Weird weekend

Weather: 34 degrees (feels like 27); cloudy, gray and dank = kind of Seattle-y
Mood: OK
Listening to: the hum of the computer and my inner voice telling me to do dishes and clean up the house
Where am I? home

Saturday. What did I do on Saturday? Oh, yeah, went to an orientation meeting with Sparky for his trip this summer. We all learned about the geography, culture and history of England filtered through 11- and 12-year-old minds. We also learned how and what to pack. And we planned the bon voyage party. After the meeting, Sparky & I went and bought a birthday present for Jason (next door) and shower gifts (for Jenny's baby and my niece's wedding). Came home, unloaded the car and I left with The Beast to look at window blinds. That took 10 minutes because -- shock! -- they come to our house with everything and sort it all out here instead of us having to bring dimensions and color choices there. She's coming this afternoon.

Sunday. Baked all morning. Wrapped presents in between baking. Watched the rain turn to sleet. Drove to Jenny's shower, which was a real adventure involving traveling at extremely low rates of speed and passing multiple cars in snowbanks and ditches. Took me 2 hours to get there and less than 90 minutes to get home. The shower was fun: it was good to see her family again and meet some of her friends. And look at all the work she's done on her house!

Got home, ate pizza (of course) and watched the Tuttles build a bike, followed by "Mythbusters." Listened to the Beast snoring in the recliner from 7:00 on (see below). Put Sparky to bed. Took a bath. Went to bed.

What the Beast did this weekend: built a stud wall for one foundation wall in the basement, covered it with drywall up to above the pipe level, along with adding insulation below grade level, and framed in and built up the egress window opening. It looks like a room now! And his did the usual 7-8 loads of laundry for the week. He also turned off the furnace, so it was 62 degrees in the house when I got home yesterday.... (hiya Beastie--it all comes out here!) He shoveled the driveway before I left yesterday, and filled my car with windsheild fluid. Plus, he blew his nose and coughed. A lot.

What Sparky did, besides the meeting on Saturday: coughed. Well, actually, he barked. A lot. And blew his nose. A little. And took Nyquil. Which he, like his mother, hates.


I'm waiting for another shoe to drop. I feel like what a punch-drunk boxer must feel like: body blow after body blow, only for me there are no bruises or cuts, just a lot of angst. Yeah, so now I'm being a drama queen. Sue me.

My conscience is screaming at me to get to work cleaning the place up so the blind lady (hee hee hee) won't run away from our house in terror before she even looks at the windows. I'd like to take a nap. For about 2 months. I need a vacation.