Pleasant Surprises

1. My best friend from junior high just found me on Facebook. We lost touch after her parents divorced and she moved to the Midwest.
2. Talked to my advisor about chapter 3 by phone this morning, and her preliminary feedback was much more encouraging than I expected. We'll meet in person tomorrow and I may be singing a different tune afterward, but she provided me with motivation for today. Thank the Lord, I will not have to resolve the question of the potential misclassification before my defense. Such a relief.
3. I couldn't put my hands on my car keys this morning, so Pete and I started to walk to preschool. I didn't realize that the streets and sidewalks were thinly glazed with ice. It was so treacherous that I thought about turning back and calling a cab. A neighbor spotted us and offered us a ride -- much appreciated.
4. I am about 60% of the way there on figuring out my moderating variables, and I have a Plan for tackling the remaining 40%. It no longer feels like I'm trying to decipher the Rosetta Stone, more like I'm working on a medium-sized pain in the butt which I can handle even if I'd rather be reading something fluffy or perhaps taking a nap.

Boy, I am grateful for some nice surprises today. I have been feeling ground down by the dissertation. Stella is sick and very needy -- that distinctively toddler kind of neediness (Pick me uuuuup! Walk with meeeee! Wooooooe is me! Nurse meeeeee! Stooooop nursing me! Whyyyyy are you BREATHING on me, Mom?) I'm glad she feels better with me holding her. I am also looking forward to her recovery.

Now if I can find the Secret Hiding Place where she stashed my cell phone, it will be a banner day.