Back by no demand at all, I give you more miscellany: a few random items and thoughts that have captivated me lately.

• I've been thinking about some memorable posts about parenting recently. Sweet Juniper's Dutch captures the soul of the conflict (do conflicts have souls? not sure) of leaving a child at preschool for the first time, especially when your child is a reluctant separator. I loved Bridget's post about the tenderness of her daughter's mysteriously bad day. And Kate at sweet/salty is spot-on when she discusses the frustration of losing the post-baby weight. You've got to love a gal who compares her rear end to "a sackful of Ultimate Fighting Champion squirrels."

• Etiquette query. It's happened to me twice today: I'm approaching a set of doors, walking behind another person. Person opens the door and holds it open for me. I say "thanks." We walk two steps, person opens door again. Should I say thanks again? Is my previous thanks implied gratitude for all future door openings? Usually I smile and nod but is this adequate? Am I being rude? This is the burning question that only you can help me resolve...

• Here's another one: I agreed to wait at a new friend's house for the cable guy one day when she was on vacation. The guy came and wanted to know in which wall to drill the hole. What? I didn't know so I started looking on her table for her cell phone number. I didn't find it but what I did find puts me in a quandary: very clear, unmistakable ultrasound photo evidence of her unannounced pregnancy. Hmmm. Do I admit that I know? Do I continue to pretend I know nothing?

• Lauren went to Stephenie Meyer's book signing of Twilight this week. She went early with friends, got a bracelet that determined where she sat, and returned a couple of hours later for the signing. Get this: It was on the second floor of a Barnes and Noble. By the time she left two hours later, the line wound all around the book aisles upstairs, down the escalator, around the downstairs book aisles, out the door, through the parking lot over to the restaurant next door. Crazy! I still haven't read them (I've had an aversion to animal stories and vampire stories since I was an early reader that I can't seem to shed) but wow! This one's found an audience.

• Finally, essential to my mental health is having something to look forward to. I've added a list here in the margin where I'll park the big and small things I'm anticipating (and that make life more worth living!). What about you? What are you looking forward to that brings you joy?