I’m off to the DMV early in the morning to get my car registered in D.C.

Wish me luck! (Also, wish me luck getting up early enough to make it to Baked & Wired to pick up breakfast en route.)

Rudi and I have declared 2010 to be The Year of the Bed.

When we graduated from college, Rudi and I each bought a futon for our two apartments. Rudi’s frame was poorly assembled by the delivery men and the slats cracked within a year or two. (Actually, it was probably just over a year, since that would have been the warranty period, I suspect.)

Mine, which I bought from a small, independent Middletown shop the night I signed the lease on my first apartment, was called the Cheapy Sleepy. It cost me all of $200 and was the most I’d ever spent on an item at that time. (Frankly, it still ranks up there.)

Fourteen years later, we’re still sleeping on my Cheapy Sleepy. Sure, we eventually had to shift Rudi’s thin mattress under my slightly more substantial one, but, overall, it’s probably well outlasted the manufacturer’s expected lifetime. The frame has held up remarkably well, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it walks off from the corner quite quickly after we put it out for the scavengers.

Rudi and I regularly wake up feeling achy these days since you can now feel the slats through both layers of cushion, so the futon’s days with us are finally numbered. Our goal this year is to buy a replacement, and we’re thinking an actual bed with a mattress and box spring is in our future. Plus, frankly, it would be nice to actually have an under-the-bed space in which to store things.

However, we don’t really know anything about buying a bed. Does Consumer Reports rank them? Or is it really a matter of walking into a showroom and lying down on each floor sample we can afford to see which one we both agree on? Is there something else we should keep in mind?

Leave us tips in the comments, please. Rudi and I would love to benefit from your advice. Our backs and hips thank you in advance.

I should have written earlier, but I was busy with things like laundry, cat boxes, and dishes. (Don’t feel too bad for me. Today also included an evening out with some girlfriends eating chocolate and watching Jane Austen on PBS.) But now I just want to go to bed. So, perhaps tomorrow?

There’s nothing like a holiday weekend Monday that dawns sunny and warm to make one feel like making the most of the day. And, trust me, I did.

I got up this morning just as Rudi was leaving the house for a 50 mile bike ride. I was productive, but not crazy, so instead curled up on the couch with tea and a chocolate croissant.

I popped in It’s a Wonderful Life, turned the tree on for one last morning of colorful lights, and finished writing my Christmas cards to a happy ending for George Bailey. I am greatly relieved that no one will have to wait for Arbor Day for cards (although maybe a few of you will get one then anyway), but will definitely be making cards a higher priority next year.

After Rudi returned home, we headed out to soak up the unseasonably warm temperatures. We wandered the area seeking outdoor seating, but way too much of it has been pulled in for the winter. Eventually we found ourselves in Columbia Heights, where we grabbed a couple of slices at Pete’s (also lacking outdoor tables), ran into Target, discovered a new coffeehouse, bought milk, and picked up a parking pass at the police station. Although the skies were a brilliant blue when we left the house, we exhausted every last bit of it, not returning home until well into twilight, when a Cheshire Cat moon led us home to our own trio of felines.

Monday night is fondue night in the Burrow, so Rudi cooked up some cheese and cubed bread while I worked on shifting packages away from the tree and starting the ornament removal. We paused to eat dinner in front of Chuck and then went our separate ways for an hour (when Rudi likes to watch Heroes, which has gotten too dark for me to enjoy. I knit and listen to my iPod or read in the bedroom instead.) We reconvened for Castle (Monday night’s lineup is filled with one-word shows, I just noticed) and to pluck ornaments off the tree. I boxed them all up during Conan’s final Monday show on NBC and, during Craig Ferguson, we managed to get the tree out the door and the living room swept and vacuumed. Pine trees left up for more than six weeks tend to not make a clean exit. The living room seems so spacious!

I still have a few dishes to go before bed, but I’m ready to hit the hay. It seems like a nap might be a good thing before I head back to the office tomorrow.

How was your weekend? Did you get Martin Luther King Day off? Or was your Monday achievement getting up and returning to work (also a laudable accomplishment in my book)?

Here’s a question for the grammar nerds out there to debate:

Let’s say a book is published. The powers-that-be have incorrectly capitalized some of the words in the title. When referring to the book in print, do you correctly capitalize the title or do you propagate the error?

As usual, my stab at entertaining included piling everything we own on the bed and falling into an exhausted sleep on the couch immediately after my guest departed.

I’m not sure I’d declare victory in this month’s take on the New Year’s resolution, but I think it will do for an admirable first effort. Here’s hoping February’s brings less stress.