Hey tommy! I've missed you.

I am totally getting my place into shape. I have that two-days-out optimism right now that believes I am going to get everything done that I want to. I don't know if this is in any way true, but right now I totally believe it. I will have to have two days like yesterday's productivity, but I think it's possible. Need to make a plan, though.

We're leaving in the morning tomorrow to camp with Tim's family*, and even though we're only spending one night there, we'll be gone most of Saturday and Sunday, so our pet-/housesitter is staying at our place tomorrow night. And suddenly I realized that I need to clean to the standards of Other People, not just the slack-ass standards we cheerfully live with. Mostly there's a lot of dust and the floors need mopping, but there's also a lot of clutter that needs a home or to be thrown out.

*(I haven't camped in over 10 years, so I'm a little trepidatious. We're tent-camping, at a state park in Indiana where the camp sites have electric hookups and water and centrally located bathrooms that have plumbing [I think showers, too, although I don't plan to shower there]. So this isn't like backpacking 3 miles in to the wilderness with everything you need on your back; I would not be able to do that anymore.

Tim's SiL has a big cushy air mattress for me to sleep on, which is the only way I can really do this; it would be a bad idea for my back if I were to sleep on the ground.

The weather is supposed to be GREAT, though -- high in the low 70s, low of 50, no rain [how is this AUGUST???] -- so it should be fun. Unless I get eaten by a bear.)

But first I have to clean.

This week the weather has just been lovely - and we even got rain.

Sure, I got soaked on my way to work - but that hasn't happened in ages.

Hi Tom!

Good luck with the camping, Steph! An air mattress would make the difference, I think.

Good luck with the camping, Steph! An air mattress would make the difference, I think.

I'm also taking earplugs for sleeping, because I am the princess and the pea and noises wake me up. I assume a campground full of people/dogs/kids who stay up until all hours and get up at some ungodly hour in the morning are going to make noises. So if I want to sleep, earplugs should help. I HOPE.

Sumi, that seems to be a link to gmail.

Oh. I'll see if I can find it elsewhere.

Try this instead.

Zazie is adding a $1.25 surcharge per person to the check, which I guess is separade from the gratuity? Why not just charge more for the food? (Which is already expensive) I wonder if the regulars are getting charged.

That's a nifty Arrow poster.

I just remembered showing this to a co-worker a few jobs ago, and he grimaced and said "Why would you want that, though?" I was a bit stunned, because clearly I was talking about myself, so he was talking about me, and therefore insulting...

Anyway, I can't even remember his name, so it's okay.