I'm in a borderline foul mood. Traffic was nasty (someone tried to cut me off because I wasn't pulling into traffic fast enough. Because there wasn't space, fucker! Serves you right you nearly got t-boned!) people are demonstrating why I wanted something implemented that they dismissed (fuckers!) and did I mention the weather is miserable? And someone just stank up the men's room across from my office. Bleh.

Good things, good things, good things... I didn't forget my lunch?

I cannot get Justin Timberlake out of my head. Seriously, he was keeping me up last night, what with the bringing sexy back and all. I tried to make him sing a slower more sleepy song with minimal success.

Seriously.

::skips 10-days-worth of posts::

Hi, everyone. Things I learned last week:

• gas is waaay cheaper in Ohio than Chicago ($2.50 vs. $3.17);
• my 45-year-old brother is going grey (he shaves his head, but his beard is definitely turning white), but he looks fabulous in a medium grey suit with sage green shirt and burnished gold tie;
• my 16-y.o. nephew's hair is now longer than my 13-y.o. niece's newly shorn 'do (he had a buzzcut three years ago, and until this spring she was able to sit on her hair);
• my uncle and cousin are both very cool people to drive cross-country with;
• one of the hardest things to do is to listen to "Taps" being played for someone you know and love;
• the best thing to do for your newly-widowed mom is to sit there and listen;
• the actual hardest thing to do is to have to leave your mother the night of the funeral because your ride has to get home the next evening and really needs two days to do so.

Oh, Kathy. How is your mom?

She was pretty much in "funeral mode" until about the time I left, but she's obviously really down right now. She's been returning various medical items he had (portable oxygen tank, etc.) and is arranging to have the cruise they were supposed to be on next week cancelled, but the insurance isn't going to reimburse more than 50% since it was less than 2 weeks before the start of the cruise when she notified them. She's very lucky to be surrounded by a big support group in her neighbors--she lives in a 60-plus community where everyone knows everyone else, which is good for her. My brother helped her out before the funeral last week, but he's been in Florida for the weekend with the family so she's had to rely on the neighbors.

She isn't sleeping much, and knowing her, she has to remind herself to eat, so I'm really worried about her both emotionally and physically handling this.

How are you doing, Kathy?

Someone else who took a self-portrait every day: [link]

Oh, man, Kathy. Are you doing okay, considering?

I have "Another Night" by Real McCoy stuck in my head because of hearing it when out at dinner last night. It dredges up old memories I'm not proud of, and am getting less proud of by each recollection. Trying to be coy about it in front of my dinner partner made it all seem more stupid.

I have a yahoo alert for INXS. . . and all over my alerts this morning is this news of Rupert Everett's six year affair with Paula Yates.

I suppose it's possible that Everett's just bi, but what do I know? Power on him for the Sarandon, thing.

I hadn't known (or had clear forgotten) that Paula Yates had died.

half of my lower face is swollen. Not terribly swollen, but inside my cheeck and on my lower jaw is pretty bad. It's annoying. Dr. at 3.