A trip down memory lane

I was recently invited to participate in a panel at the College of Saint Benedict, my alma mater, to discuss what it was like to be a gay student and what it's now like to be a gay alum. I happily accepted the invitation, and I made the trek to central Minnesota last Monday. B, Michelle (another alum), and Michelle's girlfriend Bev joined me. We arrived with enough time to show B and Bev the campus a bit, which was fun. I hadn't been up there in years, and it was interesting to see that while many things have changed, many things have also stayed exactly the same. The sandwich shop that we used to eat at, BoDids, smelled EXACTLY the same. I also loved hearing the library bells...almost transported me back in time. Walking around campus definitely made me me feel old though, especially by the first year dorms. I guess that makes sense, as those students are 18 or 19 years old...young pups compared to my wise and seasoned 32 year old self - HA!

After we ate dinner and completed our mini-tour, it was time for Michelle and me to go speak. Surprisngly, there was a really good turnout! I'm guessing many of the students were required to attend for class, but who cares? At least there were people there. :) It was good to see, and I hope they took something from the presentation.

Not surprisingly, I spoke my mind about CSB and central Minnesota. It's probably important to note here that I was the "Big Lesbian On Campus" duing my sophomore, junior, and senior years, meaning I was out and very active in promoting equal rights for GLBT students. I was so out that if people hung out with me, they were presumed to be gay by default. :) Anyway, during the presentation, I noted that while I made some lifelong friends during my four years there, it was also a very difficult place to be as a lesbian at times. So difficult in fact that I often contemplated transferring to a different school and at times actually felt a bit unsafe. My friend's car was vandalized for having a rainbow sticker, and I was offered a security escort after Matthew Shepard was killed (because we were planning a rally to address that sort of violence). After recounting my difficulties, I specifically addressed any gay students in the audience and said, "if you are gay, get out of central Minnesota." LOL - I guess I was a little blunt. During the question and answer period, one student asked me why I felt the Twin Cities were better, and I then had to rattle off reasons such as, "it's bigger, more populated, diverse community filled with all sorts of people, more progressive attitudes, etc." I also stated that I felt safer in the South visiting family than I did in central Minnesota, which is true (though, I've never traveled alone in the south, and I've never been in the middle of nowhere in the south - I imagine I could rapidly become more scared down there). Anyway, after the follow up question, all I could picture was some headline in the student newspaper saying something like, "Alum tells students to get out of central Minnesota." Nice!

I often wonder if I'm generally too blunt about things, but after some thought on this presentation, I've decided I wasn't too blunt about CSB. I spoke MY truth about MY experience up there. I had a blast at college, but things certainly could have been a lot better too. No one should have to think about having a regular security escort or have to worry about being jumped late at night (that was over at St. John's more than St. Ben's, but still not cool). I shouldn't have had to be worried about harassment and staring, or hate-filled emails from other students. Alas, that was CSB in 1999, and unfortunately, it sounds like it was CSB during the early and mid-2000s and that it is still CSB now.

Despite the difficulties I had there, I'm glad I stayed and stood up for equality. Things will never change in places like that if people don't stay and fight (same goes for the Church - it won't change if all GLBTers abandon it, but that's not a fight I could stay in as I can't stand religion for the most part). Obviously, my life would have been much easier if I had transferred to Smith or St. Kates (the schools I wanted to attend), but I think CSB is a much more accurate reflection of the so-called real world. Most places aren't hotbeds of liberalism or equal rights activity, and I learned a lot of lessons while struggling to fit in in such a place. In Minneapolis/Saint Paul, I rarely worry about being gay - I hold B's hand in public, I kiss her, I call her my partner, girlfriend, fiancee, etc. without really worrying. Unfortuantely, I still don't feel comfortable or safe doing that in most places, including CSB and even my hometown in Carver County. So, what I'm trying to say is that I am glad I didn't transfer because CSB was good preparation for dealing with most of the country. I'm also glad I live in liberal cities now, as I don't think I have the energy to fight so hard on a daily basis in a different place. A girl can only do so much afterall!

All in all, it was great to be back at CSB, and it was great to be a part of the presentation. As I told B, Michelle, and Bev during the ride home, I think the trip up was worth it if we helped just one gay student. It was also worth it if even one straight student got the message and starts challenging his or her peers to be more accepting and kind. Hopefully we had that sort of impact, but I'll never know. Real change is often frustratingly slow, as it requires every single person to think about things in a different way. Regardless, I'm glad I went, and I'm hopeful that we made an impact, even if it was slight. One day at a time, right? :)

Idiot of the Week Award - 3/22/09 - 3/28/09

The Idiot of the Week Award for this week goes to Fast Traxx movers. B and I purchased a used television armoire on Craigslist. My mom and I went to examine the armoire, and we found it to be in pretty good shape. The doors opened and slid back, the drawer worked, the backing was attached, and it held a 32 inch TV. The molding was loose on top, and the piece had some dings/scratches. However, for the price, I loved it and decided to buy it.

Unfortunately, the piece is HUGE, meaning that B and I couldn't carry it or move it in her Santa Fe. So, I decided to call Fast Traxx moving, as they advertise on CL all the time. The price was reasonable, and they were recommended by Angies' List - usually a decently safe bet. Plus, I didn't think that much could go wrong, as it's ONE piece of furniture. Boy was I wrong!

The movers arrived with the armoire, and eventually maneuvered it into the apartment. I noticed the doors were detached, but I figured that was just for the moving process. I asked them about the doors, and they then slyly stated, "oh, one of the doors fell off while we were moving it, but the sellers said it should pop right back in" or something similar. We then attached one door without any problems, but the other door wouldn't attach no matter what we tried. In fact, some random parts kept falling out of the hinges, which definitely seemed odd to me. I questioned the movers again, and they then said that the seller said this was normal and that I should call them for advice. Because I figured they were being truthful and that the seller would have advice for putting the door back on, I wrote them a check, with a decent tip, and sent them on their way. Big mistake (sidenote - I need to learn to not trust people so easily - it was probably obvious that they broke the door at this point, but I accempted their explanation - doh).

After the movers left, I called the seller, who almost laughed when I told her what they had said. She said that the idiots didn't tie the doors shut or take them off (even though both she and her boyfriend told them to do so) before they turned the armoire on its side and that as a result, the doors flew open and one fell off. I then closely examined the hinge and could see instantly that she was telling the truth - the hinges were REALLY bent and that's why the pieces were falling out. I immediately called the movers, who conveniently didn't pick up, and left a pretty forceful message stating that I didn't appreciate their lying to my face and that I expected them to return my check. I was upset that they broke the armoire, but I was more upset that they had lied to my face. Absolutely ridiculous.

Poor B and I then had to spend the rest of the day attempting to fix the door (as what good does a TV armoire do if the doors don't work - the whole point is to hide the TV!). After several trips to Home Depot and Rockler Woodworking, we couldn't find matching hinges, so we tried to jerry-rig a solution with smaller hinges and wood putty (parts that weren't exactly cheap). That didn't work, and poor B had to chisel out the wood putty before it completely set. After that failure, we gave up for the night, but I continued to scour the internet for matching hinges. I finally found something and emailed the local Rockler manager, who responded on Monday that he thought he could help us (PS - Rockler is a great store - very helpful personnel. I highly recommend it. They even gave us our money back for the wood putty and small hinges, as it was their recommendation.). B went over to Rockler later that week and voila, we had working hinges and a working door again. Nice!

Unfortunately, Fast Traxx's idiocy didn't end with the doors. As we set up our TV equipment, we also discovered that they managed to rip the particle board backing off the back of the armoire, and I think they damaged the drawer as well. Plus, the TV shelf wasn't as strong as it should have been. At this point, B and I didn't know what to do, as we had already spent more money than we had planned. We aren't very handy, and we had no idea how to fix a piece of furniture. We knew we could fix the molding and the particle board, but that was about it. Luckily, B had a moment of brilliance and decided to ask Gordy, her landlord, if he would look at it. He said sure, and after a couple of hours of his time, we have a functional armoire! He only charged us for the hardware, about $10. We keep pestering him to tell us what we owe him for his labor, but he just shrugs it off. What a great guy!

Anyway, while we are thrilled with the armoire now, the point of this entry is to tell folks to avoid Fast Traxx. I understand that furniture can be damaged during moves, but lying about what happened is COMPLETELY unacceptable. I was so angry that I actually decided to write an email demanding my money back, and I wrote it from my work account. I've never done that before - meaning that I've never used my position as an attorney to receive fair results, if writing an email can even be called that. I felt weird about it, but I'm not sure why, as I only asked for fairness. Even if I wasn't an attorney, I would have taken those jokers to small claims court, as they seriously damaged the furniture and then lied about their actions. And, who knows if they even noticed my signature - probably not. I need to get over feeling bad about demanding fairness, honesty, and good customer service. Seriously.

In Fast Traxx's defense, they did return the check after my emails. That was decent. Regardless, they still receive the idiot of the week award, and I definitely advise against using their services. Pay a little more for good, honest movers, and you won't have to spend money and a week repairing broken furniture! :)

A world without real journalism

Would be a scary world indeed, but it seems we are headed in that direction. As newspapers all over the country die a slow, painful death, I worry about what will become of us and our society. Who will do the investigative work that needs to be done? Who will ask the questions that need to be asked? Who will keep the government honest, or at least more honest? Really, these are important questions and the current answers scare the crap out of me. Clearly it won't be TV journalists, as tv news is already just fluff, and I don't think bloggers can answer the call either. Our government is proposing massive new powers in the wake of the recession, and yet barely anyone is asking any questions...I'm decently liberal, but I don't think the government should take on such powers without any checks. Basically, we need real journalism to question power and to at least attempt to keep it in check.

The younger generation might laugh at me, thinking I'm old fashioned and outdated. They may say, the internet will provide our news, via blogs, twitter and facebook. I'm sorry Gen Y, but those things just don't cut it. Very few of them are properly researched or fact checked, and very few have the resources to actually follow and report stories. Though we might not know it yet, I fear that the death of newspapers will leave a gaping hole to fill, and our current sources just won't fill the void. I can't see bloggers out there interviewing President Obama or Governor Pawlenty...blogs get their news from the AP or other newspapers. Where will the news come from when those papers no longer exist? We will live in a world where we won't know what's rumor and what's truth, and that sounds like a scary world to me. A REALLY scary world.

Despite my fears, I'm not sure there is anything to be done. It seems that newspapers are destined to die, and nothing as legitimate exists right now. Don't get me wrong - I like to read blogs and Twitter, but I don't see how they can actually deliver real, researched news like the current newspaper industry does now. It just doesn't seem possible. I can only hope that newspapers will evolve into something different yet still as effective...an online version perhaps. If not, I fear what will become of us...a nation of uninformed souls, all relying on different sources of information, most spewing rumors, gossip, and plain old mistruths (think Michele Bachmann for instance). I don't know how democracy, what little we have left anyway, can survive such a development. Scary to think about...scary indeed.

Travel dreams

I decided to copy my sister Samantha and post a travel map of the United States on which the states I've visited are highlighted. Like my sister, I seem to have a bias against the south. However, I also seem to have a bias against the mideast, the northwest, the middle states, and New England. In reality, I don't have a bias against New England, as I would love to spend more time there. Same goes for the northwest, minus Idaho. What does one do in Idaho? As for the mideast, I think Michigan would be fun and maybe some places in Ohio.

The middle two states of Kansas and Oklahoma? I honestly have no desire to visit either place. However, OK does host the women's college softball world series every year - that's at least something! I would love to go to Utah for the national parks (certainly not the politics though - do they even let gay people in?). The south would be interesting for the Civil War history, but the south actually scares me a bit - the bible belt doesn't seem to love the gays either. And of course I want to go to Hawaii...who doesn't?

Basically, this map has reminded me that I have tons more traveling to do! And that's just in the US! I've also included my global map below, and then the travel choices/dreams become simply endless. Return to France (anywhere, as I loved that country),visit Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece...you name it and I'm game. I would say Germany and Switzerland are my top two for now though.

And then there is the rest of the world - Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Canada...yep, that's right, I've never been to Canada! I definitely need to get up there, as Banff and the Canadian Rockies have been calling my name. Plus, I hear Montreal is like Europe without the jet lag. Can't beat that!

Obviously, I love to travel. Unfortunately, my time and resources are limited, just like everyone else. I do hope to make it to Europe with B relatively soon, as she's never been, and I think that would be awesome to do together. Hopefully some day soon. For now, at least a girl can look at her maps and remember the great trips already taken and also dream of the fabulous places she might go!



visited 28 states (56%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

40 in the blink of an eye

Lately it seems like my life is flying by right before my eyes. Somehow, it's already mid-March of 2009. 2009! Where did 2005 go? Or 1995 for that matter? Honestly, I sometimes feel like I'll wake up one day and I'll be 40 years old without knowing what happened. This makes me sad, as I don't want my life to go by without even knowing what I was doing - basically, without enjoying it.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure what I can do about it, as the reason my life seems to be flying by is normal life stuff - work, buying a house, etc. Instead, I think I need to figure out a way to slow down and enjoy the journey - enjoy the work, the home buying, the furniture shopping, etc. I don't want to wake up and be 40 or 50 and not have enjoyed that time. Life is too short to not live in the moment more - now I just need to figure out how to implement this change. That's always the key, isn't it? The doing is much harder than the thinking! Oh well, I have to start somewhere!

House hunt update

So, B and I put an offer in on a house in south Minneapolis (Standish-Ericsson neighborhood) and the sellers accepted it! Yay! The house also passed the inspection, though it does need a new water heater and a few other tweaks that we can do over time. Now all that is left is the appraisal and wrapping up the mortgage. Hopefully those will both go smoothly, as the closing is scheduled for April 30. We are very excited, and I think we would be heartbroken if we didn't get the house at this point. Here are some pics I took (I was in a hurry so I didn't get a chance to take pics of the backyard and garage). Hope you enjoy!

2009 MS Walk - I need your help!

Below is the letter I sent out asking for donations for the 2009 MS Walk. I sincerely hope you will consider supporting me for this year's walk, my 11th! The links to do so are in the letter below.

However, my sister Amanda, who actually has MS, is the co-captain of the Wildcat Walkers, a team of her fellow teachers, school administrators and staff, and students participating in the Fargo MS Walk. So, if you don't feel like supporting me, please consider supporting Amanda or her team by following the link above or below. If she doesn't inspire you, I'm not sure what will. Either way, the money goes to a great cause - perhaps you can split your annual donation between the two of us this year.

One more option (not a lesser one by any means): my sister Samantha is also walking this year, and clearly she is also worthy of your support. Contact her if you want to support her, or perhaps you can split your donation into thirds. Anyway, there you have it - you get to choose a Schmid girl or help all three! How can you possibly go wrong? :)

Know that if you do choose to support one or all of us, your support means the world to me, Amanda and our family, and every other person suffering from the devastating effects of MS. Thanks so much.

Finally, here's the letter I sent out (with my links):

Dear friends and family,

As some of you might know, my sister Amanda has multiple sclerosis (MS). Every year since her diagnosis in 1998, I have walked in the MS Walk, and this year's walk on May 3 will be my 11th walk! Please read below for more information on MS and the MS Society.

Last year, with your generosity, I was able to raise $2,000 and I would love to at least match that amount this year. So, I need your help! You can pledge me three different ways: 1) online (see the links below or go to http://www.nationalmssociety.org/MNM/home/ and click on E-pledge), 2) by check (to the MS Society), or 3) with cash. Please contact me directly if you want to send cash or a check and I will provide my address. I need to turn my pledges in the day of the Walk, so time is important. Also, your donation IS tax deductible, so please let me know if you need a receipt.

Every year I'm amazed by your generosity, and I'm deeply grateful for your support. Thanks so much!

Love,
Schmiddy

Information from the MS Society:

Multiple sclerosis stops people from moving. I want to make sure it doesn't. That's why I'm walking in Walk MS: Twin Cities Walk. I hope you will also make your mark against MS by supporting my fundraising efforts.Your tax-deductible gift keeps the National MS Society moving toward a world free of multiple sclerosis by funding cutting-edge research and supporting programs for people living with MS.

Movement is something many of us take for granted, but for people living with MS movement isn't a guarantee. Support me and together we'll move forward on behalf of those who may not be able to do so themselves. You can donate online by clicking on the link at the bottom of this message or by sending your gift to the address below.P.S. For more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from Walk MS are used or the other ways you can join the movement, please visit mssociety.org.

Click here to visit my personal page. If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/MNMWalkEvents?px=1885649&pg=personal&fr_id=9611&s_tafId=91510

Idiot of the Week (maybe even the year)

I was just reading a friend's blog and came across a mind boggling entry capturing her recent experience. To summarize, my friend wrote to state senator Paul Koering, the Republican who represents the Brainerd area. Despite his Republican status, Senator Koering is gay. However, he still plans to vote no on the recently introduced bill (S.F. 120) to legalize gay marriage in Minnesota. My friend wrote him a polite letter asking him to reconsider his position. In response, she received a poorly written, extremely rude letter from Senator Koering's legislative assistant, Ken Swecker. Seriously, read the letter. It's amazing that Mr. Swecker is still employed, and I say that as a former legislative assistant. My senator would have fired me on the spot if I had written and sent that letter out from his office (I think anyway - on the other hand, he used to tell the anti-gay folks where to go. It's different when he does it though). Not only is the letter incredibly rude, but it is also horribly written. Where did that guy go to school? Did he go to school? Yikes, Senator Koering - you have a stupid, uneducated loose cannon working for you. Beware.

I honestly think my jaw actually dropped while I read that letter. Who does Mr. Swecker think he is? He has no right to treat Minnesotans that way, even if they aren't Senator Koering's constituents. His job is to help Senator Koering represent his district, not to be a total asshole.

I do know what it's like to be bombarded with letters from non-constituents, and I understand how frustrating it can be. I worked for my senator for five sessions, and we received 100s if not 1,000s of such letters/calls each session. I also endured the anti-gay onslaught of 2004, when we received 1,000s of horrible, hateful letters and phone calls from people telling my senator to vote for the gay marriage ban (and saying many nasty things in the process). I literally received threats and was told I was going to hell on a regular basis (I actually saved copies of some of the letters if you don't believe me). I had to threaten to call security to protect my boss, and I fought tears on many days, as I read and listened to awful, ridiculous, hateful statements. Through all of that, I never once responded to those folks in a manner resembling Mr. Swecker's letter. Not even close. Did I want to? Absolutely. Was it the right thing to do? No. That wasn't my job. I represented my senator, and such a response would have embarrassed him. Also, while such a response might have felt terrific, it wouldn't have done any good, as arguing with folks filled with that much hatred rarely accomplishes anything; it's like arguing with rabid anti-choicers.

Mr. Swecker's response is even more ridiculous because I sincerely doubt that he is dealing with the level of hatred I endured. I cannot imagine that the pro-gay marriage crowd is telling Senator Koering that he is going to hell, and even if some of them are saying stupid things like that, I don't think most are (plus, I don't imagine that Senator Koering is receiving that many calls/letters, period). I'm sure most people are simply writing to ask him to reconsider his position, like my friend did. Regardless, no call or letter would justify Mr. Swecker's response. He has a right to hang up on rude callers, and he has a right to respond curtly to rude letters, but what he chose to do was absolutely ridiculous. Simply stated, there is no excuse for Mr. Swecker's behavior, and Senator Koering should be ashamed to employ him. Really, ashamed. I mean it. Mr. Swecker's letter is embarrassing, and it reflects poorly not only on him, but also on Senator Koering.

In good news, if Mr. Swecker ever wants to run for office, that letter will probably come back to haunt him. Perhaps not in that little Senate district, but it will elsewhere. Heck, in time, it might even hurt him up in Brainerd, as more and more people realize that bigotry is bigotry, regardless of who the victim is. I sure hope it bites him in the ass someday, sooner rather than later. For now, let's hope he is the laughing stock of all state senate employees - you can help with that. Spread the word - Ken Swecker is a bigoted idiot, and he wins Schmiddy's idiot of the week (if not the year) award. Also, feel free to call Senator Koering at his home to complain about Mr. Swecker's rude behavior - Senator Koering needs to know who works for him. Thanks.

House Hunt Update

So far, I'm finding house hunting to be incredibly frustrating. I feel like we've seen 100s of houses online, and out of those, maybe 25 are worth seeing. I do not understand what people are doing to their houses, honestly. Scary stuff out there. Plus, tons of houses we like are on short sale status, which makes everything way more complicated. In fact, we actually made an offer on a house, but it's on short sale status. This means that we may wait for months and months before we even hear from the bank that they've even looked at our offer. Also, it means there is very little room for negotiation, as we are dealing with the bank rather than the seller. Yikes! Clearly, B and I can't wait forever, as our leases end early this summer. So, while we wait for an answer (or mere acknowledgment) on that house, we must continue to shop.

Unfortunately, none of the other houses we find really compare to the one on which we made an offer. Most of the other houses are smaller or have major flaws (lack of bedrooms, need a ton of work, etc.). Plus, for some reason, our realtor doesn't always seem to listen to us. I feel like we've sent her tons of homes we want to see, yet we've barely seen any houses. And then yesterday, she told us we've now seen enough houses to know what we like. We've only seen 9 houses in person...pretty sure that's not enough. She also showed us homes that didn't meet some of our requirements...another odd move. Further, we've now sent her at least 2 homes that have sold before we even had a chance to see them. That's sort of frustrating, but I'm not sure how to push things along either. I think B is going to send her another list of houses with specific instructions to set up appointments for all of them. Hopefully that will work. We haven't even looked in SLP yet, which seems weird to me. Idk what to think about all that.

Ultimately, I think B and I are going to wind up compromising on a lot of things we want, which is sort of a bummer. I already feel like I've compromised a lot by giving up on Saint Paul (I really don't like Mpls all that much), and now I don't know if we will be able to afford a house that we like either. That's frustrating and hard.

Anyway, I don't know why I thought buying a house would be easier than this, but I was clearly wrong. It's tiring, consuming, and stressful. Plus, I keep worrying about the economy and whether I will be laid off. If that happens, we would be in major trouble. A tiny part of me thinks maybe it's better to just keep renting for a while until things settle down. However, the other part of me knows that we need a place to live whether I'm working or not. And we could always get a renter if I lost my job. Still scary, but I think we would manage. I just wish the house hunting and moving (and the recession) could be over now. A girl can dream, right? :)

Family Fun (or Insanity)

This weekend has been filled with family fun and craziness. By some odd stroke of fate, B's entire family and my entire family were all in town this weekend, so we were crazy busy. B's family arrived Friday night, so she and I headed over to my apartment in Saint Paul for the night. I can't remember the last time I had slept there, but I do know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE my bed. So much so that I actually miss my bed. B's bed just can't compare. I can't wait until we finally combine our households permanently, as I will get to sleep on my bed all the time (if B will let us).

Anyway, we woke up early on Saturday morning to go see a few houses in NE Mpls (none that we want to buy), and then it was off to Chaska to visit with my family. It was great to be there with both my sisters present - that doesn't happen often. I really miss both of them. I actually miss my parents too, as I don't see them all that often. Sad, since they only live 45 minutes away. I should work on that I guess, but life has been crazy.

After lunch and some time hanging out (and meeting my mom's new cat), we went back to Mpls to have dinner with B's family. We went to Taste of India, which I really love. After that, we went back to the Mpls apartment (where we normally live) and hung out for a bit. We left there by 9, and I think I was sound asleep by 11 pm (in my awesome bed!).

Sunday, we had to wake up relatively early again, this time for Charlie's birthday party. I wasn't sure I would make it, as I was feeling really sick this morning, but I sucked it up and got ready (it didn't seem right to blow off a three year old's birthday party). The party was quite fun, and I'm glad I went. Charlie loved the Little Einsteins card we gave him - maybe more than some of the presents he received! Good stuff.

After the party, B, her sister Rachel, and I headed back to Saint Paul. Rachel's flight home isn't until 10:30 or so. My sister Samantha also joined us at the apartment for an hour or so before she had to catch her flight back to Seattle. We all played a little guitar hero (Rachel had never played before - a GH virgin! who knew such folks still existed?), and then it was time for Samantha to head out. I was sad to see her go. I wish she hadn't moved, but there's not much I can do about that. It sucks that both of my sisters live out of town. :(

Right now, I'm trying to do a few loads of laundry (we have about 3 million after a weekend of visitors) and B and Rachel are sitting on the couch watching The Holiday. Actually, it seems that Rachel has fallen asleep, and now B just told me she is going to take a nap too. I'm incredibly exhausted (and slightly crabby too), and I should probably nap as well. Probably won't happen though, as I want to finish this laundry before we head out for another dinner. I might wind up skipping the dinner altogether, as it's going to be at Benihana and I've already had a disastrous WW day. Sigh. I thought I might lose this week, but today probably killed that dream. No self control at Charlie's bday party. Oh well. Tomorrow is a new day!

Anyway, despite the craziness, it was a good weekend. If only I could take tomorrow off to recover from it...alas, I have WAY too much to accomplish at work this week. Sleep when you're dead, right? :)

How can I be sick AGAIN?

I am sick. AGAIN. How is that possible? I was just super sick in January. Maybe I'm just doomed to be perpetually sick. At times, it feels like it. One of my law school classmates once asked me if I drank the cold virus for breakfast...perhaps I do somehow and don't even know it. It's not like I'm teaching kids, which explained the strep throat twice in two months my 2nd year of law school. And I don't see Charlie and Matt enough to blame it on them. All I can think of is stress and lack of sleep. Maybe that's it. Who knows? Regardless of cause, I just want to feel better ASAP. Though, figuring out the cause is probably important too, as I don't want to be sick every month. Anyone have any thoughts/advice?