It was really warm yesterday! Over 70.

Ray and I went to church, even though we weren't singing. Came home and found Captain and Vanessa there. Invited them to have some chili with us. It was tasty. Did more hours of entering dollar amounts in Quicken, before deciding I absolutely had to be outside a little of the day.

Weird thing: the warm weather has apparently wakened the bees, who seem to like the chicken feed. There are 10 or 20 of them buzzing in the metal feeder and making a racket. The chickens do not like it--I wonder if they can be stung? I thought they might eat them, but apparently not. Captain says they are honeybees and we could follow them to find the honey tree. Yesterday there was a slightly smaller egg, so I think maybe a second chicken has come on line. I may have bought my last eggs.

Had another Midd. interview via Skype. Apparently my camera no longer works. Boo-hoo. I did drop the computer one day and was glad it seemed fine. So, I get to see the kids, but they can only hear me.

Much television followed by bed about 10. And a good night's sleep.

Men in the woods; Cameron watches

One, two, three, lift

Yesterday was sunny and warm here, no wood burned. We walked over to a place a tree had fallen over the trail with the chain saw. Ray, OC, Steve, and Dan got to work and had cut it up in no time. Cameron and I walked back to the house, but Ray called on the cell phone before we were home and asked me to bring the pickup truck. They loaded it up and he drove it back. We were done by 10:30! Of course, Ray still has to split it, but it's amazing what a good team can get done.

A good start

My parents came and spent some time at the house. The Captain did some gardening. We did laundry. Ray and I headed to the Green Life Expo after lunch. It was so fun! I love talking to people who are excited about being green. My passion is green building.

Electric car for one person

We were  home for about an hour before we headed to the Mental Health art auction. It didn't get started as early as we would have liked, and the auctioneer was the worst I have ever seen! It was funny, he was so bad...I can't really convey in words what it was like. "So, (he reads the info) this nice painting is by Joe Smith, a generous donor. I think we'll start at 25. (someone bids). OK, now let's see. Can we get 35?" He was way too nice and gentle and slow...and he didn't even say, "going once, going twice..." We had 7:30 dinner reservations, so hadn't been planning to stay for the whole time anyway.

It was Becky's birthday and nine of us had dinner at the Hilltop Grille (including Lara, who arrived after we had ordered, but before dinner). It was pretty good and there was some nice jazz. My shrimp was a little over done. But Becky had a good time. I started to get pretty sleepy by the time we left after 10.

One of the weird benefits to my trying to "work" every day is I still look forward to the weekend (and dread Sunday night).  Yesterday's work was the UUFA directory.

After I got up, walked the dog, and dropped Ray off at UGA, I went to the Fellowship. I was supposed to meet the man from Olan Mills (Tom) at noon, but I figured I could work there for a couple hours before he came. The office is normally closed on Friday, but there were some men there painting it. It was pretty cold in the building, because they had the doors open. So finding a comfortable place to work was something of a challenge. In the sunny window in the sanctuary turned out to be the best place. I reviewed my information about the directory so I would be ready for him. Then I heated up my chili in the microwave and had lunch. I was almost done when he got there promptly at 12. I showed him to my warm corner and he advised me on how to turn in the layouts we need. It is so much work! Not unpleasant work, but I seem to get myself into these things.

After the meeting, I went to the library to work for a bit. I applied for a job as a Secretary at the USDA. I spent most of my time trying to arrange the pictures I have on to pages. But I don't seem to currently own a layout program. I thought it might be easier to do by hand, so printed them all out, but I appear to be a computer person now. On the computer, you can change the sizes very easily. I am going to try MS Word; Ray thinks the newsletter template may work for what I am doing.

After I picked Ray up, we went to Kroger. The traffic on Friday afternoons is worse than usual. Kroger was pretty crowded too. It was about 4:40 when we left and we had a Geology Dept. reception to go to at 5, so we just went there instead of going home. It is the thing I dislike most about where we live--it's just a little too far to stop off conveniently. We try to minimize extra trips. Our groceries sat in the car and our dog had to wait for his dinner. Mostly, I hated missing the late afternoon sunlight.

We were the first ones at the reception. There is a visiting professor this semester, from Berkeley. His wife talked some about the differences between Georgia and California--finding all the religious stations on the radio driving here was eye-opening, for instance. I enjoyed talking with Mike's wife, Todd, and some other people. We left a little after 7. Ray didn't want any supper after eating nuts and cheese. I had a piece of steak my Mom had brought me from her restaurant dinner Wednesday night. And we had our ice cream.

We were switching back and forth between Monk and Get Smart (I had not seen the "new" version, with Steve Carrell; it was surprisingly good, with occasional flashes of Don Adams and Barbara Feldman, although the Chief was quite different) and I was dozing too. Went to bed at 10 and slept until 5:30. Pretty good. Woke up with the moon in my eyes again and having weird dreams I couldn't quite remember. Started agonizing over Meredith and McKenzie again, so I got up instead.

Yesterday morning I got a little more exercise. Ray was working hard to get ready for his first quiz. I walked a little farther than usual and did an upper body workout from sparkpeople.com. Dropped him off a little after 10 and went to the library. I wasn't there very long, and didn't find any new jobs to apply for. I met Becky for lunch and then picked Ray up again at 12:45. He had work he wanted to do at home for the Democratic Committee meeting that night.

I let the chickens out (cold but sunny) and did a load of laundry. Messing around on the computer, when the phone rang. I am on the short list for one of the jobs I applied for! I am excited, but trying not to count on it. She wanted to get permission to contact my references and ask me to send for my transcripts. I know I got extra transcripts the last time I ordered some (when I applied to grad. school), so I spent an hour going through some of the piles of paper. No luck, so I printed off the forms to order some more. She didn't actually schedule an interview, but said I would be hearing from them. A little odd...I did notify my references that they will be contacted. I also sent her the really nice reference letter that the president of the Board at AAHS wrote for me. And told her the names of a couple people in her department who know me. Other than that, my interview suit is ready and there's not much more I can do. I googled the ASPIRE clinic when I applied and I think it is a neat concept--it combines traditional counseling with budgeting, nutrition, and other areas where people might need help. The students do the counseling and they are supervised by professors, but the Coordinator runs the clinic.

Ray left for his meetings and I interviewed another Midd. applicant, this one in Andover, Massachusetts, where she attends boarding school. She is a language student and very bright and self-confident, but not quite as outstanding as the last one.

As it got dark, I made supper and waited for Ray. He finally got home when I had given up and started watching TV. Unfortunately, I had put some nuts in the toaster oven to toast and forgotten about them, so they were charcoal. The dinner was not as good as I had hoped, but it nourished us. I barely made it through a half hour of TV before I dozed off. I woke up to the Incredibles, which Ray was watching. Id did keep me awake for a little bit, but we both went up to bed by 9:30.

Awakened at 3:30 with moon light in my face, and Ray breathing in my ear (probably turned over to avoid the moonlight). After a bit, got up and went to read in the other room. Almost got back to sleep. The good news: this probably means it will be sunny today and warmer inside.

Yesterday morning, Ray went to the eye doctor. I sat in the waiting room, a lot longer than I expected. Almost used up my iPhone battery. I dropped him off at his office and went on to the Ramsey center, where I rode the bike for 30 minutes. The machine said that was 10 miles, but it didn't seem that hard. Listened to music on my phone. After shower and dressing, time to get some lunch on the way to the library. Once there, checked my email and my friend Le'Ann had asked me to come by. She was in a scary wreck Tuesday morning and, although fine, still a little shook up and not wanting to be alone.

On her way to work in the dark and the rain, she had switched lanes, getting ready to get off the highway. Ahead, a car's tail lights or brake lights too close to swerve. Air bags deployed, front of the car crushed (I saw pictures), windows broken. She walked away. Honda Civic, incredible design. The car ahead had stopped because it had been sideswiped by another, but obviously, don't stop on the highway! Behind Le'Ann, a car stopped and put on flashers. Behind her, a lumber truck stopped. But the pickup behind that truck hit it. A piece of wood went through the windshield and out the back of the pickup truck cab...and that driver was not hurt either. Amazing and terrifying. Le"Ann has a ticket for following too closely, which she doesn't even mind, except that she is afraid someone will sue her. She is mostly glad to be alive.

Needless to say, I wasn't in the library long enough to get much done. One cover letter ready to print off.

My favorite thing yesterday was an interview I did of a young man interested in going to Middlebury. They are not doing on-campus interviews any more. I have three Skype inteviews to do. I think that means no one from around here has applied. This boy, Andrew, is from Long Island. He is brilliant...and personable. He is taking 6 AP classes. For fun, he entered a contest to recite pi the longest. He learned it to 225 places...in ninth grade! He is athletic, playing track, cross-country and baseball. And he is first chair clarinet in band. He also volunteers to coach an autistic running team. I said they should admit him.

After that, we went to potluck and choir. When we got home, I read a little in bed, but fell asleep before 10.

Rainy and cold yesterday and again this morning, but not quite cold enough to be snow. Somewhere north of here, people are waking up to white.

I stayed home all day yesterday, missing the writing workshop sadly, because the repairman came to fix my stove, after two months! They said between 10 and 4 and he came about 2. I am really glad to have a working stove. He had suggested that burned-on food might have caused the short, so I said the first thing I was going to do was run the self-cleaning cycle. He said, "No, don't do that. We  tell you not to expose computers to high temperatures or moisture and then we put them in stoves and refrigerators. The self-cleaning cycle gets up to 1600 degrees and can contribute to the failure of the control panel. Of course, it might be fine..." But having spent a lot of time and money on repairing my stove, I am now doomed to cleaning it the old-fashioned way, with elbow grease--and chemicals. I think that was one of the reasons they invented using heat to clean it, so you don't have to use nasty oven cleaners. I did scrub out the loose particles and Ray took Bon Ami to the window, but it still needs more cleaning. I will research the best thing to use. It works, we heated our burritos in it (we could have done it in the toaster oven). Total cost $660. $125 for each time they came to the house, plus parts and shipping and markup. I really like the repairman a lot, but not the company. I would probably not use them again. A new stove would have cost a lot more.

Meanwhile, I worked some on the photo directory for UUFA and did some writing for the workshop.

Ray came home a little after 5. I made supper and we ate it and we watched TV. I fell asleep about 9 and slept until almost 6. I wonder if there is some way I can sleep for other people who don't have time...and make money doing it.

Not much to say about yesterday. It was Monday. Ray had to go back to teaching, and I went back to the library. Looked at the job listings and applied for one. Ate lunch in the car. Went back to the library until about 2, when I was restless and had to do something else. My eyes hurt and my back. I went to Earth Fare and took a long time buying some groceries. I needed a red pepper, but couldn't bring myself to pay $2.50 for it... some other things, too. Then I parked in Ray's parking lot to wait for him. It was sunny and I read email on my iPhone.

I got an exciting phone call! They are coming to fix my stove today. The bad news is, it will be between 10 and 4, so I need to stay here and Ray will drive himself in. It will be the first time in a while that I was alone in the house all day. I can do anything I want...

Driving home at 5 is really slow. I am glad we don't have to do it every day. It took about half an hour, and the sun was getting lower and lower as we inched along. Ray let the chickens out when we got home, even thought it was only for an hour. I made supper, which was not one of my biggest successes. Not enough red pepper, not enough spinach, not enough mint. And it just didn't taste that great. But that's what happens when you keep making new things, instead of the same old same old. It's a risk!

It was after 7 by the time we were done. I was looking at what was on TV, and I found the end of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. I love that movie, in spite of the violence in it. I especially like the part where Max meets the children and hears their mythology and the part where he meets Tina Turner and wins. I didn't get to see those last night, but I did see the part where they escaped from Barter Town in a train and the children flew off to the abandoned city--Sydney, with the opera house, where they live happily ever after. They light the city every night so the others can find their way...(no explanation of how, it's that kind of movie.) I like the costumes and the kids.

Then we finally watched one of our Netflix movies, which we haven't done in months, even though we pay a monthly fee to hold onto them. This was called Saving Grace and turns out to be a sort of precursor to the Doc Martin series we like. Serendipity!

Managed to get to bed before 10 and sleep through until after 5. Very dark. Warm inside from Ray's work with the woodstove.

Yesterday was partly cloudy. We had pancakes and sang in the choir. It was a good service on "grace" and being grateful. One story that stuck with me was the man who was being chased by a tiger and came to a cliff. He was going to die one way or the other, but he noticed a lovely flower growing and focused on that. Anyway, the point is to enjoy the good things.

There was a delicious 4th Sunday lunch and I talked some with a visitor, a woman and her daughter just arrived in Athens for vet school. She had been in Granada for the past three years.

At home, a little more computer work; still a big pile to get through. It was cold in our house and took a while to warm up. At four, we went to the Kenney Ridge annual meeting, where they had lots of "appetizers," some of which were more like a meal. I just brought crackers and cheese. The meeting went well; it seems like the community is in pretty good shape. Hopefully, the community center will be done in a few months. The outside has been done for a while.

Couldn't decide whether to eat dinner or not, so we went straight to dessert, ice cream (and mini-cupcakes) and watching TV. Then I was still hungry, so had some chili and tuna-noodle salad. A day somewhat lacking in vegetables.

A little after 9, I was cold and tired of sitting, so went up to bed. Slept more than 8 hours, so that is good.

It is a beautiful red sunrise this morning, which means, unfortunately, that it's pretty cloudy. I just got up, which is good in a lot of ways. One is, Ray is downstairs, starting a fire for us and turning up the heat in the meantime.

Yesterday, we went to pilates class. Becky joined us, which was fun. I frosted the cupcakes and made some more--gingerbread, with lemon frosting. I was not that good at frosting them, I need Amelia. I think I am taking cupcakes off the list of things I like and am good at. Although having a real oven might be helpful. We had a light lunch and we didn't need to cook supper, so I was a little at loose ends. It was pretty cold out, about 40, but I picked a cabbage and some lettuce for my Dad, who asked for them. I let the chickens out for most of the afternoon. The cold doesn't seem to bother them, but they really want to be out.

I finally spent a couple hours entering money spent into quicken, so that I can clear up the mountain of receipts by my computer. I was pleased with myself for being so constructive, although it is hard to see the progress. The alternative is just to file them away (or throw them away) and not have a good record of where we spent our money. I also got to listen to music.

At 6, we went to pick up my parents and headed to Deb's birthday party (60th). It was pretty fun. We knew almost everyone. One fun thing is her sister Patty drove down from Charlotte. I have heard about Patty a lot (it can be confusing) and it was great to meet her. One man I had met before (Karen S.'s boyfriend Steve) annoyed me by insisting that teachers should carry guns. I asked him not to talk about it and when he continued, I left the room. Later in the night, when we passed, he said "guns" to me. I wonder what he would have thought if I had punched him in the nose. I don't think it's something to joke about.

We had listened to a little of the Prairie Home Companion joke show in the car on the way over, so Ray had lots of jokes to tell people. He tries not to tell the same ones too many times in my hearing, which is thoughtful. I do get tired of them. Then there was dancing. Really good old music, Motown, Beatles, songs we all knew and had danced to before. It was pretty fun. Deb even got my Dad up dancing, which was sweet and a little scary. He enjoyed it tremendously. It was good exercise; I bet there will be a lot of sore people today. We were home about 11. As Janna pointed out, about when our children would just be heading out for the evening. I woke up at 5 with a headache (surely not from one glass of wine?) and took a pain reliever, so I slept another couple of hours, which was good.

no moon this morning, overcast

Yesterday morning I went to the library. changed Molli to Mary, Adrian to Carlos, Ray to Paul and made a few other edits to my story, then submitted it to NPR.

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/14/131223566/your-three-minute-fiction-submission-has-been-received

I am not really expecting to be hailed as the best new writer this year, in fact, probably there will be no result whatsoever. But I did it. And I will write more. But it appears that a deadline is somewhat inspiring.

I applied to be a mental health professional at the University Health Center, and looked at lots of other jobs. I might need to go get licensed again as an MSW. I did when I graduated years ago, but it might be worth redoing. such a pain; study, make appointment, go to Atlanta to take test. the reason I let it lapse is I didn't need it for the job I was doing. You have to pay and you have to keep track of courses you take (which you also pay for). But I should put it on my list of things I need to do.

For lunch, Ray and I went to the Georgia Center. We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, but we had such a nice lunch. It is a very elegant atmosphere there, with tablecloths and pleasant decor. Our server said this was his second day on the job, but he did fine. He seemed awful young; his name is Andrew. They have a local entree that I usually choose. This time it was "blackened" chicken. I was thinking that meant char-grilled, but it was really about the spices, a little much for me. It came with spaghetti and the daily vegetable, some nice sauteed squash. Ray's chicken was yummy, if you like barbecue. It was a somewhat sweet, peach barbecue sauce. We did succumb to dessert and they were beautiful. My creme brulee had whipped cream, chocolate whipped cream and some other delicious sweet sauce, with pieces of strawberry and kiwi. The prices are reasonable, too.

Creme Brulee at the Georgia Center: I wonder why I am not losing weight?

Ray's dessert: chocolate truffle

In the afternoon, I wrote some more about my life. I have started using Dropbox to share and backup files. For instance, if you want to read the notes I have been making about my recollections, here is the link: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10685084/bio.docx. If my computer crashes, or whatever, that information will be saved.

We got home a little earlier than usual and it was sunny and warm in the house. My parents had been there and left a note. I had promised cupcakes for Deb's birthday party tonight, so I wanted to get started on them right away. I used a recipe Amelia had sent for chocolate cupcakes. Unfortunately, I was talking on the phone while I was making them, and I realized later I had only put in one cup of flour, instead of two. They're surprisingly edible, but not what I wanted for this special occasion. I hope the frosting will hide my sins. I had to make them in 4 batches in 2 toaster ovens. I added extra flour to the last batch, hopefully not too much. They look better. I also made chili with the ground beef I had bought at Earth Fare a couple days ago. Ray and I were not really hungry, so I just made it to use up the beef and I will put it in the freezer.

Ray looked up from his computer about 6:30 and said, "did you want to go to the movies?" So we zipped off to the dollar theater see MegaMind, which Molli had recommended. It was fun and not intense. It was definitely worth $4. Of course, we had to have a giant tub of buttered popcorn, as well as Coke and candy. It wasn't too awful, since we didn't have dinner. Ray said I should have Sprite, so the caffeine didn't keep me awake. I said I didn't like Sprite and had to have Coke with my popcorn. Fortunately, it didn't seem to affect my sleep at all. I was in bed by 10 and slept until after 5, which is pretty good for me.

This morning, the ground outside is white, but it is not the reflective snow, but the moonlight, interspersed with long shadows of trees, the chicken coop and the garden gates. I have what seems to be nervous energy. I feel like I could climb a mountain, but I will probably just fritter it away reading emails. It might be that I had a Coke for lunch yesterday, or too much sugar, or it might be the anticipation that I could do anything, if someone would just ask me.

Yesterday morning, I dropped Ray off about 9:30 and went to the library for a class on genealogy research on the internet. Lots of good information in the handouts, but pretty poor instruction. The woman just basically read everything on the handouts, with some personal anecdotes thrown in, and then had us do a few searches on the computer. It might be better to do more "hands-on" instruction that allowed people to research their own families, but I am not sure how well that would work.

At 1, I went and had lunch with Becky. It was very good and filling, lamb shank with cheesy risotto, plus a pastry for dessert. We talked for over an hour. Then I went back to the library and spent less than an hour, writing.

A man came and sat near me and started talking to me, but fortunately, it was time to go anyway. I made a few phone calls, to the Appliance Repair Service, for instance. They said it wasn't their fault, Bosch keeps changing the date that they will ship the part. Now he says it will be next Tuesday. He advises me next time I buy a range to buy American.

I picked Ray up. He wasn't very hungry, either, from a filling lunch and a bag of Cheetos. I made some soup to freeze and then we watched several hours of TV, including most of Road Warrior, a violent, but camp, post-Apocalyptic movie starring Mel Gibson when he was young and really cute. I knew better than to watch the end of it right before bed, so we watched an episode of Doc Martin. Do you think watching shows where the heroes are antisocial encourages me to be rude? Doc Martin is a good doctor, with incredibly bad social skills. I don't know that I could be a good social worker, with really bad people skills. And if I could, who would hire me?

It was probably midnight when I went to bed and before 5 when I woke up. Perhaps I will crash later today or tomorrow. I did chew my fingernails while I was watching Road Warrior.

Yesterday, Ray had to have blood work done, so we went in early for his 8:30 appointment and then we played racquetball. He won two games, but I felt really strong. If I didn't get a point, it was from lack of practice--t's been over a month since we played--or problems with depth perception. But not lack of strength or stamina. I think the Spark People workouts I've been doing have helped. I was very focused and enjoyed it tremendously.

Afterward, I went to the library, where the same lack of jobs to apply for got me down for a while. At lunch time, I went out to the car and ate my sandwich and made a couple calls. Then I went to Earth Fare, where it takes me much longer than it should to shop, trying to find things and figure out the prices. They are high! I stopped by Memorial Park to pick up my Annie DVD, so the next time you are here, you can see Ray and me performing. I visited my parents for about half an hour. They seem to be fine, pretty cheerful and comfortable in their new home.

Then I went to a meeting of a group I had participated in over the years, the Housing committee of the One Athens initiative. I am trying to do as much of this as possible, to keep up connections with people working in the field. Although it is hard not to say, "those idiots eliminated my position," which is not very helpful. There were people there I have known for years. They actually mentioned the clinic that I have applied to coordinate. So that was worth doing. The actual work of the group is so hard. We are trying to make changes to local government policies and it takes years. And sometimes, the change is made, but it doesn't really accomplish anything. So it is very frustrating and feels like a waste of time. But it is the only way changes in housing policy can be influenced, so it is important.

Ray took the bus to where I was and we got home a little after 5. It was sunny and warm in the house. I made a 6-minute chocolate cake for potluck and he did the dishes from the last day or two. The cake was delicious and well-received. Potluck had a good turnout and lots of good food. Choir was fun too, but we were both pretty tired by the time we got home--and went straight to bed.

Took Cameron out, bathed and dressed, drove to library. Ray took the bus to his office from there. I looked at lots of websites, but did not find any jobs to apply to. At lunchtime, I took myself to Falafel King and had a tasty gyro. Then I went to the bookstore to buy a notebook for the writing workshop. Follett on Baxter appears to be closed! I went across the street and bought one at that bookstore--recycled for $4.

I drove to the hospital and spent 15 minutes or so looking for the right building and figuring out where to park. This is a workshop for cancer patients and survivors, taught by Sara Baker. Some have been coming for 10 years or more. There were 15 participants when they all got there, and not really enough room. I was there at the invitation of Deb B. She said I was one of her supports and got me in that way. I feel like an impostor...and like I am lucky to be well and should be happier to have only the issues I do.

We paired up and introduced ourselves as a place--Paris, Maine, Fripp Island...We doodled with our right and left hands and wrote words with both hands. We read poetry and talked about it. "I am running into the New Year..." is one of them. Anne Sexton, I think, unless I am mixing them up. "...leaving behind the promises I made when I was 16 or 26 or 36..." Good one.

Then I went by the paint store and got a gallon of the same color paint we used on the downstairs bedroom where my parents have lived the past 3 1/2 years. I had found in the basement the old can, with drips of very light blue, and the formula on the cover from Sherwin Williams--so many parts blue, so many green and yellow. Unfortunately, the top was apparently from a different can than the bottom. If I had looked more closely, I would have seen that the bottom came from Lowe's. The top was a beigey color that I can't recall using in my house anywhere. The nice man at the Sherwin-Williams store matched the color from the drips and I am sure it will be fine. I left the old can there; the paint was stuck in the bottom and no longer any good. One more thing out of the house.

I picked up Ray and we went to an open house for an organization called Children First, best known for its CASA program. I am interested in working with them to help children in the foster care system. It requires 40 hours of training and an 18-month commitment to a child. At the moment, I think I can do that. The building is an old house that was owned by Emmanuel Episcopal and was donated to the group. It has been wonderfully restored and will make a beautiful home. Three rooms are a Visitation Center for foster children to meet with their biological parents in a supervised safe place. One of the donors was Ralph Stephens and a room is named for him. He has been a member at Emmanuel for a long time.

Then we went home and made supper. It was about dark. Ate supper, watched TV, went to bed. I saw the second half of one of my favorites, Corinne, Corinna (with Whoopie Goldberg), set in the 50s when segregation was a big issue. There is an adorable child named Molly in it.

Sigh. I am getting a cold--congested and achy. I would rather be well, thank you.

Yesterday was MLK Day. I wonder how different the world would be if he had lived. Would he have managed to inspire us to a better today? I am not proud of our political system in this moment, although surely he would be happy to know Obama was president.

Ray and I signed up for a volunteer project at Burney-Harris-Lyons middle school, the closest to our house. I thought, among other things, it would be good to make connections there for future volunteer or even paid work. There was a kickoff breakfast downtown, but we didn't think it made sense to drive there and back, not to mention the getting up and getting going part--and it is still icy on our road.

One thing that I find somewhat frustrating is that the projects one can choose from are almost always landscaping. Planting bulbs, clearing brush... Is that the kind of service MLK would have approved? I know he would like the diverse group of people that showed up. And the numbers are amazing. Logistically, it must be a huge challenge to come up with projects for all the people who want to help.

We showed up a little after 10, thinking possibly the people who went to the breakfast might be running late, the threat of rain might have canceled it, the snow still covering some of the ground would be a deterrent. As we arrived, we saw one group of mainly children with a couple women, heading to plant bulbs. They directed us behind the school. There was a sign-in sheet and a lot of tools, but no one to tell us what needed doing. One man was working within sight on a mulch pile. I went to ask him and he said he was clearing the leaves and twigs out and was just about done. About that time, Pat came back from where she had been supervising another group. She got us started on digging a new bed in front of the storage shed. Ray and I were joined by Michelle and Brian, who looked vaguely familiar. Turns out, they work at Kroger and we had seen them there. They also run an online newspaper called Classic City Courier, which I need to check out. They will "print" just about anything I want to submit. They are not making any money yet, just getting started.

Michelle has long braids and an interesting accent. Turns out she's from Quebec, by way of Atlanta. But her accent seems more Caribbean to me. Her daughter Alayah attends the school and is very active in the gardening club. She was charming and very competent, a born leader, it seems to me. Wade joined us. He brought his children from Gwinnett County, because Athens was the closest place they had service projects for people like this. Although he is a software engineer, he was awfully good with a shovel, moving from project to project wherever he was needed. Pat scurried around, trying to direct the three different groups and provide them with all the tools and materials they needed, hauling heavy bags of manure and sand and top soil. The daffodils and tulips we planted will surely be the happiest around. Another group included lots of UGA students, fooling around and having a good time while they worked. More bulbs here, chrysanthemums there. With this much energy and good will, surely we can solve bigger problems?

Ray and I headed home a little after 12. It seemed there were enough people to take care of the remaining work. We left a hat and Ray-sized sweatshirt with Michelle's youngest, an eight-year-old who was so cold, she had trouble doing anything but being unhappy. We have plenty of hats and sweatshirts, but I bet we will see them again.

Lunch was sandwiches. We put up the heat and recovered from our labors. It started to rain, but we had not yet walked Cameron, so we took him out to the road and back. After that, a bath was nice. I called Nancy S. and invited her to come for supper, which she did. It was delicious and then we played some more cards for awhile. She mentioned that I could help with some work at the Land Trust and I said I would be delighted. I hope it is soon! Not sure that any money is involved, but that's fine. I talked to Nancy H. on the phone for a while, and she mentioned a service that Tom was trying to start, helping elderly and/or sick people with paying their bills. I'll have to talk to him more about that. He ended up getting a job, so didn't pursue it.

After Nancy left, I was invigorated and stayed up late, knitting and watching TV. The movie I was watching had a sad ending, but then Jewel of the Nile came on. I managed to turn it off and get to bed by 11.

Macaroni Western Saturday night--Ray is the one with the black mustache (4th from left)--Captain in foreground

Yesterday morning we had pancakes, walked a little, and headed to the Fellowship. The driving in our neighborhood still had some scary spots and we saw one vehicle off the road on the way in. The choir sang one of my favorites: I am Determined. And Rev. Allison did an awesome job speaking about white privilege. Meredyth F. was there; she has applied to seminary and wanted to meet her.

When we got home about 1, my parents had been there and done their laundry and left a note that they would be back in a few hours. Leftovers for lunch. Made pumpkin bread in the toaster oven, with moderate success. Burned on top and raw in the middle. But tasty.

We did some outdoor working, letting the chickens out in the snow and moving their coop and even shoveling the manure away. Cameron (who was not out at the same time as the chickens) still enjoyed running around in the snow. Ray split and moved a lot of wood, in case we get more cold dark days.

I made supper, including cutting up fruit for salad. Did a little knitting. Watched a few shows on TV and actually went to bed when I started to feel sleepy. Didn't wake up until 6:45!

We didn't go to pilates yesterday; it was below freezing and didn't seem like a good enough reason to brave the roads. I still had half a loaf of bread, so didn't bake any, and plans for meals a few days ahead. Late in the morning, Captain and Vanessa arrived. Ray and I went out for a walk with Cameron and it was really sunny and warm, lots of melting going on. We even let the chickens out in the snow--although one of them went back to the coop to lay another egg. I'm so glad, I was afraid they might take to laying under the house or somewhere else if given the chance. But no, they seem to like the nesting boxes, so that is good news. It was Sylvia. I don't know if she is the only one laying eggs at this point.

I made some soup and Ray invited my parents to stay and play cards. After they left, I vacuumed all the floors pretty thoroughly and took a sponge to some of the worst places.

Ray had to be at UUFA at 4 for the macaroni western. I dropped him off and took a couple things to be returned, which went better than expected. I was back at the Fellowship in less than an hour. The dinner was delicious and everyone had a really good time. They made more than $1000. But when you think about the number of hours put in by so many people, it's really not that much money. I had volunteered to help, but apparently that meant clean up. I was appalled to find they used paper plates, plastic cups, and styrofoam bowls for the salad. I washed all the silverware and coffee cups and some of the utensils. By the time we left, I was pretty cross and tired and sore. It took a lot of the fun out of it. I don't know how we can recruit people to wash dishes. Maybe we should pay someone. It would take about $50 out of the profits. So it was after 10 when I went to bed.

This morning I woke up before 5, grumpy and stiff.

Yesterday I managed to get my Spark People workout in before we left. It was bitter cold out, but we still walked (carefully) to the mailbox. No paper--they have been delivering it later in the day when it is safer to drive. I drove from Ray's office to the library, where I worked on an entry for NPR's three-minute fiction. Not sure it is any good, but I was typing away and sniffling (it made me cry). At 12:30, I drove to the Georgia Center and had lunch with Ray, Muhterem and John. The food wasn't very good and I keep forgetting that I want to order from the place where they put the food on real plates, not styrofoam. The dining room was closed and we ate in the cafeteria. John and Ray were joking and bantering back and forth, and I had trouble talking to Muhterem across them. She needs people to speak clearly and slowly so she can understand. She is going home on Wednesday. I can't believe it has been nearly 6 months she she came! I had so many plans for taking her places and letting people get to know her. And now it is too late.

When I got back to the library, I had trouble concentrating. People were talking--on their cell phones, for one thing. It appears the library is a place for homeless people to hang out on a cold day, which is fine, but they still need to be quiet. I will choose a different part of the library next time.

Picked Ray up at 3:30 and we got a couple things at Earth Fare and stopped at the bank. At home, I made supper while he worked. Built up the fire and closed all the shades.

Choir rehearsal had been rescheduled from Wednesday--still icy driving, but now there are more people on the road. It was good to be with our friends and sing. Drove home, watched a little TV, fell asleep before 9, so naturally woke up before 5. I like falling asleep and I like waking up, just need to shift my schedule a little.

Another egg!

I had a plan for being unemployed: go to the library every day while Ray is at work, take my laptop, look for jobs and stay busy instead of being home alone and getting distracted. Yesterday, he had to teach. We drove in together--the roads had some scary icy spots; maybe the worst was in Kenney Ridge. He did fine.

From his office, I drove up to the Department of Labor to drop off a copy of my letter. It was a little nerve-wracking, but not too bad. Then I went to the library as planned. There are exactly 18 jobs listed on the Banner-Herald website. Some are for truck driving, some are for nurses. There is one for a full-time office assistant, $10-$12/hr. One is for a cook for a preschool. One is for a preschool teacher. I looked at the school district's listings: a teacher, a parapro, a technology assistant. I am always tempted by being a substitute teacher or a parapro, but they pay so little, it upsets me and I can't bring myself to apply. The University of Georgia has jobs listed. Most pay too little and I am not qualified for. Some I have already applied for. The city has jobs, but none for me.

I need a new plan. I spent most of my time chatting with friends and relatives. I checked out two books.

Janna is getting over another bad cold. She offered me leftover pasta with cauliflower and cheese for lunch. It sounded good, so I drove to her house. OMG! The roads were terrifying, the worst I had seen and hilly. When I got to her house, I was afraid I would never get out. We had a nice lunch and the sun was melting the ice while I was there. It was above freezing and I had no trouble.

I drove to Earth Fare and bought us groceries. There were some bare spots on the shelves. And everything there is so expensive! I couldn't bring myself to buy freezer bags--$1.95 for 15. I called my parents to ask if they needed anything. They were at Panera and had been to Macy's in the mall to buy a teakettle. Jeez! I wish they would stay off the roads. They needed eggs, so I bought some and took them to their house. They were home by then. Their street was pretty icy, but flat and straight. My Dad said the driving wasn't bad. I am amazed that no one seems to be stuck. I saw one car being towed.

Then it was only an hour until Ray was ready to leave. It was sunny, so I parked the car in his parking lot and waited for him, on my phone and computer.

We went home, made and ate supper, watched TV, fell asleep. Ray did the dishes, carried wood, built the fire, prepared for classes. It was fun to watch most of Julie and Julia again.

KR Community Center

First egg

In the middle of the day yesterday, it was just above freezing. We walked out with Cameron--it was crunchy and icy. Only one vehicle had been by (the day before).

About 11, the dog started barking and a little red car pulled up. My 83-year-old father decided he needed his parka bad enough to drive when there was an advisory out. And free internet. We invited them to have lunch and play cards with us and sent them off about 2, as the temperature was going down again. We didn't hear from them, so I guess they got home okay.

The last of the Christmas tree

I made bread in the toaster oven and we finally got the tree down. Ray decided it was easier to cut it up in the house than try to take it out with just the two of us. Pretty funny. Packed up all the Christmas things and swept the floor. Ate supper, knitted, watched TV, read in bed.

Happy Birthday, Vanessa!

Ray "brooming" snow

Cold and overcast are not a good combination for our house. The heat runs and runs, even with the wood stove going. The tile floors are not cozy. If we're going to be getting a lot more weather like this, I'll need to put down some rugs. Drank hot chocolate.

I made a couple loaves of bread (in the toaster ovens). We played 3-handed Oh Hell with Nancy Stangle. We walked out to Three Oaks Drive--one truck (big from the tire tracks) had been in and out to a house that's for sale and empty. Hard going, with ice under the crusty snow--and slush. The most exciting thing of the day? Our first egg! Why they picked a cold snowy dark morning to lay it, I do not know, but it's pretty cool.

Took down ornaments from the tree but can't find the boxes they go in. Ray and I both looked, but I know they must be there somewhere.

Watched TV, read, dozed.

I put out an email to the community to stop by if they wanted to visit or play games. Dan came about lunch time and I made hot chocolate (using up all my milk). Sky and Basil played Oh Hell with us for a while in the afternoon and Manita stopped by to chat briefly before dark. We walked Cameron out to the road between Basil and Manita and down to the garden. There was a crust on the snow and it was slow going, so we didn't get all the way out to Tallassee to check it out. Manita said she saw a few cars going by okay. Ray cleared the deck and part of the apron outside the garage. It was hard work.

Other than that, I did some cooking and kept the fire going in the wood stove. We talked to lots of people on the phone. Ray worked on his class preparation--he has another day today, but he still won't be "ready." Now he's concerned about how to make up for the two days lost.

Watched TV, knit. Took some of the ornaments off the tree and packed up the Christmas glasses.

Snow day! Ray will not have to go teach his first day of classes this semester (I don't know when they'll make it up). I bet they will be off tomorrow too. And I won't have to do any of the things I was planning to do either.

Yesterday, we spent hours at the Fellowship. He was teaching RE and I enjoyed sitting in the service, sometimes knitting. I have started a beautiful sweater for a young girl--don't know what lucky young girl it is for yet. After the service, Ray had to rehearse for the Macaroni Western they are performing next Saturday. They went through it twice and have one more rehearsal right before the performance. Meanwhile, I headed up to Earth Fare for groceries. The store was crazy. I guess because of the snow predicted, everyone wants to stock up. We left the Fellowship about 3 and went home for a couple hours. Then we headed to dinner for my mother's 83rd birthday. It was very enjoyable. The heavy clouds did look like snow, but we had been home an hour probably before it started. I dozed on the way home, but managed to stay awake through a new show on PBS, Downton Abbey, much like Upstairs Downstairs, which we both enjoyed watching. Includes Maggie Hunter as the Dowager Duchess.

Now there are several inches of snow out there.

Molli and Adrian in the airport

Cameron investigates on the beach

the front porch

bocce--it's all in the measuring

 

OMG, it's 18 degrees! This is Georgia, for heaven's sake. And they're predicting the second snowstorm this year for tomorrow. They will probably cancel the first day back of classes at UGA. It's 62 where I'm sitting and the heat downstairs has been going for hours. No wonder I needed an extra blanket when I woke up at 5 o'clock and my hubby was not there to keep me warm. He was worrying about his classes. He spent a lot of time preparing since he finished the last round a month ago, but he still needs a lot more time before he's ready.

I tried to start a fire, but failed. I have turned the heat up and put on some warm clothes, but I'll be cold for a while. The sun is not up yet. Hopefully, that will help. No oven to bake something in and warm us up.

Yesterday morning, three of us took a walk on the beach right at 7. The most perfect sunrise we've seen. The dogs were having a great time. I went back before the others and fed Cameron and ate some breakfast. Going to start on that soon here.

Played some Spider, packed up, cleaned, ate lunch, played Oh Hell. Left about 4 when the laundry was done. Had a great time, sorry to go. The sun was shining, a good day for driving. I started and drove until dusk. We stopped at the same funny little Chinese restaurant in Jackson SC, next to the Subway that we were actually looking for. Listened to my iPhone and read Pride and Prejudice. Didn't sleep much. Made some phone calls. Got home at 11. Ray unloaded the car and we went to bed pretty soon after that. All is well.

It's hard to believe it's already Saturday. There is so much I was going to do that I didn't get to. Where did the time go? Well, yesterday, I played, I think, 4 games of Spider, and didn't win any. I spent a little time working on the UUFA photo directory. And I spoke to the Department of Labor about my unemployment claim. The Shelter is claiming I had work through Dec 31, but I have a letter that says I was "relieved of my duties" Dec. 7, so I just need to give them a copy of that on Monday. It reminds me of Branded, the old TV show, where he was drummed out of the military, stripped of his insignia.

Just after sunrise, Deb and John and I and the three dogs went to the beach. It was beautiful, but windy and cold. I didn't stay as long as they did. Ate breakfast, did my Spark People workout with Deb, took a shower. Ate lunch (leftover soup with leftover rice). Went to the beach for a couple hours, walking the dogs and watching the guys play bocce. The tide was very low and Deb and the dogs walked all over, looking at shells and jellyfish. I took a few photos with my phone, but they don't convey the feeling of the mud flats stretching in all directions. Cameron ranged wider, but did not seem in danger of running away. When we get back to the house, John rinses the dogs off, so they won't bring sand and mud into the house. Then he dries them and they stay on the porch until they are dry. Cameron hates it--they all do, but the other dogs are older and more used to it. He ties their leashes in the outdoor shower because they would be impossible to hold.

Later, we drove to Beaufort (about half an hour) and ate a wonderful dinner. Ray and I treated. It was a surprisingly elegant restaurant for such a small town. We were home at 10 (I had been dozing in the car of course) and went to bed. I wanted to stay up and do something fun, since it was our last night, but couldn't quite do it. Slept until after 5.

I am sitting in the Sawdust Sisters' living room, with the last coals of a dying fire, watching the first bit of light brighten the deck outside the big glass windows. Any minute, John and Deb and the dogs will come out and we will head for the beach. Every morning, they walk there for an hour or more.

Yesterday, there were dark, heavy clouds. The dogs run freely on the beach this time of year, with no one to bother. Their friend Renata and her dog usually meet them. Sometimes there is a dramatic red sunrise. Always there are birds.

We went back to the beach later in the morning with Ray and played bocce. Quite entertaining, but a little cold. Deb went back to the house after one game and I watched most of another before walking back. We had leftover soup for lunch and other good things.

In the afternoon, we played a game called Wise and Otherwise, involving proverbs from around the world. It works like Dictionary. Each person finishes the proverb and then we all vote on which is the real one. My favorite: Never bolt your door...with a boiled carrot. Supposedly a real Irish saying.

Another long walk around the neighborhood with the dogs. Then dinner preparations. Renata came over and joined us for medieval lentils, roast squash and salad. Sitting on the couch by the fire, after a little wine, knitting, I dozed off several times and finally hit the hay about 9:30. Then I slept until nearly 6.

Yesterday was quite gray and rainy and cool, but we hardly noticed. It wasn't raining yet when we walked on the beach for nearly 2 hours with the dogs (Ray was still asleep). We saw a bald eagle with some poor creature--John thought it was a rabbit. As we got close, it took off, but didn't go far; perhaps the rabbit was too heavy. It moved three times before finally flying out of sight. I couldn't find anything left behind. Walking with Cameron requires a certain amount of vigilance, telling him not to eat things that he finds on the beach. He's pretty good about it if you keep after him, but left to his own devices, would probably make himself sick. What do I expect? He's a dog...

After breakfast, I played a couple games of Spider. Our internet service was spotty. Early in the morning, I wrote a cover letter for a job at the University I'm interested in. Of course, it is a very long shot. Ray read the letter and said it was great. Deb read it and rewrote it (with my permission), saying I needed to brag on myself more. Eventually I incorporated most of her changes and sent it off. "They'd be crazy not to hire you," says Ray. "They were crazy to let you go," says Deb. Nice to hear. Also had an email from Ray M. about teaching at Athens Tech, so will follow up on that.

Deb and I did our Day 3 workout, including push-ups. I haven't done push-ups in many years and could not do many of them. She did the workout three times. I wonder what's in store for today's workout. We made some soup, veggies with chicken broth, some black beans and some edamame. There were some good leftovers to eat too. We all played Rhyme in Time, a ridiculous game involving coming up with rhymes and rhyming words and moving pieces on a board. I laughed so hard I cried at John trying to remember Itsy Bitsy Spider. He knew some different rhymes because he grew up in England, but he just drew a blank when he tried to remember before the time ran out.

The plumber finally came. We had not had hot water since we arrived, except somehow John managed to reset it the first day and Ray and I had showers. John had a cold shower. So then we could all take showers if we wanted to. The three of them took the dogs for a walk--it had stopped raining--and I had a shower and some private time. Then John made chicken curry--I helped chop things. They have some nice new sharp knives and it was a pleasure.

After supper, we watched an episode of Inspector Lewis they had brought. I only dozed off a little and we all went to bed about 10:30.

Well, it took a lot longer than expected to get away on Monday. I had to find yarn and needles for a new knitting project before driving 5 hours. Ray packed books and other gifts Amelia had left. Of course, one of the boxes he used was a wine box, so he had to cover it with brown paper. I made bread to take with us and got out foods that we wanted. We finally packed our clothes and the refrigerator items, fed the chickens lots of food and water, and forced Cameron into his crate on the back seat. Then we went to the post office and mailed the packages, to the bank to deposit Molli's money, and finally left Athens about 4. It was a nice sunny day for driving and we didn't stop until we got to South Carolina. Not a lot of restaurants in that area. I used Urban Spoon to find one, but it turned out to be closed--maybe on Mondays, maybe only open for lunch. We were a few miles off the main drag and had to retrace our steps. We followed the program to a Subway, but then opted for the Chinese restaurant next door. I walked Cameron a bit out back and then fed him, but he was not that interested, so we put him back in his crate (resisting us all the way). We stopped briefly at the last grocery store to get dill pickles, ginger, and potatoes...a Publix and we were able to use our gift card. I dozed and Ray brought us to our destination before 9. Our friends were glad to see us and we unpacked the cooler and chattered happily for a while, and then went to bed.

Slept very well. Deb and John and I went to the beach with the three dogs. Walked and walked just after sunrise. Saw a great blue heron. Surprisingly, we were able to get internet. Deb and I did a Spark People workout together. Walked again. John spent the day fixing things, with Ray helping some, especially the dryer. He drove to Lady's Island to get a new belt and bought some ice cream at the Publix. Ray worked on his upcoming class. The three of us watched Kate and Leopold. Did a little knitting. Walked again and saw the waves crashing in the dusk. Had dinner, played some Oh Hell. Fell asleep sitting up and went to bed before 9:30.

We were a little sad yesterday to take Molli and Adrian to the airport. They were wonderful guests.

It was a beautiful day, in the high 50s and sunny, but windy. We had pancakes for breakfast and they spent the rest of the morning packing. I packed up the Christmas dishes, too. I spent some time planning menus for a friend who has limited her diet to find out the foods she can't eat. Right now: no dairy, wheat, oats, tomatoes, peanuts, beef, pork, eggs, sugar...I'm sure there is more. But, surprisingly, it is possible to eat just fine. Breakfast is a little hard, and dessert...

Ray had to be at the Fellowship at noon and Molli wasn't finished packing, so I drove him. He is rehearsing for a dinner show in a couple weeks. 0My parents came for lunch and to get some more things for their apartment. Their room is empty now, but needs to be repainted.

We ate some leftovers and drove off to pick up Ray. Molli & Adrian had a brief visit to Barnes and Noble to use a gift card she got for Christmas. Then to Atlanta. No problems, except parking at the airport. But Ray let us off and they got their bags checked while he finally got a place to park and joined us for a little food.

We got home just fine and, as usual, I fell asleep watching TV with Ray. 

I haven't yet heard that they made it or whether they had any problems, but I am confident that I will when they get up!

We had brunch yesterday for some of our close friends who weren't in town for the engagement party: Deb and John, Becky and Kent, and we invited Janna and Ron too. and my parents. I made muffins (still in the toaster oven). Molli made omelets. She prepared fillings ahead of time: ham, onions, tomatoes, peppers, cheeses and people got to choose. They were good. Deb brought collards and black-eyed peas (for luck) and Janna brought bagels and lox, with cream cheese, onion, tomato. We had orange juice and champagne and some glog from Sweden. It was a lot of fun. Everyone enjoyed meeting Adrian and tried to speak slowly to him. We heard about Deb's visit to Sweden and Nathan's girlfriend's family. Becky had Christmas with her large family and showed pictures. She took some pictures of Molli and Adrian too.

When some people wanted coffee, we realized the coffee maker and coffee were at Mom and Dad's. Molli had coffee from Mexico and we had an old stove-top coffee pot. But the coffee was whole bean. The food processor didn't have much effect on it, so my Dad ground it in a mortar and pestle.

After they went, we cleaned up some (Ray did lots of dishes) and started the pot roast for supper. Hard to imagine we would be able to eat again, but I was pretty hungry by the time it was ready. And it was delicious. Molli and Adrian loved it.

Meanwhile, Molli and I took Cameron for a walk in the rain. It was rainy most of the day, a nice time to have company to distract you. And it wasn't at all cold--no heat, no fire in the stove. People and cooking provided enough warmth to keep it about 72 or so in the house, in the 50s outside.

I fell asleep pretty early and went to bed about 9.

Happy New Year!

Yesterday, Ray took Amelia to the airport at a very early hour. I stayed in bed and tried to go back to sleep, but failed. I nearly finished Woman on the Edge of Time, which I really like. The future world depicted reminds me of Ursula Leguin, a science fiction author I really like. But the present-day story is set mainly in a mental hospital, reminiscent of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest or some other great books.

I finally got up about 8. My parents were eating breakfast. They decided they needed to move their bed to their apartment, because it was supposed to rain today. Molli and Adrian got up and helped move things into the truck, ate breakfast and showered. Ray came back from the airport. We all drove to the duplex in the car and the truck. They unloaded things and we left them there. I was pretty upset to think of them living there alone.

We went to Research Drive to see the Masonic Temple. Molli's fiance, Adrian, is a Mason and very interested in all tings Mason. They took pictures there. She wanted to eat Thai food, so we drove downtown and did that. Then we went to Five Points and got whiskey and some groceries at Earth Fare. Everything took longer than expected, but the worst was at Target, where Adrian bought some clothes, Molli and I bought some Christmas items that were 75% off (including Hanukah candles). Checking out, I gave her a coupon for 10% off, but it did not scan. I had to take it to the Customer Service desk. After a long series of attendants, including a call to the national office, they finally gave me $11 cash (not quite 10% off). I am sure it took us at least 30 minutes to earn that money!

When we got home, it was still light, the nicest day we've had yet, in the 60s. We all walked around the Kenny Ridge perimeter trail, although I came home about halfway through. They seemed to enjoy it. I had time to take a bath. We ate leftovers that were pretty good. We seriously considered going out somewhere for New Year's Eve, but in the end, the four of us watched Serenity, the Firefly movie, that we had recorded a few days earlier. It was pretty intense and I managed to stay awake until it was over. But sitcoms and New Year's Eve shows did not hold my attention and I woke up in time to have a toast and go to bed. Adrian slept through Serenity, incredibly.

This morning I again woke up about 4:30, but I did managed to get back to sleep for about an hour. It is very quiet here this morning and I am looking forward to a good year, writing cover letters in my head.