Last night, a guy slapped me on the ass. He was my dart partner for a tourny. It wasn't copping a feel; it was more of a "go get 'em, girl" encouragement while I finished the game with a 3 round, 9 dart out. Playing darts in competition is replacing my other lost sports.

My neighbor who has the pear and apple trees I've been harvesting for the last two years has cut them down. I volunteered to trim and prune them last fall into something manageable since I was the one using the fruit. He declined my offer. They were there this morning and now...not. No wood stacked on the walk either. Oh well. Darn. Rats. *sob*

After several weeks of busybusybusy, I find myself with enough time to have insomnia. Tired but can't sleep. Not really uncomfortable. Just not falling asleep. Mind a-whirl. Techniques for quiet fail. Back begins to ache. I itch. Toss. Turn. Sigh. LEDs are bright. Moon outside glows. I finally get up. Stretch. Turn on a light. Night blindness. I pace. Water the seedlings. Check the locks on the doors. Close all the closets and drawers. Visit here.

Back to bed. A bit of warmth from the heating pad. I turn on the fan for a soft breeze. The sleep CD plays.

Yesterday, I attended the "Thursday Afternoon Barley Seminar." It was fun! I'm still on the wagon so it was bittersweet when we went to the new German restuaurant that served some seriously good dunkels. I did have a sip of Greg's beer for taste; it was enough. The folks did a double take when they realized I was drinking water and not beer; such is my reputation. I polka'd in a strange robot manner, but it was fun.

Attention Parents: If you leave your children unsupervised in the cafe, I will buy them a shot of espresso, a sweet and give them a puppy. Enjoy!

Must brave the cold. Must leave cave. I haven't been out of the house since Thursday afternoon. The wind is knocking the ice from the trees. Brrrrrr! No, Tigger, I said "Brrrr...not Purrrrr."

My holiday cards are finally done and ready for the post office. I have hot & sour soup in the crockpot. Constant Comment tea is brewing. I took the stale bread and made a bread pudding with eggs and milk. Cinnamon. Warm maple syrup. Crispy bacon.

Smart installation for the house: window well covers

I have a few things to knock off my 100+ thing list. Freecycled:
10 movies (video tape)
VCR
iron & board
hair dryer
furnace filters for old furnace

I have a few more gifts to buy my family. It might be a zoo. I have to drop my car off for repairs on Monday morning. It may cost a lot. I'm hoping not.

Stressful week. One big meal a day (resturant). A cup of caffeine (green tea) in the morning with some oatmeal. Bowl of special K. Water. Lots of things to do at work - it's like having two jobs: my regular job and working for someone else and still only having the same amount of time to get both jobs done. I'm exhausted. Can't think at night in home. Too tired to cook.

Not doing exercises more than a token stretch at night (to prevent leg cramps)and in the morning (so I can walk). Taking muscle relaxer to stave off pain and discomfort. There is a gap between knowledge and action. Still taking my NSAID for my hand.

( Anti-inflammation supplements )

I have 5/6 symptoms of metabolic syndrome (everything but elevated fasting glucose levels). Yay me. Really. See Doc on the 12th for results of tests and x-rays.

( Working weekend )

I'm going to have to pay for a service to come over and tidy up my yard, landscape and garden. I just don't have time to do it as well as crimping my back with heavy lifting. I hate paying the money to a service, but it seems the only option.

Must to bed. G'night.

Was sitting outside to watch storm blow in. Fast moving low clouds brought blowing rain so Tigger the Cat demanded we go inside so as to not get any wetter. She's like that. Went inside. Sat down on couch to watch. Big branch (5 inch diameter) from silver maple tree broke and flew into the picture window. No damage. It hit and then bounced off the lie on/over the front deck. We had just been sitting there. Partial lyrics of a song on the internet jukebox: "Is it raining on you now?" Wow.

Edit: July 30 (the morning after)

You wish you had my life problems...

I went out to look at the 2008 chrysler sebring convertibles. My 1998 has 110K miles on it and I was thinking about replacing it. I was looking at program cars (2008 models with 5K miles sell for around $19K instead of $34K). Points in the 2008's favor? FLEXFUEL. I couldn't believe it when I looked at the 2008: The new sebrings have NO leg room in the back seat unless you are a munchkin and there is NO cargo space in the boot. In 1999, I chose the sebring over other convertibles because of these two things. Surprise! I don't have many oompa-loompas as friends. The old body has room for 2 sets of golf clubs plus extra baggage in the boot. The new one barely has room for a knapsack; I'd never get a dead body suitcase in there. The new body design is boxy like a cut down pt cruiser and handles like a tank crossover vehicle not a sportscar. I am sorely disappointed.

However, I'm sure that this means my 1998 will last forever another 100K considering I give it indecent loving good care. It burns through a quart of oil every 3K, but hey, it's time to change the oil right? Maybe I'll just spend a couple hundred and get my baby detailed and looking like new so the cosmetic issues don't weigh me (or my image of me) down.

Edit: OK, OK. All I really wanted was a new shiny-shiny. I've decided to spruce up my girl and ride out the storm of desire.
wo xiang mei er, mei xin, bian shi tou

Apparently the new "in" phrase from the big city is, "Damn, girl!" Such as
Damn, girl, look at that bling!
Damn, girl, what movie should we see?
Damn, girl, you look fine!
Damn, girl, you can catch the bus up at the corner.
Damn, girl, I'll have the ham and cheese.

I kid you not.

I think it's one of those "viral ad campaigns," but whatever.