Joe Ray Dee

Gainesville

... which has become unworkable again, at least as far as getting around goes. This is always the worst week of the year, when they're all back, but still bumbling around. I had to be out doing errands yesterday and today, and it was awful, especially today, when a 20 minute trip turned into 1:15. Couldn't make a left turn I needed, went miles out of the way and got stuck in an area with three schools in close proximity, all letting out, crossing guards, etc. And the errand was only semi-successful! Didn't help that tomorrow is the first football game of the year, and the streets are choked with invaders getting a head start on their tailgating festivities.

Had hoped to get some shopping done today, but just wasn't possible. Will set an alarm tomorrow (Saturday!) so I can get out and back in the morning. Game time is 6:00.

In a moment of madness a could of months ago, I sent for one of those "thank you gifts" from a credit card-- a hand-held Sudoku. Just wanted to see what it would be like. It arrived yesterday, and so far it's just been a pain. A difficult interface, clunky, noisy, and too big to be unobtrusive. After struggling with it off and on for a day or so, I finally managed to win a very simple game, but I wonder if it's worth the trouble.

Bill surprised me by popping home for lunch yesterday. It was nice that there was the left-over goulash for him to enjoy. Which reminds me, I used 8 ounces of Dreamfield elbow macaroni. It's perfect for dishes like this, as it tends toward al dente, so holds up very well to double cooking. I never got a chance to freeze any, as I finished the last of it today for lunch.

I've done pretty well with my FL this week-- got towels done yesterday, the bathrooms today. Got caught up with bills today (Bill brought home two weeks worth of mail yesterday from the P.O. box) which I'll mail tomorrow. I haven't done anything about meal planning for next week yet. I'm bored with Leanne, so I'll need to look at some cookbooks, which takes longer. And then there's the holiday-- my very last to be paid by the State of Florida. Nothing special planned, but at least it gives me some slack shopping/planning-wise.

This time next month, I'll be officially retired. And still a pile of paperwork to do, and people to talk to before that, and decisions to make before that, and some hard thinking to do before that. Too bad it's the hard one that comes first.

Mom, when you say you talked to "Chris," did you mean my brother? If so, what did he have to say? I ask because sometimes you mean the person who helps in the yard.

I'm back reading Strange/Norrell, and am now over half way through it. Such a peculiar book. So many long footnotes (and you have to read every one of them). And yet it remains delightful. How did she DO that?

Re the Saalfelden chronicles: You're to be commended on your struggles to learn how to save and backup your documents, Mom. I was learning the same lessons about that time, only on an IBM PC-- and I had people around me who knew something about it. Among the tons of paper I've recycled in the past few years were printout after printout of that "How to Search OCLC" program that got me tenure, (and a whole lot more). As if anyone was ever going to retype 50 pages of BASIC, should the worst case happen.

It's almost tomorrow... that's what they used to play as the last song at the JoRaDe dances at midnight. Time to stumble outside and hope someone has a ride home. Oh wait... it's just in the next room.