Tired, But Not Too Cranky. Yet.

I indulged in a cleaning frenzy Friday through Monday. I cleaned out drawers and closets, rotated comforters and curtains (necessitating a ton of laundry), vacuumed, mopped, scrubbed toilets, rearranged the cabinets and linen closet, yada-yada. One could say I was slightly tuckered out. I only wish I looked as adorable as that pup when tuckered out. Instead, I suspect I more resemble the Wicked Witch of the East. But less cranky than she. In my opinion. In any event, today I'm not doing squat.

I do like the way this comforter and curtains look in the guest room -- which looks a lot better than folded up in the closet. Shoot, I might sleep in there myself.


























I'll show you my own room after I put away the clutter, vacuum, wash the blinds, yada-yada -- which will be some other day.

Yep, It Is

If only we all looked so cute on a Monday morning...

The Friday Thingonmyblog

It's Friday! Some of you are probably thinking, "Big whoop, comes around once a week, like it or not." Still, it is Friday, and that calls for a teeny-tiny celebration, don't you think? Go do something fun, even if it's not all that. TGIF!

You Are Classical Music

You are a somewhat serious person who enjoys studying subjects deeply. Art of all kinds interests you, and a good piece of art can really effect you emotionally. You are inspired by human achievement, and you appreciate work that takes years to accomplish. For you, the finer things in life are not about snobbery - they're about quality.

What Kind of Music Are You?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

La-La Land

Weird, wild weather here the past few days -- hot, humid, cloudy, windy, with a little intermittent rain thrown in for fun. Total La-la Land. But life goes on. I have AC, cold Dr Peppers, and two new Zombie Apocalypse books. I just read the new James Lee Burke, "Creole Belle," too, and it was terrific.

Have a cool Wednesday and a Happy Hump Day!

The Friday Thingonmyblog

Well, this is bizarre -- I find that I'm more and more prone to being cranky on Fridays. Maybe it's because I'm not so fond of Thursdays any more. Or perhaps it's because there's nothing really special about Saturdays. I don't know. It's just ... weird. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it, though. And I'm not all that cranky today, so TGIF!

Your Healthiest Habit is Practicing Moderation

You don't think that anything can kill you in small amounts. You believe it's all about balance. You are willing to engage in unhealthy habits occasionally. After all, they are a lot of fun! Some may criticize your moderate approach, but it's very sustainable. You're into being healthy for the long haul, and you know that extremes only lead to trouble.

What's Your Healthiest Habit?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

Beavers Gone Wild

Mmm-hmm, I know what you were thinking. But here's what it is: we seem to have a sudden plague of rabid beavers here in Virginia. There have been only four rabid beavers in Virginia in the last decade (and 12 in Virginia's entire history). In just the last few days, however, there have been two rabid beaver attacks, sending three people to the hospital for treatment and the requisite series of rabies shots.

The first incident was in Louisa County (epicenter of last summer's earthquake), where two young girls were attacked and both bitten while swimming in Lake Anna.

The second incident occurred in Giles County, where a woman was attacked and bitten in Walker Creek.

In both cases, rabies was confirmed in the marauding beavers.

This is getting creepy. First, there were those Zombie-like face-eating human-on-human attacks. Now the beavers are going all Zombie and joining the fray. What do you think is going on? Seriously. I'm taking your guesses here.

Hump Day Heat

Just checking in to say...




We had a 2-day break from intense heat, but it began heating back up Sunday. Monday was hot, yesterday was hotter and more humid, and today is miserable. Ugh!

The Friday Thingonmyblog

I'm still in "talks" with the attorney I recently interviewed with. We're still figuring out what is and isn't doable. I'm meeting with him again early next week and, hopefully, we'll reach some accord so that I can soon once again pronounce myself gainfully employed. I need this. I need a lot of things, but a job is paramount on the list. Once that's done, I can move forward with everything else that needs to be done. Mainly, I need a life. Not, perhaps, in the sense that, say, Dean Koontz would mean it, but I do need to make some changes. One day at a time. Baby steps, girlie.

But we won't be thinking too much about that today. It's Friday -- and Friday the 13th to boot, a damn lucky day! -- and the weekend beckons. TGIF!

Your Ideal Relationship is Serious Dating

You're not ready to go walking down the aisle. But you may be ready in a couple of years. You prefer to date one on one, with a commitment. And while chemistry is important, so is compatibility.

What's Your Ideal Relationship?

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

It's STILL Hump Day

Yeah, it's getting late in the day, but ... it's still Hump Day for another two and a half hours or so.

My mood has been yucky the past few days; had to look at the calendar to make sure it wasn't Full Moon Madness. It's not. There are things that don't help any, but I do feel the blues lifting. I'll live. Hell, maybe I'll even prosper.

Today, who cares? It's Hump Day!

The Friday Thingonmyblog

And the heat goes on, unabated. About half the power outages around town have now been fixed. Things are still a mess. Meanwhile, the National Guard is on duty handing out ice and water. They say a cool-down is coming. I hope they know what the hell they're talking about ... because this is beginning to feel a little like hell.

My dog is a very smart dog. She's taken up residence under the AC vent, and she doesn't want to be disturbed other than for quick potty runs or a nice, refreshing Frosty Paws doggie ice cream in her bowl.

Have a wonderful -- hopefully cool -- weekend. TGIF!

Your Ideal Weather is Light Rain

There's always time for laughing at misfortune. You know you can't let bad luck get you down. No matter how old you become, you continue to have a youthful and hopeful energy. You have passion. You try not to take life too seriously. The world is so absurd that you just have to laugh at it. You are a mystery to those around you. You rarely show anyone the full picture of who you are.

What's Your Ideal Weather?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

The Fourth

Have a fun 4th of July -- and a Happy Hump Day!

It Was a Bumpy Ride

It's been a wild weekend here. Friday, it was 104 degrees, and the lowest daytime temperature since then has been high 90s. Friday night, a weird storm called a derecho blew through with winds of up to 88 mph -- but not a drop of rain in my area. The aftermath has been catastrophic. The power is out in most of the city, and some areas won't get power back 'til sometime late this week. Cell phone service, and not just my network, was practically nonexistent Saturday. My phone was working okay yesterday, albeit not 100%, but Verizon was still out. My broadband has been so slow that it's not good for much but e-mail.

Trees, power lines, and signs are down all over the place. There were fires caused by trees and power lines falling through roofs. It's just a huge mess. I feel so blessed to live in a 6-block area which is one of the few parts of the city where there's still power. And power was looking iffy Friday night; it went off a dozen or so times and had me scrambling for flashlights. When it came back on for the last time, though, it stayed on.

Shelters have been set up for all the people trying to get through this sweltering heat with no electricity. Many of the few stores that have power are out of ice and most of the gas stations can't pump any gas. I took a drive downtown yesterday and there was only one working traffic light the whole way. Tree limbs and debris were everywhere, and I had to dodge the piles of debris protruding into the streets. And it's not just my city. This is said to be the worst damage Virginia has ever suffered, even through the worst hurricanes, and the governor has declared a state of emergency.

Assuming they have electricity, I have a job interview downtown late this afternoon. I'm feeling optimistic about it, so we'll see what happens.

Any of you who may live in areas affected by these storms, I hope you're okay and are keeping cool.

See here for info and photos of the storm's aftermath.