Pretty good so far. Despite yakking about on here a bit, I've been productive at work too in the last couple of hours. So, all in all, the month has started out well.

Wow, dg. I'd be a little crazy if I were you now.

My August feels pretty miserable, since I really, really hate the heat. I usually spend all of August sitting two inches in front of a fan with a glass of icewater and a book. I have some projects I want to work on that I probably won't get up enough energy to do anything with 'til I start feeling those first coolish breezes of September and get the sense that my favorite season is finally rolling around.

Two things I'm definitely looking foward to, though, are meeting Carmina, who is supposed to be here this week or next, I think, and my husband coming home for at least a week (he's working out of town) around mid-month.

Yeah, I am feeling a little crazy, actually. This road trip is in addition to my usual workload for the month and, as well as doing my own work, I have to continue to try and lead a work team by e-mail. It's a good challenge though and, for want of any other positives, an indication that my bosses are happy enough with my work to trust me with it, because it's a really important job that has to be done absolutely right or the shit will hit the fan for our whole unit in bucketloads. So, if the stress of it all doesn't kill me, it can only make my position at work stronger. Or something.

Hot. As. Shit.

Shockinly good, actually.
We're moving in less than two weeks, and the landlord was totally cool with me getting the keys Saturday so we can move in Sunday, which is a couple days early.
I'm so excited about this I could pass out.

Been chatting far too much with my "completely perfect except for that little thing about being seperated by a time zone and half of North America" guy. Which is most likely not the wisest idea. (In the words of my roommate "yeah, just keep digging that long distnace grave.")
But... him visiting was discussed with actual seriousness for the first time last night, so I'm kind of giddy about that.

I mis-balanced my checkbook and included my cell phone payment twice, so I have about $50 more than I thought.

I gave up on my "no shopping until we move!" plan and made dinner tomorrow. Cooking makes me happy. So I'm cooking again tonight.

And, although this will sound pathetic and shallow, I just bought a new skirt. I knew I'd lost a bit of weight so I grabbed my size and the one below to try on. After wearing the skirt all day it looks like I should have gone for two sizes smaller!
It doesn't make up for the fact that I was there to get new bras because my BC has made that size go up... again. And I can now shop at all of three or four places for them since most companies don't even think about my existance. Oh, and my doctor's pushing hardcore for me to "just give a reduction some thought."

Friend's birthday party tonight. Another friend's bachelor party on the 11th. Snakes On A Plane on the 18th. Weekend at a cottage with two of my best friends on the 25th through the 27th.

I told my agent to expect my new book sometime in the middle of this month, so somewhere amongst the partying and the snakes I suppose I better, you know, finish the dang thing.

Well, better than July, anyway. I got my cast off yesterday and have graduated to one of those cast/boot type things that are removable, so I can at last shower without wearing a trash bag on my right leg. It's nice to be able to stand on both feet again. Overall, though, I'm still going to be pretty limited for the next few weeks, so I'm pretty much writing August off, fun-wise.

Shockingly boring actually. I have only two things to look forward and oodles to dread.

Good things:
Camping with a heap of friends the weekend of the 18th.
Sciurus coming for a visit the weekend after.

Horrible things:
Conference about very boring things the weekend of the 11th.
Labwork.
Undergrads coming back.
There's more but I'm lazy.

I woke up at six A.M on August 1st to the shuddering realization that every day for the rest of my life is just going to be a dull variation of this one.

I've committed to an insane milestone schedule at work so I don't think my friends are going to remember who I am when it's all over and I'm back home in October. Hell, I think my roommates will forget who I am and just haul my crap down to the basement, confused as to who put it there in the first place, renting my room out to someone who might show up every now and a again.

Wow, there's a fair amount of good news here.

I'm experimenting with the thought of Hedonistic August -- that is, that I will plan to do pretty much nothing, outside of work, that I don't really want to do. This means freeing myself from a bunch of projects and demands that I tend to fill my time with, and experimenting with just being. Not self-improving, not achieving, just being.

Planning my vinho verde party will occupy much of my time the next couple weeks. Working on some songs and trying to hang out at the beach as much as possible. Going to go sailing tonight if the T-storms aren't too crazy. Looking forward to Beach House week in early Sept. with the extended family, and a friend's wedding after that, and more truly wonderful things in the fall.

And turning 37. THIRTY-SEVEN!? Heh. But, no, really, I'm very happy. That seems like such a good number. Good things will happen. The State of the Miko is excited.

Asheville!

Oh yeah, and I should put Snakes On A Plane on my calendar.

August will be good work-wise because I've just got a couple of big projects off the table, so I will have a little down time to really get stuck in to the labwork rather than grant and paper writing and other boring but necessary admin.

As well, we are off to Montreal this weekend to visit one of my best friends, and have visitors coming for the third weekend. Yay!

Things I need to address this month: I need to get the car situation taken care of. I have a car that has issues, fixable, but issues just the same. It needs to be smogged and registered by September. A friend of a friend "gave" me a car and said drive it around, have a mechanic look at it, and if you want it, make the guy an offer. So I need to both cars in the shop to find out if A. my car is worth fixing, and B. if this other car is worth buying. I paid my taxes with my credit card, so I need to get that balance WAY DOWN, because my student loans are looming over me.

Other than those things, August is shaping up well, at least 8 hours and 43 minutes into it.

It's starting well out with a facial and massage tonight, but then tomorrow I'm leaving Los Angeles and my (now-ex) boyfriend (which makes me appallingly sad) and flying to Chicago to help take care of my grandmother (who doesn't like me all that much). Priority 1 is getting internet set up at her house, followed by doing the grocery shopping, cooking, and laundry, with intermittent spurts of driving her places.

And making spreadsheets. That's August.

And then I don't know what happens after August.

Hey Fuzz...it's well to get that internet set up. Hang out here and we'll look after ya.

August is what you call "make or break" for me. I have three overdue papers I have to write; and if I don't, I don't graduate. Too bad I've got writer's block. But my lease is up Sept. 5th, so if I can't finish these papers and graduate, I won't have a job lined up, and won't be able to get an apartment. So I'm basically facing homelessness, whee!

You know what? Screw that. I think the negativity is a big thing driving my anxiety attacks.

I get to write three papers in exchange for a degree! How cool is that?!

Much better.

Thanks, Miko. I need all the bunny love I can get right now.

Yikes, Fuzzbabe, how'd I miss that comment? Hope everything's cool (if you see this) and remember, there's always Boston!

Spent the hottest day so far moving my mother's things from a second floor apartment into one of those "Pods" in anticipation for her move to just outside Seattle.
Found out at the beginning of my vacation that I'm being transferred to a different store twice the distance from home. (I don't really mind. I've been there before and still have many friends there)
My husband's vacation starts on Friday, and we're doing day trips, fishing, that sort of thing.
I can't wait until school starts, and the cooler breezes of fall. I adore the whole season from back to school through New Years.