1. My new coffee maker arrived today. I'm so excited - ever since it was launched in the USA last year and got great reviews I've been waiting for it to come out here. It's all set up to make me a mug of coffee tomorrow morning. It arrived too late for me to try it this afternoon, if I have coffee after midday I'm awake half the night.

2. I planted my bulbs at the weekend, but I still have to tidy up the garden for winter. My tomato vines are still producing fruit, in their little mini-growhouse. But I want to overwinter my fuchsia in the growhouse, so the tomatoes will have to go soon.

3. Work is awful, and likely to remain so for a while. In my particular section we are just trying to get on with our day jobs in the midst of the reorganisation. But every time we're asked to re-write the technical guidance so a muppet can understand it, or we have to review the work of someone who's been promoted way above their abilities, it serves to remind us that TPTB intend to eradicate our jobs over the next couple of years. So most of us are just dialling it in.

4. I need some electrical work done, and at the same time I think I'll get some external outlets installed, the sort that come in sealed waterproof boxes - because CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!!

5. I had a lovely few days in Suffolk at the end of September. I'd love to live by the sea but anywhere that isn't completely chavvy is horribly expensive, providing second homes for wealthy Londoners.

1. Dealing with the crud from hell. Week 2 of drainage coughing. I sound consumptive.

2. My mom & brother came up this weekend to paint the spare bedroom, which will be kidlet's new bedroom. Once I get a few other things done, I'll move her into there and start getting her old bedroom ready for the baby.

3. Work .... meh. Could be a lot worst but too much to do in one area and being pulled into another team that's doing uninteresting things to me makes completely disengaged.

4. I'm exhausted just thinking of my to do list -- both my personal and work ones are horrendous.

5. It was below 40F this morning. I'm so not looking forward to winter.

1. Had dinner with my old parents on occasion of my mothers birthday. Very gezellig. Until my 86 yr old father fainted because of heart fibrillations. Having your old father sitting there with rolled back eyes is a bit like viewing a premonition of him dead. He came to again and is ok. But it occupies me obviously.

2. Work work work.

1. Just got back from a trip to introduce the niece to New Orleans. She loved it.

2. Work - I'm losing the other half of my department to another department within the company and will have to train two new people here. Already overwhelmed. trying to look at this as an opportunity to restructure things.

3. Looking for a new house to rent in our school district, that will give us room to move around and not hit each other. Our current lease is up 12/31, but we have found a place we can move into in November - I am starting to realize how amazing our current landlord is and how lucky we are to have him. The new house is very appealing, I just wish our current landlord had something else we could move into! Meeting the new house landlord tonight, and hopefully we can come to an agreement on the lease and he doesn't seem crazy. Otherwise, we're back to square one in looking for places.

4. Sent out Halloween postcards this morning (I still have postcards and stamps, if anyone else wants one!)

5. Have started thinking about holiday cards, and ordered two books of holiday stamps to look at them and see if we want to order more. I can always use them on my grandmother's cards that we send out if we don't like them.

6. Speaking of stamps, I ordered both halloween stamps and wonder woman!

1. Terribly ill for two weeks. Temp hit a scary high of 103.8 (I get scared just repeating that). Antibiotics and tylenol saved me. Just a lingering cough and exhaustion now. Slept 13 hours last night. Keep dozing off without realizing it while watching TV. No work last Monday (Columbus Day) or today (Yom Kippor), luckily. Lost 8 pounds being sick, but I'm sure I'll put it back on.

2. Had to cancel our roadtrip up to Maine to visit Jon's family, being so sick. Major bummer. I have so little contact with my own family anymore, I was really looking forward. Plus, lobster rolls. Maybe in the spring.

3. Realizing I'm most likely 12 years from retirement, not 8, and, because of insurance, we'll likely have to retire here (so much for Florida, Texas, or Vegas). I probably won't live that long anyway. Depressed. Tired.

4. On a positive note, Survivor's on tonight, and I have mini hot dogs.

1. Had a phone interview this morning with a company that I'd like to work for. It's in the industry, computer storage, that I've worked in most and I already know about a dozen people there. I thought it went well but you never know with these things. Plus, that's only the first step, I'll have to go in for a full day of interviews if I've passed this one. Fingers crossed.

2. Learned to develop film in a darkroom over the last two weeks. I've in in photography school for two years now but only doing digital so this is a whole new thing for me to do film. I'm having a blast with it. One of my favorites of the first few rolls that I've done.

3. Been doing a 5:2 diet for a few weeks and that's been going well. The "fast" days aren't too bad surprisingly. I need to work on my recipes as I'm mostly just eating turkey breasts and salad to keep below 600 calories for the day but it gets boring.

1. Vanilla kefir is the bomb.
2. Ginger kombucha is a slightly smaller, yet still amazing, bomb.
3. I've lost 20+ pounds over the past year without trying.
4. Had a laryngoscopy Friday.
5. Other than a couple of tiny, non-bleeding ulcers that show in the pictures, I've not heard any official results.
5. A double-shot vanilla latte tastes like heaven after having a laryngoscopy.
7. Wife and I will be spending a couple of days in downtown Indy. Anyone have any nifty night spots we should hit, preferably in the SE quad of downtown?

1. Feeling very lazy and unmotivated
2. Haven't exercised in far too long- need to find a program or goal!
3. Off work tomorrow, but super busy with errands. At least one is a visit to a huge rummage sale at a local church!
4. Halloweeeeen is coming! Apparently our neighborhood is super hot for trick or treaters- Marc bought 200 candy bars at Costco. First party is tomorrow night- why did I volunteer to make cupcakes again?
5. I've taken up adult coloring because I am a lemming. It's fun!
6. Work is busy, and I'm underresourced, and soon I'll be short staffed because one of my employees goes on maternity leave. Don't mind me, I'm going to hibernate until spring.

Recovering from storm. Not too much damage here. Lots of fence repair at my place due to falling limbs.... speaking of falling.... Mom climbed on a stool during the middle of the storm and fell off (I was just getting off work)and she hit the back of her head. Hard. She ended up in the Emergency Room and received 8 stitches. The gash was 9 centimeters long. She's doing fine now - recovering nicely.

Work is busy but not horrible right now.

Hugs to all who need it!

Pips you sound pretty down. Sterkte!

TPS "I've taken up adult coloring because I am a lemming" that's hilarious.

Yeah, thanks jouke. It was a real rough time of it this go around, being sick. And with Jon working, hard to even make myself a cup of tea. Guess I got to feeling sorry for myself.

1. It is Friday and I forgot to put up a question. Will remedy at once!

2. Like Michele Obama, I find myself shaken to the core this past week by DJT -- the hateful video and the incredible spectacle of his behavior at the debate, not to mention the parade of assaulted women and all the rest. Since I'm Jewish, I was fascinated to read that he is blaming us Jews for his troubles, and delighted to find this website. I've been a HRC supporter from the get go this year, but I find Trump more existentially terrifying as the election approaches.

3. It is remarkably stormy here and more weather is on the way. Looks like a weekend at home.

4. Thorzdad and Pips, thinking of you. Get completely well soon!

And you get well too, bluesapphires! Remember chicken soup (including that spicy Thai take) cures all.

Thanks bearwife! The crud is slowly retreating. I need to stock up on a tasty version as I'm bound to get something else this winter when I can't take my beloved Dayquil.