RANT: Our four foster kittens are still here because the shelter is packed. Why isn't anyone adopting kittens?

RAVE/RANT: My RTV thoughts o' the week: Project Runway is just okay this season. Meanie Irini makes it bearable, I guess. So far my favorite designer is Althea. Survivor is just sad. Poor Foa Foa. The Amazing Race is a hoot. I think the Globetrotters bring a lot of fun to this season. Top Chef is making me crazy. Or maybe it's Jennifer's whining that's driving me insane. Get it together, girl. I was glad to see that overconfident, arrogant Mike go. SYTYCD is starting out tough with all the injuries. I LOVE Adam Shankman. But someone needs to monitor Mary Murphy's intake of alcohol.

RAVE: I'm loving Glee. When does it come back on?

RAVE: Don't forget NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Check it out at www.nanowrimo.org.

RANT: War is hell. Someone needs to negotiate peace in Iraq and Afghanistan before every civilian and soldier are dead.