Shorts

• I love my cats, and they usually get their way, but this?
• I just finished reading another Jennifer Weiner book, Good In Bed (#17), which was, like In Her Shoes and Little Earthquakes, very good. She manages to write very funny, good stories, that you know would never happen to you, but somehow manage to seem realistic anyway, and let you imagine them happening to you. The title, by the way, refers to a newspaper column title.
• Went today to the New York State Fair. Much in the fashion as when I was growing up, which I've written about before, I had a fun experience without spending much. Missed the free concert by Charo, though. When I was little, my favorite thing to do was pick up the free brochures that were at every table. I picked up one on Duchess County and became convinced that I would live there when I was older. Today, I got my handwriting 'analyzed' for $2.00, and found out that I am stubborn (no!) and have an overactive imagination. The Fair is a fun place to people watch - such a diverse group of people come to the Fair - including those who live at the fair and show livestock or race horses, those who come and spend big money on concerts and the midway, those who come to perform at the Pan-African or Native American villages, or the Dairy Princesses, who wander the Fair in tiaras on Dairy Day (which was today.) What a cross-section...
• Question: If you have tried any online conversations/studies/forums with your congregation, how successful have they been? I'm thinking of trying an online bible study and/or book study this fall, but I wonder if anyone has had success with such a model?