1. I have a terrible, awful, no-good, very bad cold. My throat, in particular, is killing me. I'm wincing over breakfast as I type this.

2. Tomorrow I'm supposed to drive 650 miles as the first leg of my trip to Florida. The "check engine" light on my car has been coming on, but the car guy didn't have the right part yesterday so he reset it and "thinks" it will be okay for my trip.

3. I don't know what I'm going to do about this situation -- I can't delay the trip because Auto Train tickets are involved, and I'm afraid if I go to the doctor for something stronger than cold meds he'll give me stuff that doesn't allow me to drive.

Senyar - safe travels!

Janetland, couldn't you go to the doctor, and if you get the medicine, take it when you're not driving/once that is done? Or are you driving the whole trip? I always dose with zinc and hot tea, but it sounds like you may be past that point? I hope you feel better soon.

1. Mr. Needlegrrl is home, after being away for almost a week for two business trips. (which, although I missed him, I scheduled a bunch of stuff - hair cut, massage, dinner with friend, and housecleaning!)

2. I am in complete denial about what part of the year it is - my December is going to be absolutely insane at work, and it's really close. eep.

3. We finalized our holiday card design last night, and need to order it soon - the pugs are dressed up again! This year is even better than last year!

My parents drove me to college, from Tampa, FL to north of Boston, MA and the "Check Engine" light was on the whole damn time. Came in as we pulled out of the driveway! No problems on the way there or back.

1. Waiting for Senyar to arrive! (I see her plane left late)

2. Getting my hair cut and colored today. Yay! As usual, in the last week I have had a lot of compliments on my hair. What's with that? The highlights are all growing out and it looks scraggly.

3. I have an enforced two days off work while the database I work on gets updated. Lots of things to do, though -- my to-do list is 27 items long.

1. Submitted my resume to a recruiter from a local start-up who's been pestering me for it for a few weeks. I like the company (who some of you have probably heard of) but I'm a little confused about which job I'm actually applying for since it's not posted yet.

Not sure if I'm ready for work yet although I'm getting better (see #2) but I'm getting pretty antsy not working.

2. Been going to physical therapy for a week for my lower back and it's really been helping (even if it seems like she's trying to rip my leg off at times).

3. Wife is off in California (for a corporate retreat in Napa!) so it's just me and the cats for the week.

1. Going to a Jake Shimabukuro concert tonight. Last Wednesday was Justin Timberlake, so I expect this to be somewhat less intense. I am really looking forward to it! It's an early Christmas gift from a friend who has planned this as a girl's night out, so it should be lots of fun.

2. The son of a close friend just successfully completed a bone marrow transplant and came home from the hospital yesterday, HOORAY! I am going to see them in a few minutes. I am grateful that he is home and my friend can sleep in her own bed again.

3. This weekend I will decorate for the holidays, despite the fact that convention dictates I wait until after Thanksgiving. SCREW CONVENTION. I want to listen to Christmas carols and bake motherfucking Christmas cookies now.

Check engine lights are so awful. I think there should be 2 of them, one for 'this is about to be catastropic' and 'naw, we're cool'. Mine has been on for...over a year at this point and since I know that it's not something that's a big deal (it's a goddamn O2 sensor that happens to be a in a bitch of a location, which is why it hasn't been fixed), I don't even bother worrying about it.

1. I need to obtain holiday cards ASAP. Last year I ordered an assortment from Zazzle, which was pretty nice, so I think I'll do that again this year. Not sure when I'll have the fundage to do that, but hopefully soon.

2. I am so ready for a break. The majority of my dance stuff goes on vacation for December, so I just have to make it through this week and next and then I'm free(er)! Of course, December will the month of SEW ALL THE THINGS since I have to finish my new silver cabaret bra ASAP and put pockets in my coverup. (I've been fussing about not having pockets in the damned thing for months, so I need to just bite the bullet and put some damned pockets in.)

3. I forgot to tell my coworker that some requests were unstuck this morning before the UPS guys got here and so now those books will have to wait until tomorrow to go out. Oops.

msali - I think we're pulling out holiday decorations this weekend and decorating, too. Thanksgiving is so late this year, I'm using that as my excuse. :)

1. Friend coming to visit tonight from SF, must clean apt. Looking forward to seeing him. Tonight we are just his hotel as we each have other obligations but tomorrow we are hanging out, AND we are meeting our other friend in the trio's new bf, which is incredibly exciting and I hope I like him.
2. Treated deck tiles with waterproofing stuff so hopefully they will make it through the winter. But that meant bringing all the outdoor stuff inside and now the apt has stacks of chairs everywhere. Just in time for guests! Great thinking, me.
3. I started taking a beginners wheel pottery class and I like it. I made something almost worth keeping this week! My teacher says right now it is all about practicing, but it would be nice to make something and have an end product to show for all this practice.

1. I have been in seasonal denial since before Halloween. Besides begrudgingly turning up the heat a few notches and forcing myself to use moisturizer, I've been blocking out people's weird conventions. And yet I really dig it when people put real effort into things. Wear costumes, make food. I want to see a Thankshaunnakkah like nobody's business. Candelabras and latkes! Gravy that lasts for eight days!

2. I need to study my dash lights. Every time one has come on I sweat it like there's a countdown clock, but, you know, the axle never completely breaks until I get off the highway and in a handy parking spot. That actually had nothing to do with me, my vehicle, or working dash lights, but it's true. It's really quite a horrifying story, piece by piece.

Come to think of it, I don't even know for sure if my car will start right now as the trunk latch is insecure and apparently popped a few days ago and was open all day as I slept. If there's a working light back there, I haven't seen it, but there's every possibility my battery could be dead. Once it stopped flying open while I was driving, I thought it was okay. I've had it just over a year and I really know nothing about this thing besides basic make and model. I bet there are fewer dash lights that do not signify imminent destruction.

Scraggly could be "beachy." Growing out could be "ombré."

3. I should really go mail things. But, man, the post has been a bitch and a half for a bit.

I stocked up on Hanukkah cards amongst others and they just aren't making it for this year. Except I did have a huge assortment of corporate holiday cards I customized and used as stationery for a few years. And then there are those other... things...

People may be getting some odd crap in the mail. That's all I'm saying.

1. My back is finally feeling better today. I think the yoga, running, stretching, self massage and heating pad treatment I've been giving it may be working. I hate it when it acts up.

2. We are driving to my husband's relatives for T day, likely at the usual crawl in heavy traffic. I am trying to figure out how I can persuade my husband to let me bring our dog so I can sneak out and take him for walks. I find my smile gets glued on after awhile at these events.

3. The wireless at work is totally unreliable as it has been for YEARS now and I am totally, totally fed up. I am thinking of installing my own, seriously.

1. Going here this weekend. An incredible place to stay, plus 2 good meals to boot!

2. Celebrating Thanksgiving on the Saturday after - going up to Daughter's and she is cooking us dinner! We are very excited.

3. Doing winterizing stuff around the house and yard. It is almost noon and still in the 30's here. Ugh.

1. So so looking forward to next week. I took off Wed & Fri so 5 day weekend!

2. I ordered picture cards of kidlet to send to relatives for the holidays. I don't think they'll be here by Thanksgiving which makes me sad as I normally write them out while watching the parade & dog show Thanksgiving morning. Of course I probably won't have time to do them due to kidlet wrangling.

3. Kidlet is in a cast due to a pulled elbow. She's unfazed by it which means she's still into everything. Crawlers are exhausting.

JanetLand: Sorry to hear you're sick. Good luck with the drive; I hope you enjoy the AutoTrain.

1. I'm starting to get busier with my gigs, so much that I am having to keep track and turn things down. It's fun and I'm getting respect and validation out of it. And hey, even a tiny bit of money here and there.

2. Alternately getting frustrated as hell at/about work and kicking ass. I think I need a change of career; I'm just hoping the extra project work I'm doing right now will lead to a move or at least a recommendation for something I'll be better at/find more rewarding.

3. Most of my creative endeavors are currently in support of other people. Being a support player/accompanist/theater tech for other people is a really important skill set, and it's actually been really rewarding, but... Well, the common thread in both work and play continues to be working for other people. I guess I'm still trying to find my voice/vocation. And I guess I get impatient with making the little changes in the world... I want to make life better for more than one person at a time, more than a little at a time. Otherwise, what's the point?

1. Midterms are back- I did well! A on the policy essays and an 89 (+ 5 for class curve, so 94 in the books) on the Finance exam. I feel good about that. The semester is practically over! Bittersweet. I will miss seeing my classmates over the break.

2. I lost a glove yesterday. One of the wool-lined leather gloves my mother gave me for Christmas 3-4 years ago. They're just gloves, but I liked them! So buttery and warm. I even retraced my steps yesterday and today to see if I could find it, which was probably stupid (like a glove would sit on a busy sidewalk for 24 hours). At least I know I tried! Looks like I'll be picking up some new gloves this weekend.

3. Excited for my parents to come next week! So many things to see and do (shows, galleries, holiday windows, etc). And eat! I have to do a serious grocery trip very soon. Tomorrow! TOMORROW! Must buy all the things!

1. It was a long day's travelling - as gaspode said, the plane was late taking off, and it was about 90 minutes to get through Immigration at JFK. Customs Officers did not find my contraband - a Kinder egg.

2. Gaspode's hair looks fabulous.

3. I had a great evening with jonmc and Pips. Now I need to sleep - I've been up for 24 hours.

Senyar, not liking sweet potatoes with marshmallows and syrup is unAmerican! Oh, wait.

bluesapphires, wait until she starts walking! And climbing! All of the table surfaces that we once thought were safe for us to put things on are no longer! And gone is the end table that Henry pulled down on top of himself last week.

1. The baby is a girl! Cell free DNA testing is amazing - we knew gender and whether or not there were any chromosomal abnormalities (nope) with accuracy at about 12 weeks!

2. My dad may not be speaking to me. We were having kind of a testy back and forth email exchange on Sunday where he was trying to lecture me on how to raise my kid religion-wise and I was refusing to be lectured, and then he just stopped responding, which is very unlike him as he likes to have the last word. Part of me wants to just email to make sure he is ok (70 years old, lives alone) but part of me is being immature and doesn't want to be the one to break the silence.

3. Henry, who is never scared of ANYTHING, is TERRIFIED of the new hand vac I bought. But not the full-size vacuum cleaner. Just the little one. And only when it's on and making noise. When it's off, he tries to make nice with it and be it's friend.

A GIRL A GIRL woohoo woohoo!!!

Yay, amro! And Henry is hilarious.

1. Finally dragged myself to the gym for my morning workout. Tried not to work too hard and re-injure myself.

2. Got a bunch of work from a coworker who's having to take time to be with a very sick relative.

3. Fuck cancer.

Yay, babbies!

Awww congrats amro! Henry's going to love showing her how to do stuff.

I'm so not looking forward to kidlet learning to walk. Given how much she messes with stuff now, I need to cleaning/purging a ton by then.

1. Get a break from taking Mom to doctors for the next several weeks since there's finally a diagnosis. Her bone marrow isn't functioning properly : pre-leukemia. Reevaluate in three weeks.

2. Now, I have to finalize my health care options. I'm afraid I may not make enough next year to qualify for a subsidized plan and my State didn't opt in, so I may fall into the gap. I don't know how I will be penalized if I sign up for subsidy and then fail to qualify after my income is totalled next year.

3. My kitty is ill. Liver problems. Working with vet on that.

4.yay finally! A friend is going to visit Friday after Thanksgiving, so Mom and I will wait to cook then, a day later doesn't bother us.