I'm only doing this because I'm sick.

I don't know if it's the cedar in the air or what, but for the past 36 hours, I've been feeling progressively like a prominent member of the Undead Society. Coughing. Headache. Sneezing. Runny nose. Etc. Normally, "seasonal" and "environmental" allergies don't faze me. And this is saying something seeing as how I live in the Allergy Capital of the Freakin' World. (Does your local weather forecast include and "allergy forecast"? Because it does in Austin!) But maybe they ARE really getting to me for some reason. Or maybe I'm finally catching the bug that has been going around for about 6 weeks and has kicked the collective ASSES of friends, coworkers, and family around me. Who knows. Who cares. I just feel like hammered dogshit and want to feel better so BH and I can go out and have some fun tomorrow night. I mean, we have a babysitter, reservations, and everything!!

So in lieu of having the mental energy to create a REAL post, please entertain yourself with this video of one of my kittehs--Doug--playing fetch.


Enjoy!

Things that I am at this moment on 11/04 at 11:04pm:

• Tired
• Inspired
• Proud, once again, to be an American
• Witnessing history
• Moved
• Much happier than I was on this night four years ago
• A newlywed!! (photos and a wedding/honeymoon post to come)
• Pretty sure this dog snoring on the couch next to me has been spoiled rotten by her dog-sitter over the past few days
• Glad to be home
• Wishing I could've brought some of that beautiful autumn Santa Fe weather home with me

Quick post before I pass the Hell out.

I am a zombie. Not the brain-eating kind, but the kind that is braindead from lack of rest and too much work.

This week (which isn't even over yet) has kicked my old butt six ways from Sunday. For instance, I was supposed to go to yoga tonight (my last night of the beginner's series I've been taking all month) and then to the Justin Timberlake sing-a-long at The Alamo with a bunch of other cougars like myself. But what did I do instead? Came home and almost immediatley plugged in the laptop and started working. I broke to take a shower and put Geej to bed, but other than that, straight-up work. No yoga. No Justin. No energy and no fun whatsoever.

Here's why this evening devolved into a crapfest:

Today I drove myself and my team to a favorite restaurant on S. Lamar for my belated birthday lunch. About 500 yards before the entrance to the parking lot, my car suddenly felt like it had slammed into neutral and every light on the dashboard came on--including the "Service Engine Soon" light. Despite the fact that my car was, in fact, in "Drive," nothing happened when I pushed the accelerator--it was like it was not connected to the engine in any way. So I turned on my hazards and coasted into the parking lot and into a space. I turned the car off and crossed my fingers that if I let it "rest" while we ate lunch, that I would come out and everything would be fine. It wasn't. When I turned the key, the radio, lights, window, etc. all worked, but that was it. No engagement of the motor whatsoever. Just silence. So while my coworkers got on their cellphones and found a ride back to work, I got on mine and called Nissan Roadside Assistance. I just kept thanking my lucky stars that I'd had the sanity to purchase the extended warranty/service protection plan/roadside assistance package thing when I bought the car. Within about 45 mins., they had a tow truck there.

I then spent the longest 20 minutes of my life in the cab of the tow truck heading to the dealership. I got to listen to the tow dude tell me every possible function of his GPS system and what he and his girlfriend were going to be doing in San Antonio this weekend and about how much he hates grafitti and about how February's going to have a lot of Fridays in it and about how new cars are all "crap" and "tin cans" and that if he could he'd have a 70s muscle car with air brakes because they're the safest and how he doesn't believe in seatbelts. God, it was excruciating. Dropped the sick car at the dealership and then got a ride back to my house so I could get in BH's car (he was in Fredricksburg in his work truck) and get my ass back to work. So, basically, I had about 2 hours of my work day stolen from me by a seriously messed up car. (They called me this afternoon to say they have no idea what's wrong with it and are having to run "a lot of diagnostics" meaning that the labor alone on this thing is going to cost me an arm and a leg. Well, there goes my 1st quarter bonus I was so excited to learn about yesterday.)

I'm finally done with my work, and now I'm going to go collapse in the bed.

But before I go, here's a picture of me and The Geej at my birthday dinner last night:

Can't post. Too tired.

The full 20 year reunion recap post will come tomorrow.

For now, there's this:

BTW: The Pirates' undefeated season ended on Friday. The Henderson Lions whooped 'em.

Just a note to say...

...I'm alive, but this week is bustin' my balls.

Having to circle the wagons and deal with the fact that my small team is now down one person and we've got BIG deadlines and projects staring us in the face.

First day back to school with the Geej. She's in the "big kids class" now with one other three year old and the rest are four and five year olds. New teachers. New routines. No Daschel (he's there, and they get to see each other on the playground in the afternoon, but still). It's all a big adjustment.

The wandering Geej, who wakes me up 2 - 4 times a night for no reason whatsoever and then passionately promises me the next night when I'm putting her to bed that it won't happen again.

My hair's got 2 in. long roots.

My car's inspection sticker is about to expire AND it needs its 60k major bucks "tune up."

My neighbor to the back who shares a privacy fence with me, tore down about a 8 ft. section of it this week without even letting me know a) he was going to do it and b) when (or if) he plans on replacing it.

It's all taking its toll, people. I've got nothin' to give to you except for this:

Here he is sitting on my bathroom counter, purring his ass off and watching me get ready like he does every morning. Notice anything missing from this shot.?You know, like maybe his back feet?

Oh look, HERE they are! Hiding underneath this flap of pudge.

Notice, when I let the flap go, voila!

The feet are gone once more. Amazing.

Looks like Earl's got a serious case of "Dunlap Disease."

Dictionary definition of the term "Brain Dead."

Y'all, The Geej and I had a blast visiting Julie, Moon and their kiddos in Norman. Too much of a blast, I suspect. I am running on fumes, and my liver is hating me. And guess what? I GOT PICKED AT JURY DUTY TODAY! Ohmyfuckinggod, I have never, EVER been so damn bored in my life. My day went like this (now with bullets!!):
Get to the Municipal Courthouse by 8:30.

• Sit in "reception" room for about 45 minutes.
• Go into actual courtroom.
• Get asked questions by both attorneys.
• Get asked to go into the hallway and wait.
• Get called back into the courtroom.
• Watch 11 other people get released.
• 6 of us remain.
• The trial starts immediately.
• It's about this dude who lives on this 10 acre tract in an area called the "ETJ" (extra territorial jurisdiction) of the city of Austin. It's more or less a no-man's-land that's not considered within the city limits (and receives little or no city services), but is still beholden to the laws and ordinances of the city. Anyhoo, he was basically using his land for a purpose that was not sanctioned by the proper permitting, and had three charges pending against him. This particular case had been going on since 2002. I seriously wanted to kill myself after about an hour of listening to the minutiae of this stupid ass case.
• But no, it lasted until 5:00pm, when we were FINALLY charged and told to go figure out his guilt or innocence and his punishment if necessary.
• Our deliberation lasted about another 45 minutes.
• Ultimately, we all figured out that he's an idiot, but that doesn't excuse him from the letter of the law. He was guilty on all 3 counts and we levied a $750 for each charge (the maximum was $2000/per).
• Did I mention how fucking boring this shit was?
• And the prosecuting attorney was slimy and icky and I wanted to slap him.
• Aside from perhaps the Social Security office, the Municipal Court building may be one of the most depressing places on the face of the Earth.
• I hope it's another 20 years before I get called upon to do my civic duty.

I'm going to bed. Pictures and tales from Okra-homa tomorrow.

Zombie.

That's me. Zombified.

I'm coming off of a fabulous weekend spent with Mr. Wonderful. We had a great time just lounging, hanging out with The Geej, driving around in the Hill Country, stopping at weird shops, visiting with friends, eating sushi, reading, talking, making fun of Earl. It was hard to let him go back to Colorado today, but I predict this will be his last spring there. He's really starting to make things happen that will make his (and his family's) move down to Austin a reality. I'm almost breathless with excitement.

Last week was hellacious at work. Let me just put it this way: sometimes being the "boss" ain't fun. At all. And last week was one of those weeks. It was physically, mentally and emotionally draining. But Friday afternoon, my team and I took off, had a long lunch at Hula Hut and then went canoeing on Town Lake. We all needed it, and the weather was spectacular.

This week is going to be another nut buster. I've got assloads of work to do prepping for this huge conference my team is hosting next week. We've got about 60 people who will be attending, and all eyes will be on us to show that a) we're a different team than we were when we hosted the last conference of this type 2 years ago and b) that the current team leadership (i.e., yours truly) isn't as big of a nutcase as the last person who was leading the team. I'm more excited than anxious. I'll just be glad when it's all behind me and I'm sitting on a plane headed toward the beach. Which is happening. A week from this Thursday. If I don't die of chronic sleepiness syndrome (now, with extreme yawning!).

More as I muster up the energy and creative brainpower...

Photo Essay

If I weren't totally wiped out from the fact that this was my first day back in the office in a week and that I spent 4.5 hours of my day (3 at work, 1.5 on the phone while at home) discussing some effed up interpersonal B.S. going on between two members of my team so that I'm also emotionally drained, I'd write you up some witty, worthwhile post. But I just ain't got it in me. So, please enjoy the following random selection of photos and their accompanying brief, unimaginitive descriptions:

The Geej hosting a picnic at Dah's house. She served me tacos, a hot dog bun, mustard, milk, and picante sauce.

My mom's cat, Smokey Jo. She is a feral rescue, and is pretty skittish because of her sketchy past. She is spotted out in the open about as frequently as Big Foot, so it's pretty amazing that I was actually able to capture her image on camera.

An amazingly good piece of banana caramel pie I ate at a restaurant called--you guessed it--"Hank's" in Charleston.

A rooftop bar in Charleston where Jaye and I enjoyed many vodka tonics and mingled with the whitest white people in the world. Yes, we saw an old dude in a seersucker suit and another guy in lime green slacks. And I said "slacks" on purpose.

Me and Jaye on the rooftop bar at sunset.

The bridge that connects Charleston with Mount Pleasant. This was taken by Jaye who was copilot in my kick ass minivan rental. Ever heard of a Pontiac "Montana?" Yeah, me neither. What a piece of shit. It made the "Aztek" seem like an engineering marvel.

If you've ever done the South Carolina to North Carolina trek on I-95, then you know exactly what this is a picture of. If not, I pity you because it really is something to behold.

A lot of things about that drive made me feel like I was back in east Texas...like this lumber truck, for instance.

Storms a-brewin' as Jaye and I were flying back into Austin.

How 'bout a quickie?

I've got a jillion things to do before I leave for South Carolina in the morning, but I just realized that I hadn't posted in days and started feeling guilty, so here I am. Procrastinating. Like I always do.

Mom's back from Thailand. Seems like she had a good time although I think she and her sister were probably about ready to throttle each other by the time it was all said and done. I can't wait to hear all of her stories and see her photos (if she actually took any). All I've really learned thus far is that their hotel was awesome, they ate some amazing food, and that the Thai people are "the prettiest of the Orientals."

This weekend was weird. Geej and I went to mom's empty house Friday afternoon to spend the night, mostly for a change of scenery, but also to give her poor, lonely cat some company. Then, HOLY SLEET STORMS, it went nuts on Saturday and sleeted heavily on us the whole way home.

The Easter Bunny paid The Geej a visit and left a small basket of candy and a few little toys, and I quickly discovered that the girl goes totally OCD when it comes to candy. If I heard the word "candy" come out of her mouth once (as in, "Can I have some candy?" "Where's my candy?" "Can I look at my candy?" "Can I hold my candy?" "Hey--who moved my candy?"), I heard it 7 trillion times. I finally had to hide the damn basket from her and threaten her with throwing the whole haul away if I heard the "c" word one. more. time. I know, I'm a bitch, but really... She gets a couple of pieces a day, and that's plenty. But believe me, next year it's all about the toys--and maybe like one piece of candy.

I saw Willem Defoe at Whole Foods last Thursday. He was parked next to me, loading his car trunk with groceries. He's actually quite handsome in real life, even if he was sporting some bizarre mandals.

"Reno 911" and "The Sopranos" have returned. Thank you, Jesus.

My tax refund direct deposited in to my bank account on Friday. Thank you, Lord.

Mr. Wonderful booked a trip and is coming for a visit on the 20th. I'm so happy!!

Tomorrow night I'm having cocktails at the Charleston home of my ex-boss from my days in Chicago. And when I say "Charleston home", I mean in addition to her other homes. And by "homes" I mean mansions. As in across the street from (one of ) Ted Turner's home(s) and on the National Historic Register. I've been there before, and it's hands down, one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever been in. Built in the 1700s. Three stories. Lovingly restored. Tasteful, elegant (not pretentious) decor. Beautiful gardens. Blocks from the waterfront. Just breathtaking.

Okay, I'll try to blog from the road and take lots of photos. But I ain't makin' no promises.

Bed.

Now.

It's 9:08pm on a Friday night.

Yes, I'm that lame.

More when I'm less zombified.

Just plain stuff.

Don't you hate it when there's so much you want to blog about, and there's, literally, no gas left in your tank? My fingers are struggling to type this. (Where's home row? Why do I have to push so hard on these keys? Etc.) And yet...

My lunch with the Other Karla May (OKM) went very well. OKM is a few years older than I, very easy to chat with, a native Texan (although not a refugee from the Pine Curtain like I am), and into and/or directly involved in a lot of the things that intrigue me as well. Theater. Politics. Writing. Graphic design. Food. Organics. Ecological conservation. Music. Keeping Austin weird for real. I liked her a whole lot. I imagine the Karla May meetings will continue. Together, I can imagine we could be quite a force to be reckoned with.

Work is buzzing. There's so much going on. The days are flying by. I've barely had time to catch my breath this week. I love the energy at work right now. But I could also use a breather.

Speaking of, I'm on the verge of planning a trip to the beach with Dah, The Geej and myself. Anyone want to come? I'm thinking a long weekend in early May. Let me know. The more the merrier. Especially where toddlers are concerned.

My toddler proclaimed this evening that she's "two and a half" but that when she's three she wants a party with "ice cream, red icing and pancakes and gum" and that she would love "a tricycle and a hamster and a dog and a kitty." She also gave me her guest list, which included several cats and dogs she knows as well as a few characters from books we read. And Max and Ruby. She wants them there for sure.

I'm dying to hear from my accountant about what's up with my taxes. I know I'm not going to get a windfall like last year's refund, but I'm hoping for at least something. At the very least, I'm praying I don't have to pay. Fucking government with their unjust wars and whatnot. I don't feel like funding that shit any more than I have to.

Many, many other things are floating through my mind, my friends, but I'm way to wiped to share tonight.

Sweet dreams.

I have real excuses, I promise.

I haven't posted in a while not because I don't love you (you know I do), but because I have been even busier than normal, which until this week, I didn't think was possible. A brief update:

I've been having to prepare for/do the job reviews for the folks who work for me. It's my first time doing this, so I'm taking it very seriously.

I also had to have MY job review this past week (and do all the preparation therein) which, I'm happy to say, resulted in a raise. Huzzah!

We're hiring a new person on to our team, so I've been dealing with the resume influx, phone interviews, and rejections that are all a part of that. At first, we opened up internally only, and out of the 40k people who work for my company, we haven't found anyone who fits the bill yet. (Yes, we're that picky.) So as of Friday, it was opened up to the outside world, and the resumes are coming in fast and furious.

After a week of being away from the office (MLK Day + ICE STORM '07+ Trip to Colorado), I was playing major catch up this past week. And tomorrow (1/29) is my only day in the office THIS week b/c I'm going to a conference in Vegas from Tues. - Fri. I've got so much to do to get ready to head outta town, it's not funny.

Yesterday was my mom's birthday, and I did a lot to get ready for it--bought some KICK ASS gifts (really, I went all out. We didn't really do Christmas for each other this year, and she's done SO much for me, I figured she deserved it), secured a babysitter, and took her out to a very fancy restaurant last night. It was fun.

The Geej has been fighting a cold all week, coughing and producing buckets 'o snot. Today, the cold finally won, resulting in a 103.5 fever, and a very miserable little girl. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she bounces back before I have to leave town because I'll feel like the 2nd shittiest mom in the world (the 1st is Britney Spears) if I have to leave my sick child to go to freakin' Vegas.

She's doing great with the potty training, by the way (the Geej, not Britney). She had one accident this week at school, and she still wears pull-ups for nap and sleeping, but other than that, it's all big girl panties, all the time.

I pulled about 7 million pounds of weeds in my back yard yesterday and barely made a dent. Fucking weeds.

I have been CONSUMED with reading "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. It had been recommended to my by several friends, and I finally bought it when I was stuck in the Denver Airport. Oh my GOD, it's good. As soon as I finish it, I'm going to buy this guy's book "Issac's Storm" which came out a few years ago and which I understand is fantastic. His writing style and this genre (historical nonfiction) were made for me.

Tuesday also happens to be my birthday. Honestly, I could give a shit. I don't know why, but having 38 stare me in the face is not a great feeling. Oh well, hopefully I'll win some money at the craps tables and have a good meal in Sin City that night.

I haven't chewed gum in over 2 weeks, and my TMJ has gotten MUCH better. I crave gum like a junkie, but thus far, I've managed to resist falling off the wagon.

Blah, blah, blah.

So there you have it. My posts will most likely be sporadic this week what with the craziness and traveling and all. But I'll write when I can.

Damn, I'm tired.

Ya'll, I have a big post brewing about my trip to Colorado this weekend, but since I spent 6 hours in the Denver airport and just got home (it's 10:30pm), I'm going to have to save it for when I'm not completely brain dead and stinky.

But here's a teaser:

That was taken on the INTERSTATE people, while we were driving to the airport today. Holy crap, the snow.

More tomorrow.

It's 8:47...

...and I'm about to hit the hay. Yep, I'm that lame.

But I have an excuse. Really I do.

See, Sunday night/morning, The Geej woke me up at 4:14am coughing over the baby monitor. She coughed and coughed, and I finally got up and dosed her with some Tylenol Cough/Cold that primarily got in her hair and on her sheets because it was pitch black dark in her room. And I never went back to sleep.

Then last night, I didn't fall asleep until sometime after 12:30, then I woke up at 3:42 and, you guessed it, never went back to sleep until about 20 minutes before my alarm went off. Thanks hot flashes/night sweats!!

So by about 4:00 this afternoon, my arse was a-draggin' somethin' fierce.

Tomorrow I'm going to try and buy a Christmas tree with the hopes that the (promised) cold weather this weekend will shove me into the holiday spirit. Cuz right now this 82 degree shit isn't really making me think Santa Claus and stockings, you know?

Okay, off to brush the teeth and slide into bed. Nighty night, chilluns.

Too tired. Can't post.

Holy crap, today wore me out.

First of all, morning traffic. I kinda forgot how much it can suck. And with the rain? Extra crapalicioius.

Second, work. It was GREAT being back, but I've got SO much to catch up on. I feel like I'm the last guy leaving the starting line at the Boston Marathon. I'm never going to catch up. Ever.

Third, I got by on Advil only today. I was too scared to take the REAL painkillers (even though I sort of needed them during the afternoon) because I was afraid I'd fall asleep standing up like a horse.

Fourth, I spent the last hour at work on a conference call with a teammate and 2 attorneys going over each paragraph of a 22 page contract that we're hoping to enter with a new vendor. We only got to page 5. We resume at 9:30 tomorrow morning.

Fifth, I left at exactly 5pm and it took me 35 minutes to go 4.5 miles.

Sixth, it's 9:25 and The Geej is snoozing, I'm bathed and the house isn't totally filthy. So I'm going to bed.

Night night, peeps.

Helooooooooo Cleveland.

I'm not sure why I titled my post that, but I did, so deal.

This week has been so wildly busy, I don't even know what to think. Trips to the doctor. The Geej's new school. My first official full week as Team Leader. Meeting after meeting after meeting. Trying to work between meetings. Not accomplishing nearly as much as I need to.

Today I had no fewer than four people at work tell me I looked really tired. That's always comforting to hear...

And now, outta nowhere--Some Funny Photos!

I walked into The Geej's room the other night as we were preparing to get her butt in the bathtub, and this is what awaited me:

It's her favorite babydoll, Sally, stripped down and sitting on a little potty, right in the middle of the room. I think The Geej may be trying to tell me something...

And then tonight, while doing our pre-night night wind-down routine of watching about 10 minutes of the damn Teletubbies, this happened:

When I asked her what she was doing, she said--no shit--"Chillin." (She's heard me use that as in, "Let's just chill." But I wasn't prepared to hear it thrown back at me yet.)

Tomorrow I head to Colorado for a much-needed weekend with Mr. Wonderful. This time, we're hanging in his tiny town in the NE corner of the state. I'd tell you where it is, but you wouldn't be able to find it on a map. It's literally one square mile. The whole place, that is. I'm looking forward to seeing with my own eyes this Mayberry-esque place he's describe to me and sent photos of. Plus I'll get to hang with his boys again and get to know them better, which I'm excited about. I'm praying for cooler weather up there than what we've been having. And since the past couple of weeks have felt vaguely like the surface of the Sun here in Austin, I'm willing to bet it will be nicer up there, even if they're just as drought-ridden.

With my travels manana, I doubt you'll hear from me again until I return on Sunday evening. Be good, weiner schnitzels.

Life stuff. Love stuff. Etc.

Well, the job interview has been postponed. Until like August. It's a logistics thing (they're assembling a big ol' interview panel, and it's proving almost impossible to get everyone they want to be on it in the same room for a couple of hours during the month of July). So I guess I've got about another month of being in the unofficial Team Leader role. Sigh.

I've finally made the move to get that damn wiring done on my deck and to get my garage door opener fixed. It's only been broken for about 6 weeks. Damn, I'm lazy.

I've discovered that The Geej likes--no, LOVES--onions. Especially purple onions. I can use them to bribe her. "Baby, if you'll eat 2 more bites of peas, I'll give you some onion." It WORKS! She's so wonderfully odd.

Mr. Wonderful just booked a flight to come down here and visit the weekend of the 21st. Thank GOD!! I was on the beginning edge of spiraling into major withdrawal followed by a major depression. But now I have it written on my calendar IN INK that he's coming to see me. We're planning on spending most of the weekend in an amazing cabin on the river in the Hill Country. Heaven on Earth.

This weekend, I've GOT to start planning The Geej's 2-yr. old birthday party, which is going to be hard since I pretty much loathe children's birthday parties. I'm figuring: keep it small; only invite people with kids around Gracelyn's age (since I don't want to torture my friends without kids, and those of us with munchkins hardly ever get to see each other unless it's at these things); and basically turn on the sprinkler and fill up the baby pool and let the wee ones go nuts. There will be cupcakes and adult libations, of course. And I'm sure The Geej will dig it, even though she probably won't really "get it" that it's all for her.

I've got kitten fever. I know of several friends who've adopted kittens recently, and I'm just longing for the pitter patter of little paws around my house. I'm not going to do anything about this for now. But I'm not going to be able to resist the siren song of the kitten for much longer.

I'm really not watching T.V. anymore. It's weird. We watch about 15 mins. of the Teletubbies each night, and The Biscuit Brothers on the weekend, but that's kind of it. I mean, I haven't really even been watching The Daily Show lately. And yet I pay like a jillion dollars a month for digital cable, DVR, etc. I am very much looking forward to the return of Reno 911 this weekend. Praises be, I love that damn show.

The past two nights I've stayed up until past 1am talking on the phone. Night #1 was with my dear friend Lisa C. Night #2, it was with Mr. Wonderful. Both mornings after these marathon conversations, I had to get up at 5:50. You do the math. That ain't much time for shut eye. So here it is 8:35 pm, and I'm seriously wondering if I'm even going to make it to 9.

And finally, I'd like to thank Blue Bell creameries for ensuring that my ass will soon be expanding thanks to this: Chocolate Covered Strawberry ice cream. Good God. I haven't had it yet, but I will. Oh yes, I will.

What the HELL is wrong with me?!

Wait. Don't answer that.

But seriously, I don't think this is normal:
I've been super DUPER tired lately. Like NO energy, completely zombified. No matter how much sleep I do (or don't) get, I feel like I'm on the end of a 3-day cramming-for-finals bender. Not only am I physically exhausted, I'm mentally kaput as well.

Last night, I went to bed (and to sleep) at 9:40. Nine freakin' forty, people. And I slept well (thank you Ambien!!) and right up until my alarm went off at 5:51. But this afternoon, at about 2:30, I got so tired, I actually got nauseous. I had no choice: I went and got in the back seat of my car in the parking lot and slept for about 1/2 hour. I came back upstairs a bit better, but still subpar.

What the fuck is going on here? I am not used to feeling this wrung out ALL the time.

Right now it's 8:20. The baby's asleep, and I'm about to pick up after Hurricane Geej, turn on the dishwasher and get ready for bed. Hopefully, I'll be in dreamland by 9:15. When oh when did I turn into Estelle Getty?

So damn tired.

It's 9:35pm, and I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to make it to 10:00. I just put The Geej down...about an hour later than her normal bedtime. We had a big day.

And now I've got dishes to wash and laundry to fold and general straightening up to do, and all I want to do is collapse. Maybe it's the George Jones I'm listening to right now, or maybe it's the fact that I haven't gotten at least 6 hours of continual sleep in about 4 months, but I feel drugged and loopy. So, as soon as I have enough creative juices flowing through the old noggin, I will post something worth reading. But for now, nighty night.

Also, I wanted to show you what happens when you're 11 months old and you DON'T take a nap like you should.

It's dangerous stuff, skipping naps. Mind your mother, and go to bed.

Why is it...?

That when we grow beyond childhood, all we want to do is sleep--Nap. Zone. Chill.--but when you're a baby, and get terribly sleepy, you fight it with every inch of your being?

The Geej and I are having sleep issues. That's a polite way of saying that she goes as crazy as a shithouse rat when it's even suggested to her that maybe it's time to get in the crib. She gives me all the signs: sleepy, red eyes that she's rubbimg, pulling on on of her ears, playing with her hair, chewing on her pajama sleeve, gazing at me with a semi-stoned look on her face...but when you head toward her room and start trying to wind her down for bed, she goes totally insane. I mean, inconsolable, heaving sobs. It's horrible.

Last night, for instance, she was wiped. She'd had a full day with only one decent nap (we had visitors during nap time #2). She'd been great all day. So around 9pm, I'm getting all of her sleep signals, and so we start our bedtime ritual. Suffice it to say that she didn't go to sleep until 10:20--after much crying and rocking and comforting. I don't know who it wears out more--me or her. I'm hoping this is a temporary thing, and like the 3-day ear-piercing squeal-fest that we had while we were in Vlad, this too shall pass. But in the meantime, I am beginning to hate bedtime as much as she does.

Other than that, things are going okay in mommyland. Tomorrow, we're going on our first car excursion together. Nothing big--to the bank and to drop off some film, safe drive-thru errands--but I'm wondering how she's going to do. She's not crazy about being strapped in to anything--her high chair, stroller, her swing--so I'm sure this is going to be tricky. Wish me luck...