Mexico

In 2009, I visited Mexico twice - Cabo San Lucas and Huatulco - and discovered how wonderful a country it truly is. I plan on traveling there several times this year, looking forward to experiencing the culture of Guadalajara, the quiet of Yelapa, and the friends in Huatulco.

Those two trips exceeded my expectations on many levels - the weather was virtually perfect, the resorts quiet and luxurious, the restaurant options outstanding. There were many discoveries - stunning spas, great drives through Baja, terrific shopping, truly incredible Mexican wines, wonderful people.

Autumn is a gym rat - and a fierce, tough and focused one. My daughter is an athlete - that is a cool reality to embrace. She has recently been moved up to train with the head coach (2009's Top Gymnastics Coach in Alberta), and is mixed in with several older girls just starting to compete. I am continuously in awe of what my "little" girl can accomplish, and so excited to see what she learns next.

I have recently embarked on a New Year's resolution of reading at least 50 books this year ... I have never kept track of my reading habits, despite a probable need to get an idea how much it costs me annually! I think it will be an interesting experiment, more for what it uncovers of the variety of books I read as it does the volume. I will keep track of the reading list here, updating it as it goes along.

January

1. Matt Taibbi, The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics and Religion
2. Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle
3. Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
4. Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century
5. Ryszard Kapuscinski, The Other
6. Alexandra Horowitz, Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know
7. Will Ferguson, Happiness
8. Wendell Berry, Bringing it to the Table: On Farming and Food (reading)
9. William Stolzenburg, Where the Wild Things Were: Life, Death and Ecological Wreckage in a Land of Vanishing Predators (reading)
10. Roberto Bolano, 2666 (reading)
11. John Gray, Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia (reading)

February