July 29, 2013

An Open Letter to the Judge in Anytown, NC...

Dear Judge So-n-So:

I get it.  You are busy.  Apparently, there is all kinds of law-breaking going on in that teeny-tiny little town that you preside over.

I was a front-seat witness to it last week when I took a day off work to drive my son back up to Anytown, NC (his little college town) so that he could testify on his friend's behalf regarding the threatening text she received.

To discover that your courthouse only has one courtroom and, presumably only one judge, caught me off guard, I must admit.  Although your teeny-tiny town is just a wee bit smaller than ours, I guess I expected more.

At any rate, upon discovering this, I quickly surmised that you must be super-busy.

But even so, I have to question your methods.  You see, this was actually the second time this summer that my son has made the trip back to Anytown to testify.

The first time was back in May, about two weeks after school let out.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend because of work commitments - which distressed me to no end.  I'm sure you understand - your only child has to testify, in court, you kind of want to be there for him.

As you know, he never had to testify that day because the defendant didn't show up.  According to his attorney, he had high school exams.  So, apparently, he is an exemplary student but his character is questionable.

What thoroughly amazed me though was the fact that all you did was continue the case rather than handing down some sort of punishment like - oh, I don't know...contempt.  That's what I would have done.

But then, I'm not a judge am I?  Lucky for that kid and a few other people I can think of off the top of my head.

The new court date was set for last week.  In addition to taking a day off work, as I mentioned earlier, we had to be up and out of the house at an abnormally early hour.  But we did it.  My son because he has an outstanding moral character and me because I'm an exceptional mom (despite what you may have heard to the contrary).

As you know, the case once again did not take place.  As the exceptionally young prosecutor noted, this is a "really young" case (which in my mind translated to "You've only come to court twice - get used to it").

The reason this time?  Because the defense attorney was on "sanctioned leave."  Which we discovered meant that YOU okayed this leave.  Which is fine, really.  I mean everyone, even defense attorneys, sometimes need time off.

What wasn't fine was the fact that no one bothered to inform the rest of the participants in this case.  In fact, the victim received a call from the Sheriff's office reminding her to be in court that day.  We had to drive two hours just to get to court and the victim had a three hour drive.  Which meant that we all had a four hour and six hour round trip, respectively, for nothing as the case was once again continued to September.

I realize that in the grand scheme of things this is a small - maybe even paltry - case in your eyes.  It sure isn't murder, that's for sure.  But here's the deal - despite inconveniencing several people, allowing this kind of thing to happen over and over again, which according to the exceptionally young prosecutor's comment tells me is the case, all you are doing is delaying the inevitable AND adding to your already overflowing docket.

So here is where I want to give you just a little bit of friendly advice, Your Honor.  Deal with the cases as they come up.  I'm fairly certain that if you become the judge with that reputation this kind of thing can be prevented from happening over and over again - I'm sure you've heard of the "Rocket Docket"?  As you can imagine, there is no dilly-dallying in that courtroom.  And there wouldn't be any comments about "young cases" in your courtroom, which really would be a good thing.

Also, Your Honor, what kind of message are you sending to the youth that think they can hide behind a screen and threaten people?  In my mind, the message that you are sending is that while it isn't okay, per se, it's not too bad so go ahead and do what you will - because in this courtroom you can delay punishment indefinitely...and I'm sure that's NOT the message you intended to send.  At least, that's not the message *I* would want to send.

So, if it pleases the Court, can we safely assume that come September there will be a resolution to this case?  Because, between you and me, I know my son didn't sleep at all the night before the last two court dates.  And I can easily imagine that his friend didn't either.  And this next court date - well, to be honest, it falls right smack at the beginning of school and these kids really don't need to be missing classes and losing sleep right at the beginning of the year if we expect them to keep up their grades now can we?

Knowing what a busy person you are, I'll end this correspondence in the hopes that you take my advice in the spirit it was intended - to help you ease up your heavy workload.  I work with attorneys, I KNOW how exasperating they can be, but seriously, if you just wrap up the cases ASAP life will just be that much easier for you.

Sincerely yours,

July 28, 2013

Grouchy, grouchy, grouchy....

The title is the PERFECT description of The Boy (yes, he's been demoted to Boy status because of his attitude).

But yet, it also describes MY attitude of late to a tee (which would demote me from witch to....???).

The Boy had decided at some point late, late last night - or early, early this morning - that he needed to re-set his "sleep schedule" and decided to stay up and finally crash early tonight - thus insuring that he'd awake refreshed at a normal time (i.e., in the morning and not early afternoon) tomorrow when we have someone coming to work on the house and need a coherent individual to be available.

This experiment has been "trying" to say the least.  Remember when your toddler was late for his/her nap?  Now multiply that by about a million.

I, being the ever supportive mother that I am, have been attempting to keep him awake until it's a decent hour to go to sleep.

Do you think he has been appreciative of my efforts?  No.  He has not.

In fact, so far, he's been lucky that I haven't washed his mouth out with soap and beaten him soundly about the head and shoulders...

But the night is young...

July 18, 2013

Maybe I'm just being paranoid....but really, AT&T?!

As you may recall from my last post; things have been falling apart around here at an alarming rate.  In fact, Man-Child has just informed me that, in addition to everything else, that his iPod has died.  Which is, actually kind of amazing.  After he'd accidentally crushed it with a set of weights a few years ago and it miraculously survived, despite being severely dented, I figured it was indestructible.

Despite Hubby's distress over the state of the lawn - due to the incapacitated lawn mower - my biggest issue has been with the intermittent internet issues.

After replacing the phone jack, moving the router to another phone jack, replacing the ethernet cable and still having issues, I was convinced that the issue was the router.  I mean, honestly, what else could it be?  Particularly since the first guy I had talked to said that this issue was something in the house...and guess what? The router is inside the house!

So yesterday, I bit the bullet and called AT&T to order a new router.  And, once again, went through phone tree hell in order to speak to a human.  In all honesty, I actually went through phone tree hell TWICE, since the first time the said human hung up on me before I could even speak.

As you might imagine, I was NOT a happy camper.  But, to my credit, I did remain civil to the person who eventually picked up.  Although, the person in the cubicle next to me can probably attest to the fact that I most certainly was not civil throughout the automated part of the process that you must endure to get to the said human, which may have resulted in the automated system telling me that it didn't understand my response...more than once or twice.

*ahem*

Can someone explain to me why in God's name you have to enter your phone number no less than four times throughout the process?  This, for some reason, really pissed me off puzzled me.

At any rate, I finally got to speak to a human.  And, bless her, she seemed really nice.  She placed my order for the new $100 router - with next day delivery - immediately.  And as she was clicking the "order" button she said, "You know....it might not be your router but *insert tech talk here.*  Since you aren't at home right now, I can call you back tonight and we can try that."

I said, "Okay, let's do that.  Cancel the router and we'll see what happens."  And she said,

"Oh, it's too late, it's already ordered.  But, if we fix the problem tonight you can return the router at no charge and keep your ten year old router....if you trust it."  (Okay, that last part was implied....but still.)

I was like, fine - whatever.  She asked for the best number to call me at 7:00 pm last night - so I gave her my cell.  Now, at this point, AT&T has my home phone, my work phone and my cell phone.  This is an important detail to remember.

So I finished up the day and went home to wait for the call.  And while I was waiting, I played around on the internet - with nary a problem.  Not ONE glitch - despite the fact that for the last two weeks or so this thing was glitching out every five minutes - it was smooth sailing.

As you might have surmised, I never received a phone call either.

Until I got to work this morning and discovered that she HAD called....my work number.  AND kindly said she would call back (she never did) AND left a number for me to leave a message for her.  A number that didn't work.  Of course.

So this evening, when I came home, I grilled Man-Child about the internet today.  Apparently, it's been perfectly behaved all day.  Not one glitch.  Since I've been home it's been fine.

So here's the dilemma - and where my paranoia kicks in - was this all a plot from AT&T to get me to upgrade my ancient router?  Should I return the $100 brand spanking new one?  Or should I not trust the fact that we've had smooth sailing since the order was placed?  Was my ancient router even the problem?  Or did someone at AT&T go through the records and say, "Well, THIS customer has had her router for over ten years.  We need to do something about that!"

After the dealings I've had with AT&T in the past, coupled with the article I just read about (that, of course, I cannot find now - note to self: start emailing interesting links to yourself - but just Google "AT&T bad customer service" and see what pops up) makes me seriously think that when we move, I'm going to fire AT&T.

And, as I prepare to hit "publish," it should be noted that yes, indeed, we still haven't had an issue - even though it's still the old router.  Hmmmm......

July 15, 2013

I swear, it's one thing after another around here

I shouldn't even be typing this because it was my first day back to work after TWELVE days of being off - which means that I'm dead on my feet....but here I am.

The lawn mower crapped out before I went on vacation - apparently, it has rained non-stop here every single day that I was gone - and that's not even counting all the days of rain before I left.  According to the paper, we have had an unheard of 12.5 inches of rain since June 1st.  Which mean the yard is out of control.  Which, in turn, means that Hubby is slightly crabby every time he catches a glimpse of the yard, which, if you must now, is every time he looks out the window.

Also, before I went on vacation, the internet in this house started acting up.  I kept telling Hubby to turn the router off and then on; that would fix the problem.  Only it didn't.

So one afternoon I spent a delightful (not) twenty minutes on hold trying to reach someone at AT&T to help me fix the problem.  Eventually, I connected with a very nice (really) young man who did whatever it is he can do from his computer to determine that the problem wasn't with "the line" but that it was something inside the house (cue the scary music).

After a bit of troubleshooting, we discovered that the connection to the phone outlet was loose.  He informed me that since I have paid extra (so that explains why our phone bill is so high) I could opt to have a technician come and replace it for me for free.  Seeing as it was a Saturday and figuring I wouldn't get anyone out here until a Monday, at least, I determined that I could easily replace the phone outlet and we'd be good to go.  Easy-peasey.

Until I got home with the new phone outlet, unscrewed the old one and realized that "holy cow; there were wires behind that face plate!"

See?! Wires!!

Not only that, the color of the wires on the old outlet and the new outlet didn't match.  And, about that time, I began to realize that this would involve electricity.  So, wisely, I opted to wait until Hubby came home to deal with the whole switching the outlets thing.

Somehow, he knew how to figure out how the different color wires went and we were back in business.

Or so we thought.

Despite the new phone outlet that securely held in the router wires we continued to have issues; apparently the entire time I was gone.  Did someone think to call AT&T back to have someone come out?  No, someone did not.

So today, I went back to work - blissfully ignorant of the whole "we are still having problems with the internet issue" until I came home.  And the damn internet was out AGAIN!

In a fit of pique, I snatched - well, that's not quite accurate as it implies it was an easy process....actually what I did was disentangle all the router wires from the phone wires and whatever other wires and moved the router to a completely different outlet (yes, I may have been thinking that Hubby didn't connect the wires properly in the first place).

And everything was working fine.  And then, I started working on this post.  And all I wanted to do was embed that little picture up above.  And I got an error...the internet connection was lost.

And then I cursed, long and loudly.

So now, even though it seems like I currently have internet access, guess who will be calling AT&T tomorrow - and spending an ungodly amount of time on the phone trying to reach a human - to have someone come out a replace their crappy router?

And so, without further ado (i.e., before I lose the connectivity again) I suppose I should just forget about telling you about the faulty screen door on the back porch which is letting in random, unsuspecting birds who get trapped OR about the kitchen sink which, for some unknown reason, is leaking randomly OR about how Man-Child's car has started randomly spewing gallons of transmission fluid AND the window is permanently stuck in the down position - necessitating that he use plastic constantly to cover the window because of all the damn rain we've been having.....  No, I suppose now would be the time to hit publish.

All while repeating to myself - "tomorrow will be better."

July 14, 2013

Long Gone...a book review

I have spent the remainder of my vacation wrapped up in reading on the back porch.  No lie, I have finished at least four books since Thursday.

Of all the books I've read there is only one that is totally worthy of a mention - Long Gone by Alafair Burke.  I picked this book up this afternoon around 1:30 pm and have just put it down at 7:30-ish.

It was pretty much a read in one sitting kind of book - except I kept getting interrupted with necessary things like laundry....and other sundry domestic details.

Apparently, she has written other series-type books but this is her first stand-alone novel of suspense.  According to her website, she has a new book out - If You Were Here - that looks to be right up my alley.

But back to Long Gone - I loved it.

From the jacket flap...

"After a layoff and months of struggling, Alice Humphrey finally lands her dream job managing a new art gallery.....her friends think it sounds too good to be true.....Everything is perfect until the morning Alice arrives to find the gallery gone....and Drew Campbell's (the man who hired her) dead body of the floor...."

Needless to say she becomes the center of the investigation and you are pulled right in as she struggles to find the truth - and exonerate herself.

A few blurbs - from some of my favorite authors.....

"Alafair Burke understands the criminal mind.  Long Gone is both an education and an entertainment of the first order.  This is a very clever and very smart novel by a very clever and smart writer.  The dialogue crackles, the plot is intriguing, and the pacing is perfect."  Nelson DeMille

"Alafair Burke's first stand-alone is an absolutely riveting must-read - and the ending is a shocker you'll never see coming."  Lisa Scottoline

I've never read Alafair Burke before - but after this one, you can bet I will be on the lookout for more of her work.

If you are into suspense novels - buy this one, you won't be sorry.

July 13, 2013

We went to Myrtle Beach and all I got was a lousy sunburn and some wonderful memories

Considering how gray, gloomy and slightly chilly it's been since I got home - this hasn't been an easy post to write (i.e., it's hard to re-capture the balmy, carefree attitude with this weather).

I am exhausted.  But a good exhausted, you know?

Bright and early on Monday we headed for Myrtle Beach, SC.  I decided on Myrtle Beach simply because I knew, in the back of my mind, that Man-Child would crave more activity than sitting on the beach, drinking in the sun, listening to the waves and reading.  And I was right.

It quickly became apparent that he could only handle about two - maybe three - hours of this activity at a time before he became antsy.

It also became clear to me that I'm obviously not a "real" blogger as I didn't bring my camera or my phone to the beach.  A lot of people did.  They even had their fancy, giant cameras out there ready to catch every moment.  I couldn't bear to bring my electronics out simply because in my mind, sand + water + electronics = disaster.

The first view from our balcony

But the time spent on the beach did include us frolicking in the waves like children and it was good.  Had I the energy to spend more time in the waves he might have been inclined to hang out longer.

Sunrise on our first morning

I did re-discover that this boy likes to eat.  And he expects to eat THREE meals a day.  Does it matter that he had a GIGANTIC breakfast at 9:00 am?  No.  Around 1:00 pm he expected to be feed again.  And again in the evening.  I'm actually kind of surprised that I didn't gain at least ten pounds while we were gone.

I can only assume the reason I didn't gain ten pounds is because we did a lot of walking.  Guess what else I discovered?  If you go to Myrtle Beach and expect to do more than hang out on the beach - you need to stay in the north end of town or get a bus pass (which I didn't discover until the evening of our last night there) - otherwise you will be doing a LOT of walking (and, if you don't mind walking, be sure to bring something other than flip flops, says the woman who didn't) to get to all the activities; because for one, parking is precious even at the hotel lots, so once you find a good one you won't want to move the car and two, since parking is so precious the cost of parking near the activities is dear - very dear.  As in each parking lot we came across wanted $10 dollars a day.  And they didn't do hourly parking.  So, as I said, we walked a lot.

It also became abundantly clear in Man-Child's constant quest for food that a good majority of the restaurants in town were buffets.  Now, I don't have anything against buffets, but no matter how hungry I might be there is just no way that I can eat enough to justify the cost - nor would I want to have that ability.

We were able to suss out a few decent places sans the buffet that offered good food though.  Although, I have to say that MapQuest either hates us, or Myrtle Beach, because every time we tried to go anywhere using MapQuest we invariably got lost.  It was almost comical, if not slightly infuriating - particularly when Man-Child was snarling because he was so damn hungry....again.

We did play miniature golf - as expected.  What was unexpected was that we both played better than we did on past adventures.  What was even more unexpected was the 8 1/2 hole in ones that I racked up over two games.  Man-Child couldn't believe it and neither could I.  The 1/2 hole occurred because I was one stroke in and then Man-Child somehow knocked my ball into the hole.  A miracle, I tell you.  He couldn't have done that if he tried.

Trying mightily to intimidate me - he failed.

Despite us taking note on my miraculous hole in ones, we didn't keep score on the actual games.  We never have.  Simply because we are far too competitive and know that it's just better if we don't.

We went to Ripley's Aquarium, where we were just in time to watch some folks swim with the manta rays.


See their legs?  They were just getting started.

Although they are amazing, I wouldn't have the courage to
swim with them....if I knew how to swim, that is.

We also saw sharks...

The sheer size of them - and their teeth - was fascinating.
Not so fun - listening to the moving sidewalk creak and groan as we
were underneath the tunnel of water....filled with sharks.  It was
slightly unnerving, if the truth be told.
We saw a bunch of other things too, but I was utterly fascinated by all the color that goes on in the deep.

Who would think that such beauty lies beneath the surface of the ocean?

In addition to other things - besides eating constantly - we also went to the Family Kingdom, which is billed as Myrtle Beach's only seaside amusement park - which is true.  Although my boy doesn't "do" many rides, I was able to coerce him into a couple.  For the most part he enjoyed them - but the Ferris Wheel did him in.  Apparently, the constant stopping and starting, coupled with the height and the lack of seat belts or lap bars was too much for him. He was positively green by the time we got off.  Luckily, I had asked a little guy to join us - he was too young to ride alone and if he didn't ride with us he wouldn't have been able to ride at all, since his mother had no desire to ride.  The little guy kept Man-Child grounded but he was disappointed that the ride didn't "go faster" - which Man-Child couldn't decide was a good or bad thing - faster meant the ride was over quicker; but faster also meant zipping around in the sky.

At the beginning of our trip, I was worried that our trip wasn't going to be long enough, but by Wednesday night we were both ready to just come home.

Also, on Wednesday night, we were treated to an impromptu fireworks show - which I attempted to catch via my cellphone.  I probably took about fifteen shots, and this is pretty much the only one worth sharing.  As Man-Child so astutely pointed out - after the fact, thankyouverymuch - I should have used the video feature.  But I never even thought of that, of course.

The fact that I caught this was pure luck.
The entire time we were gone, not once did I bother with straightening my hair or with any makeup, other than lipstick (gotta have some color, doncha know?) and it was extremely liberating.  In fact, on our last night at dinner our waitress commented how much she loved my hair (which in my mind, was out of control curly and poufy with the humidity) - which meant that she got an extra big tip - simply because she was so kind.

While we were basking in the sun at the beach, rain and storms apparently pounded our house.  And, of course, we lost another television.  Once again, I am convinced that we somehow entice lightening to our electronics as I swear, this must be the third or fourth piece of equipment we've lost in the past two years.

As it was our main television, Hubby took it upon himself to buy a new one and, while he was at it, decided to sign us up for NetFlix.  The amazing part?  He actually figured out how to set it up all by himself.  I was beyond shocked.

He and Man-Child have been watching television like it was a new invention ever since we got home.  I have yet to fall prey to its charms.

Mainly, I've been reading and, simultaneously sulking, because the weather has been so nasty ever since we crossed back into North Carolina on Thursday evening.

Despite our best efforts with the sunscreen - we both came home just a tiny bit burned and utterly exhausted. Maybe next time we can actually convince Grumpy (aka Hubby) to come along to join in the fun.

So, as we sit here with peeling noses, we are already making plans for another trip sometime in the future (and I just might be plotting a solo adventure to a quieter spot sometime soon).

In the end, despite the burns, the lost ramblings, and the multitude of food, more memories were made, much laughter was shared and a good time was had by all...I'm ready to do it all again.

July 7, 2013

Packed (almost) and ready to go....

Minus the few last minute details, I'm all packed up and ready for my few days away.

Not much has been going on since my last post as I've still been in recovery mode from whatever nasty germ felled me two Thursdays ago.  If I didn't know better I would claim that it had been the flu - it was that bad and recovery has been slow.  Today was the first day that I didn't have to stop and rest after any major activity nor did I need any medication other than the usual allergy doses.  But the nasty cough is still here - though fading - and I'm hoping that spending time in the sun while lazing on the beach takes care of that in quick order.

Speaking of lazing on the beach, Man-Child looked at my bathing suit and cried, "People are going to be oogling my mother!  You should have bought something that covered you from neck to ankle!"  I had to laugh.  I informed him that oogling wasn't a word, that maybe the word he was searching for was "ogling" and that, if anything, people would most likely take one glimpse, slap their hands over their face and scream "My eyes! My eyes!"  He didn't buy it.

We head out tomorrow morning - semi-bright and early.  I had planned on leaving pretty early, but when I went back and looked at the reservation confirmation I realized that check in isn't until 4:00 pm!  So now I figure if we leave semi-early, we will roll into town in time for a late lunch and do some sightseeing until it's time to check in.

Man-Child has informed me that he plans to sleep in the car for the entire 4 1/2 hour drive - somehow I believe him.  He has also informed me that we are to play miniature golf every single night - like we used to when he was smaller and we went on our little trips.  This made me smile.  It tells me that he has very fond memories of his childhood and wants to keep as many of the "traditions" alive as possible.

I will most likely bring my little computer with me and will try to check in when possible.  But odds are good that there won't be much screen time.  And I can almost guarantee that pictures, if any, will be posted via Twitter - so if you aren't on Twitter and have no immediate plans to join then you will have to wait for any updates until I get home.

Have a wonderful week and I'll "see" you all soon; hopefully minus the cough and with a nice, healthy "glow!"

July 3, 2013

Stretching my comfort zone....

He must have got to me while I was still ill.  Or he just went around me somehow.  I don't know.

But, apparently, we are going to a July 4th "thing" tomorrow.  Which might, in itself - despite my recent hermit-like tendencies - be okay.  But no, we are a going to a "thing" with people I barely know!

Okay, technically, they are parents we knew from football.  And school...as in people we knew by sight; almost by name but not people we KNEW.  They aren't people we've socialized with before.  Oh, sure, our kids are great friends and hang out often.  But it isn't like they are still in school together - or playing football.  In fact, we haven't even laid eyes on these people since graduation over a year ago!

And, as we all know, I'm not exactly a social butterfly when it comes to meeting new people and dealing with new situations.

Yesterday, I asked Hubby if he knew anything about it.  He said, "Oh yeah, it ought to be great!  I thought you knew and were okay with it?"  Well, what could I say after that - "no, I'm terrified; you KNOW how I am in these kinds of situations"?

Today I asked Man-Child what time we should be there and what we should bring.  The response?  "Oh...is that tomorrow?"    *sigh*

Eventually he came back with "Five-ish and either an appetizer or a side."  A side?  A side to what?!  I can only assume hot dogs and hamburgers - the usual 4th of July fare.  But for how many?!  None of this is very exact, now is it?

And then there is the question of who will be in attendance?  Will it just be these people, that we barely know?  Or will there be other school/football parents there?  Or these people's friends, whom we surely don't know at all?

I am sure I am getting myself all worked up over nothing; but until it is over, done and behind me I know I will be fretting about it endlessly.

But I also know that, of late, I've been feeling rather lonely.  After the last two years, I've come to realize a few things about some of our friends - some can definitely be described as "fair weather," some are of the "out of sight; out of mind" types and others - well, they either have VERY small children which keep them totally occupied OR they have very LARGE issues of their own.  Which has left us pretty much on our own.

I have been, secretly, puzzling about how to go about making new friends - when you no longer have the commonality of having children in school (or real neighbors, for that matter.  You know, for this reason alone, I would definitely look forward to moving).  And then, lo and behold, here I have been presented with an opportunity - on a platter, as it were.  So, despite my innate shyness, I'm going in.

Wish me luck.

July 2, 2013

...and then my body said, "I quit!" and other random nonsense

Hi there!  Yes, I know, I know.  You've probably all thought I've fallen off the face of the earth - if you've noticed at all - but I haven't.

I'd tell you I've been busy, busy, busy but if I told you that I'd be lying.  So instead I'll tell you the truth.

Absolutely nothing has been going on.  At all.

Well, except for a few things.  I ended up staying up late to watch the pilot of Under the Dome - and I have to say, for someone who was so ridiculously excited about the show, I was a bit disappointed.  Maybe because I was too exhausted to appreciate it or maybe because I'd just finished re-reading the book and kept exclaiming over and over (much to Man-Child's chagrin) "THAT didn't happen!" or "THAT isn't right!" throughout the show.

The decision as to whether or not I'd stay up last night to see the next installment was taken squarely out of my hands though - as last Thursday my body decided that it had had enough of being "healthy" and decided to lay me out...cold. 

At first I thought, "Ehhh, it's a cold - no biggie."  I figured I'd just power through it and life would be fine.  Apparently the body had other ideas.  By Friday afternoon it was quite apparent that my body had decided enough was enough and it was going on strike.  How I made it through that day I don't know.  I came home took enough cold medicine to put down an elephant and went to bed.

On Saturday morning, after a long, semi-restful night I woke with determination - I had things to do!  I'd FINALLY found a place that - cross your fingers - doesn't come with bedbugs and scurvy for our trip to the beach next week, so I needed to find *EEEK* a bathing suit and some other essentials.

Fueled with coffee and cold meds, I made my way out to the car - figuring a quick trip to Target and all would be taken care of - only to discover that I needed gas before I could go anywhere.  So I pointed the car to the nearest gas station - pumped a tankful of gas and realized that I was utterly exhausted and couldn't go any further.  I turned the car around and headed back to the house.  Where I then fell back into bed and proceeded to cry every time I woke up because I was so achy and blech-feeling.  I pretty much slept for most of Saturday - this from the woman who cannot cat-nap during the day, even to save her very soul.  Needless to say between the unexpected sleeping and the crying the guys were getting worried.

On Sunday, I was feeling a little better and actually made it to Target - where I bought the bottom half of a suit (which is usually the hardest half, since my thighs and I have serious issues, but for some strange reason turned out to be the easiest part this time around) and went back home to rest.

Later in the day I made Man-Child venture out with me to a different Target to find the top (hey, I was on a mission - albeit a mission in spurts) half - which wasn't available in my size at the first Target.  

Now, riddle me this - I found two tops.  In one style I needed at medium, in the other an extra-large.  How does that even begin to make sense?

At any rate, I found the top I wanted and went back home - to rest some more.  Whatever this bug was, it was seriously kicking my butt.

And guess what I discovered?  If you go to buy a bathing suit when you are sick and semi-feverish - you really don't give a damn what the suit looks like once you've cobbled it together; you are just glad it's done.  Now, whether or not that feeling will change once I get to the beach and put the said suit on is a different story - but at this point I don't care - it will just have to work.  And well, if we are being honest, who am I trying to impress anyway?  That's right - no one.  So it just doesn't matter.

At any rate, as of this posting I am still not completely well - BUT I am no longer crying whenever I wake up and discover that I'm still alive, so I'm counting that as "progress."

As for the next installment of Under the Dome that I missed (and, most likely any future installments), my dear friend, Cora, pointed me in the right direction so I could watch via the Internet.  Guess what I'll be doing tonight?  Just me, the Internet, some popcorn and NyQuil - who could ask for anything better?