I woke up around 4:30, but went back to sleep. Now it's 6:15...Head still a little stuffy and achy...nice and warm inside due to Ray building up the fire before we went to bed.

Yesterday, I woke him up and he said no, he would come in later. There are no classes at UGA today, so he may revert to his "natural" schedule, which is staying up late and sleeping late. In fact, he had Captain and Vanessa bring him in to work at 11.

Monday morning there is always a lot going on. Extra mail from Saturday. Job TREC people in the office. Today, Jaron came in early and I still have no official communication from Americorps about his position. He told me that they have funding problems in Atlanta and the guy I was talking to no longer works there. I processed the automatic deposits. People who pledge to pay something every month to the shelter authorize us to take it out of their account. So I order a sort of booklet of paper checks that I have to tear out every month, stamp the back and prepare a deposit slip. I'm not complaining. We get almost $700 a month that way. But if you are an organized person, you can just write one check for the year (or the quarter) and save someone from having to do that. That assumes the organization can deal with the cash flow issues. I met with Deb from the Nancy Travis House board about putting in grant proposals for them and talked some about the future. I met Janna and Becky for lunch, so that was a good break. I talked again to crazy people from the leasing company. I asked to speak to their superior and they said no. I called the local dealer and he said he had handled it and it should be stopping any day now. I hope so. Meanwhile I need to learn how to not let it get to me. Ha!

I left at 3, picked Ray up and came home. Did some more work on the insulated shade. there is an inner fabric, picked for beauty, a lining with rings attached (now) and a layer of batting for insulation and a layer of plastic for vapor barrier. It is a pain to assemble. For starters, the fabric has to be cut and seamed, because it is not as wide as the double window I am covering. Then you have to attach the rings to the lining. Then I cut the plastic and batting. Yesterday I pinned them all together, hopefully in the right order and right direction, on two sides. I will sew those and then check it, sew the third side, then turn it right side out and sew the bottom. Then Ray will thread the string through the holes and hang it up for me (staple it to the top of the window). They don't get washed or cleaned. I guess eventually we'll take them down and throw them away and make new ones--oh no! Looking at the walls, there are places that need to be repainted--it has been more than 5 years since we moved in. I am dreading that.

We ate early--Ray made supper--and had time to play another game of cards before we watched our 3 favorite TV shows. I didn't make it through BBT (Big Bang Theory), my current favorite. But I have to say, the 2 and a half men episode had me guffawing.

It was rainy and cold all day yesterday. We started a fire in the morning and again in the evening and we were very comfortable. High was about 48. Ray and I walked out to get the paper with umbrellas--it wasn't raining hard then. I made waffles and we video chatted with Barbara and Ray's Mom, mostly about Christmas presents. We went to church and I sang. There was a UU minister there from Uganda who taught us a song in Swahili and Lugata (?) and drummed with our drum circle. He runs a school, New Life (?). I think he said there are 4000 children, 80% orphaned due to AIDS. Most don't have shoes until they are 10. I was very concerned and gave him $5. After, I thought, maybe they don't really need shoes? Ray MacNair spoke about liberation theology and they gave out the Guest at Your Table boxes.

Ray and I ate Fourth Sunday lunch. Then we met Captain and Vanessa at the bookstore (Barnes & Noble). There was a fund-raiser for Clarke Central--they got some portion of the books you bought--and Vanessa has a membership this year that gives her 10% off (me too!) So I bought some Christmas presents for people. Still need a few more ideas, but feeling better about being prepared than I usually do. My cold was much better, especially my energy level, but I worried a little about being out in the hard rain in the cold. V and I drove to Beechwood, where we went into TJ Maxx and looked at purses. I wished I had sprung for the $70 at Macy's--my red quilted purse is beginning to embarrass me. I have bunches of great purses, but I want one large enough to throw a sandwich and paperback into, yet still organized enough to find stuff and not too heavy. We didn't buy anything there and had to walk a ways in the rain back to our car--very few empty parking spaces, maybe a good day to go to the movies? The movie theater is next to TJ Maxx. We drove up to Talbot's and went in. Good sales there. Janna got there soon after, driving herself in the rain. She was just going to get some stockings, but found a gorgeous fuscia wool jacket. It looked great on her and she had to buy it. I won't tell you how much it cost, but I didn't try it on because of the price. She also got gray pants and a long-sleeved top. I did, however, buy a beautiful red sweater. It doesn't even button, but it looked and felt so nice I got it anyway. Especially in the cold rain--I kept it on the rest of the day. And a pair of dark brown pants and one item for Christmas. We went down to Coldwater Creek and nothing there looked that good, although it was cheaper. Vanessa tried on a pair of dark green velour pants, but they were too long and not particularly becoming. She tried on a couple things at Talbot's too, but didn't get anything. Janna, on the other hand, bought several tops and a gray shawl to go with her new pants. Then we went on home. Captain made turkey soup (with Vanessa's help) and we had the last of the homemade bread from the freezer. I'll have to make that recipe again. Everybody likes it and it even has a little whole wheat in it. Instead of watching TV after supper, we played Oh Hell. It was a good time, we were all in good spirits. The Captain twice said how much he liked this (us playing cards). He and I were tied at the end of the game! Vanessa didn't do very well and he made a couple remarks about her paying attention--was she tired, did she not feel well? She got annoyed and told him she didn''t like to be treated like an idiot.

I fell asleep watching MASH. And didn't get up until 6:15.

I am feeling better this morning, at least happier. I was in bed at 9 and woke up at 5, thanks to Robitussin DM. Ray has been having scotch at bedtime and that seems to work well for him. I think it is raining out, but it is too dark to be sure.

I did not leave the house at all yesterday--not even onto the porch! But it was a beautiful sunny day and warm in our house. We had a fire in the woodstove in the morning, but by the time we had the oven on for an hour, it was too hot!

I honestly don't know what I did all day--sudoku, knitting, cutting out the pieces for the shade in my parents' room...I did work on dinner. And I had a long chat with Amelia in Zurich, via Skype--yay! Ray and I talked about what to buy for whom for Christmas. And Bonney and Polly called me and we had a conference call. You can do that for free on your cell phone. I even put it on speaker phone and knitted while we chatted. It was cozy. By the time Ray and I started watching TV, I fell asleep during the first show.

If you haven't yet, you might enjoy the pictures of baby Ray on Casey's blog (link below). He seems like an especially beautiful baby to me and I would stare at him all day if I were there.

Yesterday was service day at Athens Academy. Eight students and a teacher spent four hours cleaning windows, organizing closets and doing a lot of good work. I did ask them to turn off the music, since Amanda was on the phone, and the alarm went off from cleaning the windows of course. Then I went to lunch at the country club where the Academy had a fashion show, raising $7000 and having a lot of fun. There was not a soul I knew there, but I enjoyed watching the kids. The food was good, but typical ladies' lunch: scoop of salad and a croissant. Chocolate covered strawberry and a cookie for dessert. Glad I didn't have to pay $25 for it. I wore my black suit and spoke briefly.

Then I came home, sat in the sun, read and nursed my cold. Woke up before 4 this morning with dry cough. I usually only take one cold pill unless things are really bad, so I took another one then, after one when I went to bed.

Yup, I'm really sick. I guess I am grateful I managed to not get sick the last few times. And it's only a cold. But I hate when my brain doesn't work and I can't do things. Fortunately, I don't have anything going on this weekend and I can look forward to doing nothing. I had hoped to do some Christmas shopping, but that is a want not a need.

Yesterday 2000 postcards were there and needed to be labeled and mailed. I had one volunteer show up pretty early in the day. Taylor helped, in fact, I put him in charge, more or less. He did keep his iPod (or whatever it is) plugged into his ear...The biggest help came from my parents, although I was worried when they were about an hour late. They got lost... The three of us went to lunch and were finished by 2 ish. Another volunteer showed up just about then. Taylor took them to the post office, but he had to come back to get a check. Since it was over $200, it needed two signatures. Kerri had gone home, since she hadn't slept or eaten since turning in her comps that morning. Fortunately, a board member who works up the street ran over and signed it. The Captain took Vanessa home and then he and I were planning to attend a community garden meeting. Well, I was about 20 minutes late and he was nowhere to be found. Turned out, he had come and gone. Parking was a few blocks away and he decided just to go home. Too bad, I probably wouldn't have gone if I had known he wasn't going to be there. Lots of good things happening, but I came on home. I even called and told Zuhair I wasn't coming to Arabic class.

I have a cold. I feel like germs are just hovering all the time, waiting for a chance to make me sick, and when I am stressed, they have an opening. I mean the kind of stressful incident where your hands are shaking and you feel sick because you're so upset. You know about my earlier week. Well, one more thing happened yesterday. A work-related friend wanted to bring a candidate for Executive Director to the shelter and give her a tour. I said I didn't think it was appropriate. He said a board member had told him it was all right. I said, "if she calls me and tells me to let her in, I will." He said it is a public facility, anyone can come in. I said no, we don't let people in, it is a confidentiality issue." He said he would call the board member, but he was not happy about this. His manner was very high-handed. I quickly emailed 3 board members and told them the situation. One called immediately and was sympathetic. The president sent an email and said I needed to cooperate because we wanted to preserve a good working relationship with him. Then he called back and asked again, so I said yes. I hid in the director's office and let the interns answer the door and let him show her around. I sure hope they don't pick her. I will probably have to find another job in that case.

The president came by later and picked up the applications and signed a reimbursement request. She was appreciative. There was a board meeting last night but I said I could not attend because of choir.

Kerri was home yesterday working on her comps. I was thinking about her most of the day. The residents were pretty quiet until 3 when kids came home from school and were very loud. I mentioned it to one Mom and she said, I didn't know you were here. I thought it was okay since it was 3 o'clock. I said, "it's okay for you to be here, but it is still an office, whether I'm here or not, just try to keep it down a little."

Molli had asked me to wake her. She walked out to get the paper with me and stayed up while I ate breakfast. Then she went back to bed. Ray slept in a little. He and Molli took a long walk, then she took a bath in the big tub and loved it. All four of them met me for lunch at the National. Then I drove her to the shuttle, which she took to the Atlanta airport. She did not want to fly on the little plane, even though now you can go through security in Athens and go right to the terminal at Hartsfield.

I went back to the office for less than an hour. When it started getting noisy, I left the interns in charge and went home. I have managed to schedule two different people for lunch tomorrow. Plus I forgot to pay the taxes on Friday. I paid them yesterday, but will probably have to pay a late fee. It's partly from having 2 different computers I go back and forth between and just having a lot going on.

I asked my parents to make us the hot beverage from the Twin Yolks blog (below left) and we all sat there sipping it as it got dark out. The Captain and I talked about what to plant in the garden next year and maybe getting chickens. I started reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. It's really interesting. We didn't really have dinner, but The Captain cut me some turkey and I made a nice turkey sandwich--the taste of Thanksgiving. After the drinks were gone, we moved into the TV room. I didn't even knit much and was in bed by 9ish.

Well, I guess I need to report on days that are not so good, as well as good days. Yesterday was a bad day in some ways, even though I love having Molli here. At work, I had to continue printing out, photocopying and matching up resumes, cover letters and answers to questions. Although applicants were told to include their name on their answers, 7 did not. The board president asked me to try to match them up. After working at it all morning, I did find six of them. The seventh is a mystery to me. Another one of the Job TREC interns, Cara, helped me with the copying and sorting. Supposedly Beth, the board president, came and got them last night. I give them joy of reading them and hope it results in someone wonderful that I can work with and learn from as the shelter continues to meet needs.

I have had ongoing problems with a rental company. Several months ago, we started getting automated calls from "Leasing Services." I had no idea who they were. The message gave a number to call back, but when you call, they ask for your account number before you can talk to anyone. If you go to the referenced website, QDS, you also need to type in an account number. I never heard of QDS either. It was very frustrating to get these calls, but we couldn't do anything about it. Eventually, I would get a call from a person now and then. The first few times, I politely explained that I did not have an account with them and did not owe them money. I started receiving bills from CTI, apparently the same company. I explained to at least one person that we paid Marlin Leasing for our copy machine and did not owe them money. She said we had been paying them up until a few months ago and gave me a check number. This was a five-digit number and our checks are only 4 digits. I told her it was not my check. We were both baffled. The next few times someone called and started to tell me the account was overdue, I referred them to the notes and hung up. Yesterday morning a man named Craig called. He was very insistent and asked to send me the signed contract. I never heard of the person who signed it. I tried to explain the situation to him--he asked for my boss. I hung up on him 20 times. I told him he was harassing me and I would consult with a lawyer. He wanted Beth's phone number. He emailed me the contract. I got his name and number and called the place we bought the machine, Athena Business Systems. John had told me several times that he would take care of it, so I gave him Craig's number. Meanwhile Craig kept calling back. I told him he needed to hang up so John could reach him. Unfortunately, it upset me very much to the point that I was shaking and felt sick.

Meanwhile, a good friend called and told me more about Aliyah's death. It is truly astonishing. Apparently, she was watching a movie on TV that involved people flying. She went up on the roof of her building, piled up some chairs, climbed on them and fell or jumped. She did not commit suicide in the usual meaning of the word, which is in some ways a relief, but had some sort of mental breakdown leading her to think she could fly...I don't know how they even know this much. It is horrible to imagine that any of us could have a brain malfunction of this consequence and I can't think of a way it could have been prevented. No one should ever be alone for any length of time? Don't watch fantastic movies? No one seems to think drugs were involved. I am afraid I cannot think about it any more and will have to deal with this one by ignoring it for a while. It is too sad.

Molli and I did some Christmas shopping. We went to Rolling Pin, but only bought one thing--a 50 cent orange peeler that she had wanted. We stopped at Bulldog Sporting Goods and bought a few Georgia t-shirts that may go to some nephews. Molli tried on some good running shoes but didn't want to spend $50--they were on sale. We went to the Half-Moon Outfitters and looked at the funny shoes that are supposed to be like going barefoot. They are $80, so too much for a lark. We went to an upscale consignment shop and bought something for someone who reads this blog, so I won't say more about that. We went to Homeplace, where we used to always buy toys and gifts. Molli and I went right back to the toy section, although we had no intentions of buying anything. We picked out 4 games for Nate (and others), but managed to put two back. One was a game involving putting on a pig nose and trying to get truffles out of the box top. It cracked us up in the store. Then we bought an advent calendar to give to Vanessa. And Molli had to have a peppermint for old times' sake. Sarah, the daughter of the owners, was there. She is married now and has moved back to Athens with her husband, a student at UGA. Her major was sociology and for now she is working at Homeplace and looking for another job.

We picked up Ray and came home. We called Gerald so Molli could talk to him. He was attending a celebration and when asked what they were celebrating, he said nothing. It was about 10 o'clock there and very noisy.

We had an early supper and I went to ARabic class. Every time, it seems, he introduces something new. If I were studying for hours in between classes, I could probably get a lot out of it. The word for "the" in Arabic is Al. You have probably heard words that start "Al..." It becomes part of the noun and is attached to the beginning of the word. Depending on the first letter of the noun, it is pronounced "al" or "a", plus a doubling of the first letter. Did you ever have anyone teach you to play a card game called Teg War? It is an elaborate joke, because they make up the rules as you are playing... no, twos can only go on black threes..." That is what this is like. It feels like on Tuesday when it is cloudy, one rule applies... It is very hard. I don't know all the sounds and appearances of all the letters yet and can say very few words. It seems incredible that anyone could ever learn to speak this language, but thousands of children are doing it right this minute.

I don't know how late Molli and Ray stayed up. I fell asleep and went to bed about 10:30. She did seem to enjoy Big Bang Theory and the joys of the DVR. She may have stayed up watching back to back Third rock episodes. I woke up at 4:30 from a dream where I was convinced I should apply to the Public Interest department (a sort of Poli Sci branch). I don't think they have that at UGA and I think I talked to someone in Public Policy and it would be a 7-year program and they only take 10 people. Something like that. At first I thought I heard a kitten mewing, but it was Ray's breathing. His asthma has not been bad for a long time, but it sounded bad then. Then I remembered my conversation with Craig and got all worked up again. Not to mention Molli is leaving today.

One bright spot. Chieko and Casey had their baby! Congratulations and love to all. I wonder if Barbara got any sleep waiting to hear. Cheiko's mother is with them now and Barbara will go in December.