Absent.

I have not been around here much lately. Partly it's because the cooling fan on my poor litttle Lappy is not what it used to be, so I can't use it for long before it starts to overheat. I solve this problem most of the time by perching the laptop on one of those square Blue Ice freezy-pack things, which cools it down but is not so great for typing. I usually have just enough time to check my email, pay some bills, and glance at my Google Reader before my computer slows to a crawl and I know it's time to either shut down or go get the ice pack.

But most of the reason my Internet time is cut short these days is because my husband is home for the summer. He usually works part-time in the summers, but they haven't had the hours for him lately, so instead of being gone 35 hours a week he's gone 6. You would think that having another adult around here pretty much full-time would result in a spic-and-span house, plenty of Internet time for all, delicious home-cooked meals flowing from the kitchen like a river, and my entire clean/organize wishlist getting fufilled.

However, it's been quite the opposite. I run the dishwasher every day instead of every third day; there are mountains of laundry sitting around, both clean and not; the floor is strewn with toys and clothes; and we seem to be eating out an alarming number of times per week. The Xbox and the Wii are in near-constant use (and I don't play video games). Aaaaaand it has been 90 degrees pretty much every day, except for the two minutes per day when it rains, just enough to crank up the humidity. Then the temperature shoots back up to 90 humid, sweltering degrees. This, of course, means that I have been crankier than usual. And that is saying a lot.

I did, however, get started working on the Pay-It-Forward/swap packages. So far, Cris, Jen, and Emily are getting one. Emily: I need your email address! Shoot me a note at tragicallyordinary at gmail dot com when you get a chance.


The photo above is downtown Charlotte, shot in Spring 2008.