Jake (yes, a real dead animal)

I woke up to a wonderful steady rain. It's been a while since I heard that and it sounds reassuring. Grow, all my newly-planted fruit and nut trees! Grow, all you little onions and peas that Captain planted!

I did also wake up pretty sore in the neck and shoulders (racquetball + reading essays + watching a play) and congested. It's very relaxing to know I don't have to go anywhere today. Although Bolt has finally come to the dollar theater and Captain has been looking forward to seeing it. If it rains all day, maybe we'll go in the afternoon.

Ray and I ushered at Love Letters last night. It's what they call readers' theater--two people sitting in chairs reading letters they wrote to each other starting in grade school and all through their lives. It was very good. My Mom came with us; she paid for her ticket. It was also dessert theater, with some very delicious cakes and other goodies at intermission. There were only a dozen or so people there, sadly. It was a perfect valentines' date--maybe more will come tonight.

Athens Creative Theater is supported by the city, unlike other theater groups in town, and I suppose it doesn't matter if they make money or break even. A few years ago, the city renovated the building and added a theater space for them. I can't help feeling jealous for all the other groups that don't have paid staff and rehearsal and performance space and big budgets.

Ray beat me at two sets (?) of racquetball yesterday. The second game he won 15-13. It is kind of amusing, actually, to watch him trying hard to keep from beating me. His goal is to hit the ball in such a way as I can return it, sometimes right to me, while I am supposed to be hitting it so he can't possibly return it. If he hits a bad shot that I can't return, he curses in the same way that I do when I miss a shot! I haven't really lost any weight, but we must be getting healthier.

It's raining hard now--still dark, so I can't see it yet.

I worked 6 hours and corrected 5 packets. It hasn't felt like enough the last few days, but I guess I haven't been working as many hours a day as I did last fall. Probably about 2 more weeks to go. I need another job (haha), but nothing to even apply for in months. I will go back to volunteering at Athens Land Trust, I guess. Maybe eventually they will have some money. Looks like they are getting CDBG money again--yay! not that it is for salaries.

I have been too busy to cook much this week and we are running out of things from the freezer to eat. If I get energetic this weekend, I need to cook ahead for the week.

I also need to do my coursework. I read about a job I could apply for if I had my masters in IT! (working for DFCS, the state agency)