After reading, and explaining why I read, the Southern Vampire Mystery series, my daughter I an I purchased word of the day calendars to enjoy strengthening our vocabularies. We have had some good, aand some not so good, words but todays were wonderful. Mine was "nerd" (thank you Dr. Seuss), which is a fond word since I am married to an 'enginerd', and my daughter's was "onomastics" - people who study proper nouns.

This has been a fun bonding experience for us as I am getting ready (I am getting ready a year in advance) to send her off to college. She is a junior this year and she is preparing, doing the college hunt, taking classes that will help her be ready...oh my, she is growing up so fast.

I boost myself up thinking about all the 'free time' I will have but my husband's computer company is growing and I will be needed more and more. Scary to think of her not being here are my shadow and my buddy but she is driving now and has moved away as children do. She is her own person, still my buddy, but she does not need me as much as she has and I am incredibly proud of her.

We just finished watching the inauguration and were suitably impressed by President Obama's speech writer. Even made me, a die hard republican, have hope for the country at large.

When we watched the two presidents get ready to leave for the luncheon my daughter asked what kind of retirement packaged President Bush would receive. Good question, I know he gets secret service for his life-time, a pension package, but what else?

I wonder what is next for President Bush, where will he go from here?