I'm going to keep track of a week in my life, along with Ali Edwards. I have the best of intentions, and I've taken 2 pictures so far of today, Friday, September 26. Of course, it's already 3:45pm so you do realize, I hope, that I'll be scrounging around for the next 6 hours or so trying to find something to take a picture of that might illustrate "A Typical Friday in the Life of...Me!"

The first picture I took this morning was of my desk, complete with crap all over it, crap that should have been done earlier this week but was waiting patiently for Friday, after being passed over (and over) since Monday... The second picture was an attempt at (almost) art: my computer screen, set on Ali's page, along with my manila folder labeled "A Week in the Life of Me." How exciting, I know!

Yesterday I went to a meeting at W School, an orientation meeting for the volunteer work I'll be doing again this year, reading to first graders once every two weeks. My new partner showed up, a great start compared to last year's partner who showed up maybe 60% of the year, if I'm lucky (or if the kids were lucky!). I emailed her this morning to set up a meeting to coordinate our calendars, to see who'll start first, who can't read on which Tuesday, etc. I called her at 2:24, per her instructions, to tell her I was heading on down to the Coffee Bar for our meeting. I gave her the required 15 professorial minutes after 2:30 and she never showed.

Now, stuff happens, I know. But she hasn't called yet, or emailed, to say, "OMG! I forgot!" or "OMG! I was stuck in this meeting!" Nothing. Nada. Zip. Not a peep. I take it all back: we're not off to a good start... And it's 3:54pm...

My allergies are morphing into a cold. I'm congested, and everyone sounds like either they're under water, or I am! And I'm still coughing, suffering from a sinus headache brought on by the low barometric pressure, and I'm blowing my nose again, like a fiend! I hope I get better over the weekend, not worse - I really think there's something to that whole kids make you sick thing that teachers complain about... There's only one other explanation: my building is sick.

I started here in August 2004, and that was the first year I had a summer cold, right.when.I.started.this.new.job. And then a winter cold, in January. And one ever summer and winter since. So either it's 'cause I go to the elementary school to meet DH and I'm exposed to all those kiddie germs, or as my cubicle neighbor insists, our building is sick; the windows can't be opened, and "everyone's been sicker since they moved the business here to Ho----n."

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm getting older and my resistance is weaker...

Guess what I get to do this weekend? I get to balance J's checkbook! Go ahead, I hear you laughing! But you have no idea how much I love to do that!!! Watching all those numbers add up right... I should have been an accountant... (NOT! But I DO like balancing my checkbook!)

Okay, it's time to go and pretend to work for the last 1/2 hour, before I sign off and do something productive, like play Bejeweled 2...