It is a good motto for a lot of weeks

Had a kind of poetry to it.

I came here because I'm feeling just slightly unmoored. I exited Much Ado to learn that my hometown is having the worst flooding it's ever had; at least one friend has to evacuate and her car was submerged. amyth, Calli, stay safe!!

And then I find out that one of the staff from my Peace Corps staff has died in her fifties of some kind of cancer. We didn't exactly get along, but it's still a shock and the not getting along makes it weirder.

I know neither of those things are about me, I do, but the waves are buffeting me even at a far remove.

Sorry. The Shakespeare seeps in. If I'd been watching Fast and Furiosix I'd be like, "Damn, yo. That's some fucked up shit."

Had a kind of poetry to it.

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
DAMMIT! Triple-post again!!!

--From the personal notebooks of T.S. Eliot

Sorry for the Shakespearean-esque shocks, smonster. I hope everybody stays safe and dry!

Hang in there Sean. I hear you on this gig. I jumped in at the last minute to bail them out and I'm not looking forward to the schedule. I'm grateful to have you on board.

Perhaps we can work it out for you to do a couple of loads of laundry at our place.

Sean, I'm thinking you might be able to make it work as far as the clothes go.

Sean and ND, I know of the insane schedules. Hang in there. Plan your food in advance and keep hydrated. It isn't a multi year commitment and you will manage to accomplish the tasks at hand once again. Again, drink because that heat ain't no joke and dehydration = exhaustion.

Sorry about the unsettling life events, smonster. I've been seeing flooding in multiple places. Scary stuff.

This is a super tense week for me too. I should be planning a party for the 4th, but I have to have some important business settled today before I can focus on anything else.

Ummm, happy Monday!

Sean, if you bring laundry to our house, I'm happy to do a load for you. The joys of summer vacation--I actually HAVE time to do that kind of thing.

Good morning, board-people for whom it is morning! I'm sorry for those feeling down and stressed. I have an abundance of spoons at the moment and only wish I could share some of them. For the first time in years, I'm looking at a month that involves no official work or travel or Big Events, and I'm so ready for it.

I also think a lot of the extra spoon-having is the fact that I've become a runner. I've been running regularly since March, and I'm amazed at what it's done for my overall stress and anxiety. I've now run in two races (one 5K and one 10K), and I've enjoyed them so much that I've decided that will be a regular part of my routine. They keep me motivated. The 5Ks are easy at this point, which blows my mind. I've been training for a half marathon in San Diego next month, and although it scares the hell out of me, I'm very excited about it. My only downer at the moment is that I've suffered my first running injury; I did something to my knee on Saturday and ran in a lot of pain for yesterday's 10K. That combined with the horrible heat wave slowed me down a lot, which was a disappointment. Still, I finished. I've been babying it since then and am hopeful it will pass quickly.

Another thing that could have been stressful but has turned out to be lovely is that Drew's Northern Irish cousin (technically second cousin once removed) Chloe has come to stay with us through the end of September. She is 20 and studying sound and music technology at university (total coincidence--we'd never met this branch of Dalzells before last year), so she's interning with his company. She is a total delight. Mature, great sense of humor, and so helpful. We are having so much fun having her here. We traveled to Florida for a theme park orientation (best legitimate tax write off ever) for ten days and just got back--now she is starting the real work part of the job.

Honestly, she's like the little sister or niece I've never had. I adore her.

So anyway, I share all of this because often I know I'm guilty of only posting when I need the loving support of the Board's broad shoulders, and I thought it might be nice to share some good news as well.

Pix, that is wonderful to hear. I think I gained a spoon just reading that. Hope your injury heals soon and completely - take it easy and slow!! Knee injuries are no joke.

Thanks, smonster. Also hugs. It's been way too long since I've been able to give them to you in person.

Yes to the knee--I know what the mental requirement is like, but I don't think many knees benefit from you keeping going through pain. You want to get that shit cleared up ASAP as opposed to lingering with unpredictable flareups.

Signed,
Spent 18 Months On A Cane Or Meds Until The Right PT Came Along.