Question for those who know more about cars than I do (which is just about everyone): If a rock hit my windshield, resulting in a star at the point of impact, with no cracks spreading, and nothing coming through to the inside of the glass, does it still need to be replaced or is that something one lives with? How does one go about replacing the windshield? Is that something handled through an insurance agency, or do I call my mechanic, or do I look it up in the phone book and call someone directly?
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I have about three months left on my current cell phone contract, which means I am eligible for the upgrade discounts now if I want to renew. I've been poking at my friends' phones a little. I'm envious of people with the internet in their pockets. But I've had mixed results attempting to use iPhones (which is better than six months ago, when I'd had uniformly bad results). My hands just don't always do what I want. So this will require further thought and investigation. Anyway, this afternoon I compared plans at Verizon and AT&T, mostly to see how much more expensive it would be than what I've got now. And the answer is that it would pretty much double my bill, either way, and I'll have to think about whether I want it that much.

Anyway, I was appalled to see that Verizon's only option for a text messaging plan is now $20 per month for unlimited texts. So, for the record, I would have to receive TEN TIMES the maximum number of texts I've ever received in a month to even come close to it being worthwhile to get a plan while still with Verizon. (This is not a challenge.) AT&T does still have a $5 per month plan, although that's not unlimited any more either.
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What I'm reading: Just finished The Brazen Bride by Stephanie Laurens. This took me a surprisingly long time to get through. I think the author was trying to do too much with the book, and it suffered. She's one of the most successful current authors of historical romances, with two extensive interrelated series to her credit. With these books (this is the third of four), she's stepping outside the predictable formula of the genre. There's an unfamiliar setting (colonial India) and a fair bit of action, suspense, and even actual plot. I think she must have gotten tired of writing the same thing over and over, and wanted to try her hand at something with more substance. While I think that's commendable, I happen to think she's a better writer than this book demonstrates. Meanwhile, it still has the same general romance plot, the prescribed sex scenes (though not necessarily at the same page counts) and some of the usual themes that go along with the subgenre. This feels like trying to keep all of the same readers, despite changing it up a little. As a result, it doesn't end up being good action/adventure or good romance.

Next up: What Life Was Like in the Jewel in the Crown. Because now I want to get a bit more of the feel of colonial India without sex getting in the way.