10/01/01 11:13 PM

It's getting close to a late night here. I have no plans on staying up late, but with anything and everything lately, I probably will.

The past week has been kind of crazy. I turned 31 yesterday and didn't really have a party or anything. It wasn't the greatest of birthdays. Since my vacation (set for THIS WEEK) was indefinitely postponed, my mom stayed away on her vacation another day so I was home alone with my dad. It could have turned into the birthday from hell but a couple of phone calls from friends and blowing some money at walmart made the day feel a little better than it could have been.

1:49 PM on a Saturday Afternoon

Sitting at my computer desk, covered head to toe in old soda. I was dumb enough to take recycling over to the recycle place on one of the windiest days of the year. Not only did I find that nearly half of the cans of soda still contained soda, I also found that the wind was prone to shifting so that no matter what I did it would blow the horrible stuff in my face. I hate recycling.

Checking football scores now and then hopping in the shower. My second of the day if anyone is counting. When I got home I found the wood guy had visited, so I have this feeling that I'll be throwing wood down the hill in the morning so if I actually GO ON VACATION this week, my father won't be out there trying to throw it.

3:15 PM ET, 10/11/01

I'm writing from parts unknown on a working vacation. I love the term "working vacation." I go away for a week, I'm dumb enough not to take my vacation days (I didn't know when I was going so I couldn't take them), and I was also dumb enough to lug my PC with me in the car. So instead of going out all day, I'm spending the bare requirements on time on this computer doing actual work before getting out at night.

I have no techtv here, so it sucks big time. I'm hearing about things that are going on -- with the new ticker (more space for STOCKS???? what are they thinking???), and Laura Burstein's return for Friday chats (whoo hoo! now get Heather back too!), and I feel seriously out of the loop. If this site gets mentioned again this week, I'll miss it since I'm here vacationing and cranking out issues and trying to avoid real work.

2:02 PM ET 10/12/01

Blogging again before going out today. Not sure what's on the agenda but it's the last day of my vacation and I really don't want to be stuck in the room like yesterday when I worked a 14 hour day. Usual stuff, folks don't understand and like to bitch about things that they do wrong. Unfortunately, I'm the recipient of the complaint e-mail. 53 e-mails last night that I had to respond to and investigate and blah blah blah.

Today maid service again confused me. Tuesday I went out for a couple of hours and came back and they hadn't come yet. So I just got towels when they arrived. Wednesday I was away all afternoon so they did my room up. Yesterday I was working and I waited until they were going to be around before going out. Since I got mail bombed, I didn't go and I didn't hear a thing from maid service got a call from them at 4 PM wondering if I needed anything.

11:51 PM 10/14/01

It's funny sometimes how folks never amaze to amaze me. Every time I think I've seen something that's got to top the all-time list of stupidity, someone else comes along to top it. Let's just leave it as that I'm amazed and frightened by the world today.

I'm home. The house is filled with my sister and her family. They're leaving tomorrow. I will miss them more tomorrow than I did last night. Last night, I made the drive in 9 hours and 40 minutes or so. My travel planner said at least 10 hours and 40 minutes, so I'm happy that I beat the Microsoft travel planner by an hour or so.

9:52 AM 10/15/01

Opening eyes early this morning. Had to help load a truck. Finished, came in, sat down and ...

Oh dear god.

Remember when I said:

"It's funny sometimes how folks never amaze to amaze me. Every time I think I've seen something that's got to top the all-time list of stupidity, someone else comes along to top it. Let's just leave it as that I'm amazed and frightened by the world today."