BILLY JOEL, ST. VALENTINE AND KID ROCK

This sounds like the start of a really bad joke... "Billy Joel, St. Valentine and Kid Rock walk into a bar... " But it's actually a wistful look forward to the week ahead.

See, another of my 2008 resolutions includes just "doing more". Since I bought my house, I've turned into a terrible homebody. A sedentary, couch-loving housefly. And as much as I adore the comforts of home, I also miss the days when I was very active-- traveling, adventuring and just doing stuff nearby in Arkansas. But since the weather is so cold and it gets dark so early this time of year, spending time outdoors isn't much of an option. So until Spring arrives, "doing more" will really be about "doing more inside". Hey, not what you're thinking... get your mind out of the gutter.

I'm not always great about organizing all the things I want to do, though, and so my weeks tend to end up a little lopsided: a lot going on one week, nothing going on for two weeks, and then back to cram-packed again. And the coming week will be one of the latter. I'm not complaining... it may be a real test of willpower for my diet, but I'm really looking forward to it.

• Wednesday will be the Walton Arts Center for the Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp Broadway musical "Movin' Out". Somehow, I hit the ticket-buying just right, and scored front row/center tix. I've been immersing myself in old Billy Joel CD's in preparation.
  
• Thursday I'll be spending St. Valentine's Day with the one I love: Celebrity Apprentice. I hate to admit it, but The Apprentice is something of an event at my house; Thursday is the only night of the week I allow myself the luxury of planning my life around television; and since TiVo presents a bit of a moral conundrum for me, watching in real-time is my only option.
  
• Friday, I'm taking a vacay day, and it's off to St. Louis for the weekend. I've pulled out the "Trails & Treks of Missouri and Northern Arkansas" book, trying to find some places to stop and get some good exercise, coming and going. Burning some cals on the way is a must, because the first order of business in St. Louis will be Morton's. I do love me some Morton's steak... mmm-mmm. They set the hook with the Valentine's Special e-mail last week... filet and lobster, too divine to pass up!
  
• And Saturday is Kid Rock at the Scottrade Center. I've never seen him live, so it should be an experience. I happen to really like his soft-spoken alter ego, Rob Ritchie... plus his musical interests are so diverse, I'm not really sure what to expect. Probably a little pimp sleaze juxtaposed with American flags... and a whole lot of bluesy rock/rap.

It should be an interesting week, to say the least! And my mind is swirling with so many things I want to plan within the next two or three months: A few days at Big Cedar. Diamond-mining in Murfreesboro. A weekend in Chicago. And hopefully, lots of hiking when the weather warms up just a little. Wish me luck with "doing more" in 2008. It goes hand-in-hand with my other resolutions for this year. I hope to see all of you out there, too!