(no subject)

I had a very strange dream last night, and I awoke from it breathing fast and filled with anger. Between the dream itself and the reflection it prompted, I lay awake for some time, feeling petty and foolish, unworthy and unhappy with myself.

Thank heavens for cats. All three of the boys were sleeping curled up against me. I had only to reach out to feel soft fur and hear happy purring. I felt better and slept.

(no subject)

Yay! One day might be an accident, two might be a coincidence, but three looks like the beginning of a habit...

5.6 miles this morning. I saw several cardinals (m&f), some little swift-y birds who seem to like the park at the other end of my ride, one or two other cyclists (including, I think, a former boss), and quite a few walkers.

There were also a couple of people in my local park who were very suspicious looking. One was sitting in an SUV when I got there, with the motor off, just sitting. He was still there when I got back, and he seemed to be taking notes and talking into a mike or an audio recorder. When I got back there was also a guy sitting at one of the park tables, drinking coffee and writing something. People sitting in the park in the morning is unusual for my park but not inherently unlikely. Sitting in the park in the morning when it's already in the high 80s or 90s is curious. Sitting in the park when it's that warm while wearing a jacket and tie is just not credible...

It may be the beginning of August and only halfway through summer, but autumn is coming. One of the smaller trees was dropping yellow leaves on the trail, and another smal one's leaves were turning red...

(no subject)

OK, I need to lose some weight. I'm working on the exercise front. And I've been doing better at resisting the call of the vending machine during the long afternoon hours and eating more fruits and vegetables. I need to cut back a lot more on fast food. Cook more and eat less heavily processed foods. And I'm going to stop doing sweets other than fruit (except for the tasty chocs that Mel and Chris brought me--those I'm going to hoard for special treats). And I'm going to stop drinking alcohol for a while; partly so as to drop the calories and partly because I like doing that every once in a while, just to make sure I can.

Edit: Thanks to all for the encouragement and suggestions! :-)

I am tired

I would go into all the things that are making me tired, or circumstances or people I am tired of, and why, but (a) that feels exhausting right now and (b) I would feel whiney, after which I would feel a need to justify/excuse myself, after which I would feel selfconscious and probably more than a little defensive. All without any input from anyone else. :-)

So I'll just content myself with saying that right now I feel utterly bone-weary, in need of some time to relax and recuperate without the twin demons of Many Things That Need To Be Done and Things That Are Important To Me That Aren't Happening looming over me like two great looming things.

Sorry for complaining. It's probably mostly from not sleeping well last night. But that's not really my fault because... hey, why am I explaining myself? I feel how I feel, dammit! And another thing... oh. Yeah, like I said...

"Our relations are much more important than potatoes"

French fries back on House menu

From the BBC

French fries are back on the menu in the US House of Representatives, three years after the name was ditched in favour of "freedom fries."
...
The switch to "freedom fries" was seen as reflecting the anti-French sentiment among some lawmakers who felt President Jacques Chirac betrayed the US by opposing its policy on Iraq.

The Senate cafeterias never changed their menus.

A spokeswoman for the French embassy asked about current French-US ties told the Washington Times that the two countries were working closely on the Middle East.

"Our relations are much more important than potatoes," she said.