There are screaming children in the courtyard. I really wanted to doze this headache off, like really off, and resume my day, but not a chance in shrieking hell.

I swear, when I asked who else lived here, they told me all old people. I was going to be the rowdy kid. Odd that they left out the families with young children.

The thing that makes me suspicious about that essay is the handwriting of the comments.

Otherwise, that kid is smoking some bad crack.

I am broken.

The NY IT people broke our computers again. I hate it when they do that.

I'm sorry ita. I'm usually pretty ok with kid noise, but not shrieking. Or that kid having a 40 minute convo on his cell consisting entirely of "Whuh! WHUH! whuh. WHUH!"

Maybe you should invest those noise-cancelling headphones, for irritating neighbors and bad migraines.

Keep breathing, Allyson. I take it you're kind of feeling wrung out?

Allyson, breathe deeply.

sara, they have been shrieking since I got home, which is almost two hours. Can I bill their parents for painkillers? My place really isn't large enough for any of it to be considered outdoor play area.

Speaking of Waking The Dead (wasn't I?) the pattern of making the team members look shady pales in comparison to the idea of killing off a core cast member two series running. I did yell, though. He'd better not be dead. Too predictable.

hairpats, Allyson.

Hang in there.

Poor Allyson. Sarameg, ita and Consuela all have good advice. I hope you can find a way to feel unbroken quickly.

One of my beta readers came back to me with some pretty solid evidence that what I have is a jumbled piece of crap with no clear thesis statement or conclusion.

And so, I'll have to do some serious work on that, as well as come up with the rest of the book, well, tonight.

When i think about it, my eyes well up.