pan-zah-nehl-la, at least that's how it sounds in my head.

My mom is away and my MiL already received her flower delivery so I have no maternal obligations tomorrow. And yet, I have a non-kinfolk brunch to attend. Funny old thing, life.

My friends that might stop by are probably not going to. Which is okay as my house is only half-assedly cleaned, but still disappointing because I wanted to see them. So it goes.

So, does this deserves world's best babysitter or world's worst babysitter...

I read an original piece of fiction as a "bedtime story" to the ten-year-old I was babysitting tonight. It was scarier than I thought. Or appeared to be to her anyways. After reading it, we heard EVERY little noise in the house, and I ended up spending the rest of the evening/night in the rocker in her bedroom because she was so freaked that someone was in the house (which she really couldn't have gotten from the story, but...). I'd go to check, and she's start freaking out because I wasn't in the room. It was fun.

Honestly, though, I got the feeling that she loved it. Though, I'm sure her parents probably didn't love the very wound-up ten-year-old they came home to at 10:15 p.m.

Oops.

Also, Kristin, I *totally* get that way with ABs, even ones that I've been on before, or even been on for a while. And, yes, taking them before food rather than after can make a difference to some people. I really hope that was all it was. And, yes, ND wins the WBB award. Totally.

Pictures from Vegas!

[link]

My Saturday night is consisting of watching TV, organizing books, and drinking chocolate hemp milk. I think I'm doing something wrong.

Eh, well, I'm not sure mine was much better, Hil. Though, I did make money, so I guess that was something.

I do have to say that my absolute favorite thing about the prednisone trips is the eating. I'm eating like my sixth meal of the day. I'm trying to be semi-healthy, and I'd say all of my actual meals today were such. For instance, for dinner number one I had roast chicken, brown rice, half a tomato, and a whole apple. Now I'm having dinner number two, which consists of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a Dannon Light and Fit yogurt, and cinnamon graham crackers. Of course, I have also given in to two bags of chips (the $0.99 bags), three Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (individuals), and two penny bags of candy (which, I will inform you, no longer cost a penny!). And yes, on top of that there were four other meals today.

Thank god this is a short course. I can't afford to eat like this!

I am watching TV and not organizing anything. I may have a glass of soy milk in a bit. Or maybe water. We'll see.

Sweet pictures, connie! I did not know there were lions.

I am going to attempt food shortly. I think you're all right; it was the antibiotic. Cross your fingers for me.

Needless to say, we are going to wait to eat our take-out until we get home.

We get Time, as it was part of a set of magazines offered to us in exchange for about-to-expire frequent flyer miles. (This also netted us The Economist, Atlantic Monthly, and Wine Spectator. I'm sure our postal carrier thinks we're highly erudite people.)

Anyway, this week's Time coverboy is Obama. I've been trying to explain to Annabel a little about How the World Works without being too pushy about it, and in an effort to see how much of it has sunk in, I asked her if she knew who he was. She didn't, and I told her. She said, "Brock Obama? That's a funny name." I have to say, given the diversity of her preschool class, I'm surprised she has a mental category for "funny name," but, then again, none of her classmates are Kenyan. So I went through my basic spiel about what a president is, asked if she remembered the caucus we went to just before Eli's birthday party, etc. Her only comment was that Obama has big teeth, and that her daddy has the same shirt he's wearing.

She will, however, when prompted, agree that Obama is preferable to McCain.