Diaries I Read:
Last night we had a thunderstorm. Yeah, I know. Weird. We never have thunderstorms, and this one seemed out of the blue. Anyway, I woke up around 1:00 or so to the sound of rolling thunder and thought I was dreaming. Then the lightening flashed, and then my dog was standing on my chest.
Poor Dixie was scared to death. I guess she�s never heard thunder before. Since thunderstorms are pretty unusual around here, and she�s only two, it�s not surprising this was her first storm. She was shaking and climbing all over us in bed, and we�d hold her and then when the next thunder rolled, she�d get up and pace around and then return to us, shaking. She was inconsolable.
Once I was awake, I had to get up and go to the bathroom. She followed me to the bathroom and jumped into my lap. Need I tell you how difficult it is to pee with a trembling dog in your lap? Let alone wipe?
The storm only lasted about 30 minutes, which was lucky for us or we wouldn�t have gotten any sleep with our traumatized dog in the bed.
But I�m still tired today. Not only because my sleep was interrupted, but I also seem to have developed a cold. Yesterday I thought it was allergies, but the fluids oozing from my head are too aggressive for allergies. You know how you feel when you�re about to sneeze and you get that little tingle in your nose and your eyes start watering? That�s how I�ve been for about 24 hours now. Eyes watering, nose dripping, right on the verge of a sneeze at all times. It�s very annoying. I�ve been working with my sunglasses on today because the bright lights seem to make everything worse. So I look like a freak. Oh well.
I got up at 5:30 today to run but ended up not going (even though I got dressed and everything) because I wasn�t feeling well and Mark never showed up. (See, I told you he was a slacker. 45 seconds my butt.) So I frosted cupcakes instead.
Cupcakes, you ask? Why, for Dixie�s birthday party, of course!
Yes, Dixie turned two last Thursday, and tonight is her birthday party with all the kids in the neighborhood. We�ll have cupcakes and punch and maybe a few beers. I got a Clifford the Big Red Dog pi�ata for the kids to beat on. The neighbors will come and the kids will run around and the parents will roll their eyes at the thought of celebrating a dog�s birthday and make comments about how I �really need to have children� and it will be a grand time. Maybe Dixie will even get some new toys out of the deal.
Here�s a random story that just popped into my mind. I think it�s pretty funny.
During my freshman year in college, I got this little pimple-like bump on my forehead, right along my hairline. It looked like a zit, but it wasn�t a zit. I picked at it a couple of times, and it would bleed and bleed and bleed. Then it would scab over and heal, but it wouldn�t go away. Eventually I�d pick at it again and it would bleed again and so on.
So one day I decided to go for a run, which was pretty unusual for me back then, but whatever, I went for a run. While running, a cop car passed me. I didn�t think anything of it, but then a few minutes later, it passed me again going the other direction.
I got to my turnaround point and headed back to the dorms, and when I got to the front gate, there was a cop there. By this point, I thought it was a little curious to see a cop three times in such a short time period. I passed him as I walked to the gate, and he looked at me funny and says, �Are you OK?�
I was like, �Yeah,� wondering what would cause him to ask such a question. I may have been a little out of breath and sweaty, but jeez, of course I was OK.
I slid my card and opened the gate and walked up to my dorm, leaving the cop standing there. When I got to my room, I went to use the bathroom and happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
To my horror, I saw that my entire face was COVERED IN BLOOD. Like I�d been beaten up or hit by a car or something. I must have rubbed that little scab on my forehead at some point during my run, and it bled and bled all over my face. I probably had assumed I was just sweating.
No wonder the cop had followed me home. Actually, I�m surprised he let me go without questioning me further.
Oh, and eventually that little pimple thing went away, never to return again.
Working at home - Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004
Toronto - Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004
On the way to Toronto... - Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2004
A Good Day - Monday, Nov. 08, 2004
Another letter - Thursday, Nov. 04, 2004