Back in the Saddle Again

I spent yesterday at my blue-collar job—the home-renovation gig—applying artistic finishes to various surfaces and manipulating my boss into giving me advice about the colors I intend to use in my hall bathroom.

My breakfast-while-carpooling solution: 1) I finally shelled out a whole four dollars for a mult-compartment plastic vacuum bottle at my local supermarket. I make instant oatmeal in the bottom compartment, and use the small top compartment for "fruit compote" that consists of microwaved canned fruit cocktail. The thermos has no metal or glass in it, so I don't know how effective it would be for, say, soup. But it only has to keep the oatmeal warm for an hour or so, until I'm on the freeway with my friends. It's perfect, and it isn't even marketed as a "food thermos"; it thinks it's for coffee in the main compartment and oatmeal in the little one. But even the apparently-superfluous drinking cup part works; it serves as a clean place to set the bottom of the compote container while I eat oatmeal out of the main compartment.
2) A supermarket blueberry bagel, made into a cream-cheese sandwich and cut in half, is a nice little carb boost. I packed it along so I wouldn't be subject to the temptation to order from Noah Bagels when we got to Manhatten Beach. Half of it, I ate during my mid-morning break; the other half, I consumed on the way home to overcome the temptations of Starbucks Stop #2. (I am on-board with Starbucks Stop #1, but that's four dollars by the time I've put a tip in the jar. That's all I'm willing to spend these days.)

I made myself, through sheer force of will, attend my publishing group meeting last night because I said I'd give a short presentation and I wanted to honor that promise. Naturally, I heard the most interesting keynote presentation there that I've witnessed in my two years with these people, and I got the names of two hot prospects for my editing business.

That improved my mood enormously, and at the end of the day, after checking my e-mail, I curled up in my clothes to sleep in my computer nest here on the loveseat in by the dining room. When I woke up, I got into bed and crashed without so much as taking my bra off; I was tired.

I'm a pretty happy camper this morning. Sleep is the most fabulous invention in human history—so much better than the wheel, it isn't even funny.

So, on-duty here for a few hours with some computer tasks and housework, and then it's off to the doctor for a checkup. Client A at my editing business is up in the afternoon.

I'm that happy kind of busy.