Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham from Downton Abbey) owns a race horse named Gothic who is an Epsom Derby prospect.

Thanks, Scola. Man, prices are 'spensive. Thanks for the offer of rooming us, but I'm not a particularly easy guest. I may end up paying the lion's share of whatever we choose just so I can have a zero stimulus bolt hole. Likely to encounter family I do not speak to, and it's the end of the week, and travel, and...

Hotels are HARD. Planes are pretty hard, and websites suck. Time for ribs, I think.

Man, I can't believe how bad I feel considering I was fine a couple of hours ago. Probably best I don't go to the gym after work. I am at least half convinced that ribs will help, though, and that means grocery shopping.

I was wondering where you were, msbelle.

nonspecific~ma Suzi

Maria, I'm so relieved. Hugs to you and your family.

Jilli, have a wonderful time at the con, with the minions!

Jury duty yesterday - an extreme sport in Philadelphia - then a class trip to Ellis Island today with HPF, where I did all the wrong things and couldn't schlep all the stuff for her that she wanted me to, and was a terrible mom and it was cold and windy and the scavenger hunt the teachers organized made zero sense, so I think I was at Ellis Island but I didn't see anything and mostly I am lgad to be home. Also a friend's website crashed and I fixed it from my phone. And then it was 90 degrees on the bus. And I am in bed at 6:30 pm.

It's Experimental Music night at the library tonight! They start at 7 and are warming up now. I can hear but not see them, and so far it sounds like it will be a good one. I've heard piano, tenor sax, maybe a tuba?, something electronic, something that's maybe plastic tubes, and something that sounds sproingy.

I am missing the kids' chorus concert, but since it's largely white upper-class elementary-school kids singing spirituals, I think I am okay with that. (Although Dillo loves to sing in public, and is adorable doing so.)

Made it through almost the whole trip before my foot started to bug me. It was the trek from work to light rail, to the airport, onto the plane. Hopefully the ride home will be enough rest to rejuvenate it for the trek to my car. Still, I'm really happy. I can start taking walks and work on increasing the distance. I resume karate (no contact for now) next week. Once I get my conditioning back I should be able to test for my Second Degree Brown (then First Degree Brown, then...Black). One step at a time. Literally.

Resuming karate will be awesome, Suzi. And I meant to say, all kinds of ~ma for a good resolution to the other issue.

We got the yearling off the property! Celebrated by going to Magic Fountain. So of course by the time we got our ice cream the sun went behind the clouds and it became freezing cold. But, hey, no more deer eating plants! Totally worth the goosebumps.

Now I just need to assassinate all the groundhogs. (One got hit by a car and I wasn't the least bit sad).

THE PRIMING IS DONE. I REPEAT, THE PRIMING IS DONE!

[link]

Now I gotta decide on paint. Want to match close enough to current trim that it isn't noticeable, but it is a creamy white, damnit! I could just yank up a bit of trim that needs repainting and take that in, I guess (eventually, I will repaint all the trim. White. But not any time soon. So close-enough match, please.)