Just got back from a long walk around my neighborhood (trying to make myself have an hour's worth of excercise). Ah summer. There's work happening on at least one house in every block. Almost made me want to get a job as a painter, so I could be outside on lovely days. Then I noticed that at quite a few of those job sites there was an older person standing around, watching. Undoubtably the affluent owner of the property, making sure the workmen are working, or just curious what work looks like. By the time they get tired of watching I have to imagine the worker is so tired from being watched that they knock off for lunch.

Speaking of which, must arrainge a lunch for myself. And take a shower. And go pick up the paint for my car - it came in two weeks faster than I'd expected. :)

What else, what else... oh. Write my brother and let him know we could lend him a tent, campstove and dishes, because I did talk to my Aunt and ascertained that she'll be camping with a friend who has everything they need. Do dishes. That will about kill my time for today, but if I have any left I should write more on my elephants story. And write that spoilery-speculative post on HP that I've been promising to indulge myself in.

Maybe I don't have time to pick up the paint today.

What was I doing earlier today? I was reading and responding to a number of replies to my post last night on the study group - I had asked for opinions and help with a problem on binne. A certain person who's a friend of my Mom's and an ex employer of mine and very dedicated to her cause (homelessness and poverty) posts asking for help and donations to her cause, which immediately puts an end to any conversation that's been going on. She does this every time people start to talk.

People on the study group are of the opinion that being a friend of my Mom's and all should not entitle her to post whatever she wants, and that asking for money, even donations to a cause, is not particularly acceptable on a discussion group, and that I should make a rule that covers it and have a talk with her, privately, asking her to stop.

If you may have noticed a lack of actual content in my journal the last few days I'm going to attribute that to having things on my mind.  I don't like to talk about the same things over and over, and they're not going away until certain things have been accomplished or certain dates have passed. 

( I'm sure everyone's sick of hearing about my Worker's Comp problems, but OWCP lied to me.  Again. )
So on that front I'm feeling intense hatred and anger.  When I start thinking about it I have to distract myself before my blood pressure rises.

( called back by the dr for more tests - possibly girly TMI... )

And then of course there's the wisdom teeth coming out on the 22nd which is also hanging over my head, though my dread has become somewhat less dreadful with all the other things distracting me.  It's like when someone stamps on your toe to take your mind off having hit your thumb with a hammer.

Regardless of what else happens, though, there's still Christmas boxes in my livingroom which need to be filled and sent out.  I have found a few other things to add to them.  I stopped at the airport gift store, where I get a 30% employee discount.:)  I might do that again, today.

( the list of people I need to phone )
Four phone calls.  It doesn't sound so bad when I lay it out like that.  Easy, right?  Sure, if you're not phone phobic.  Even making some ordinary call makes me all jittery.

Only, I feel as though I've forgotten something.  Have I?  There's no point in calling the OWCP themselves yet again. 

For a few moments we had a gorgeous red sunrise, but as soon as I ran for the camera it faded out into dull blue-gray.

Feeling somewhat better today.  Still coughing, and my hearing is still fuzzy, I can tell, but the ringing in my ears has stopped. 

You know you've got a really bad memory when you need Semagic to remind you of your sweetie's birthday.  A few days ago I was quite aware of it, but the last couple of days I've been too sunk in my own misery of being sick.  Now I'm doing the "How the heck am I supposed to get him something before tomorrow?" freak out.  I don't have a car, so I can't get anywhere.  I wish Semagic would have reminded me yesterday, so I could have walked (very slowly). 

In fact, though, now that I think of it, he did say something about Monday being Memorial Day and quizzing me on what that meant, and I thought it meant his birthday - that's how confused I was, yesterday.  But what he was driving at was that we always go put flowers on his grandparent's graves on Memorial Day weekend, and this year we'll incorporate going to my grandparent's graves as well, because it shouldn't be too far out of the way.