What I did during the Government Shutdown, Day 7

Day Seven, Monday, October 7, 2013.

Disclaimer:  The thoughts and feelings expressed in this post are solely the author's and do not represent the official position of any government agency.

So. One full week.

The whole family slept all the way until 7:40 this morning. Wow, we needed it. Did I mention yesterday that The Boy didn't have a nap?  Well, he didn't. So:  manic boy and zombified parents by the end of the day. Glad -- SO glad -- we all slept soundly. 

The Boy didn't want to go to school this morning. He told me he wanted to go to another pumpkin patch instead. Awwww. 

So, we took the guy to school, had breakfast, and we did, in fact, scout out another pumpkin patch.  I figure we can hit a different one every weekend between now and Halloween.

We took my car for an oil change.

I did 8 of my 15 minutes of BB time around 11 a.m.  (And the other around 5 p.m.)  The return of the daily BB check has meant the return of my anxiety about the shutdown.  I'm nervous again, for no good reason, and with no good outlet.

But perhaps I'm also nervous again because I've been reading the news again, after the weekend break.  I've seen in the news and in my Facebook feed people becoming frustrated with the shutdown, upset that some government services are not available, services that maybe they didn't even necessarily associate with the government until they were gone.  I occasionally find the frustration ironic because it sometimes comes from the very people who generally complain about the government being too big.

And there's always a debate in this country about the size of the government.  But the fact is, friends, that, while we can debate about the fringes, we do all need a functioning federal government.  It keeps our food safe; it helps us find our kids if they're kidnapped; it tracks disease outbreaks; it figures out why planes crashes happened; it does important medical research; it supports our farmers; it cleans up toxic waste sites; it finds and prosecutes murders; it pursues people like Bernie Madoff who steal innocent people's money through fraudulent investment schemes; it cares for our military veterans; it tracks down terrorists before they can hurt us.  All these things it cannot do (or it cannot do as well) during this government shutdown.  I am concerned that we are one pandemic, one hurricane, one terrorist attack away from serious calamity.  Government of the people, by the people, and for the people cannot be for the people if it is not funded.

Anyway, off my soapbox . . . .

I mentioned the Khan Academy a few days ago. Since then, I've been doing math drills on The Khan Academy website to brush up my math skills, when I have a few minutes to spare.  It's a good way to pass the time. And it's fun!  (No, really, it is!)

So I laid on the sofa with my iPad and did some math this afternoon. The hardest part of remembering how to do geometry is remembering what all the hieroglyphics that go with it mean. But somehow, magically, I remembered (in connection with some not-geometry mathematics drills I was doing) that this -- |x| -- means the absolute value of x. Strange thing, memory.

So, the rest of the day, what did I do:  went running.  I started week 6, day 1 of the ZenLabs C25K program, but ended up quitting mid-way through, as I have the other 50,000 times I've tried this program. My opinion remains the same:  they ramp up the distance too quickly starting at week 6 (really, week 5.5). I think they do this because they're trying to squeeze the program into 10 weeks. They should lower everyone's expectations, stretch it out over more weeks, and have a slower progression to longer intervals. People would have more success, I think. It's called couch to 5K, not moderately fit to 5K. Anyway, so I'll drop back and do week 5 over again, slow myself down.

Also, some guy's unleashed boxer ran at me and think I twisted my knee trying to get away from it, so I may not be running at all tomorrow anyway.

Practiced guitar.

Did some sewing.

Picked The Boy up from school. 

Had dinner.

I checked the news to see if I need to dress for work in the morning.  Looks like I don't.

And, as I suspected, the back pay bill has been slowed in the Senate, leaving federal workers with uncertainty.  There are some of us who will be okay without paychecks for a few weeks. There are others of us who work paycheck to paycheck. It's unfortunate that they are/we are being used as political ping pongs. But it's been happening for three years -- we've not seen a COLA in three years on account of politics. Why would now be any different?

(And I will note that this did not happen during the prior administration.  I'm not pointing fingers, just noting that federal workers did get COLAs, were not furloughed, and the government did not shut down during the last President's tenure and under a different make up of the Congress.  Apply what analysis you will to that information.)

Night-night, friends and neighbors.

What I did during the Government Shutdown, Day 6

Day Six, Sunday, October 6, 2013

Disclaimer:  The thoughts and feelings expressed in this post are solely the author's and do not represent the official position of any government agency.

2:23 a.m. -- Awakened by screaming boy.  He was either scared by a nightmare or cold. Not sure which. Brought him into our bed. 

2:30 to approx, 3:30 a.m. -- Consistently responded, "It's time for sleepies," when small person beside me said, "Mommy?"

7:00 a.m. -- Woke up with small person's feet on my neck. Hubby was just getting up; said he was forced off the bed by small person. 

7:30 a.m. -- Adjourned to living room for cuddles on the sofa with boy, watched Mr. Rogers rerun, and drank delicious peppermint mocha made by husband.  He has a future as a barista if this shutdown goes on too long.

Entertained idea of going to church, but opted to go to La Madeleine instead, like heathens.

And, pretty much, had a fun day of play with the guys....  Oh, I went to a sorority alumnae play date in the afternoon. The day was sunny, cool, and perfect for a playground.

And, of course, I checked the news to see if there was any progress...Senate won't vote on the pay measure until at least Monday afternoon. And then, there's still the question of actually funding the government, which seems nowhere near a resolution.  Sigh. 

And so the sun sets on the end of the sixth day. 

What I did during the Government Shutdown, Day 5

Day 5, Saturday, October 5, 2013. 

Disclaimer:  The thoughts and feelings expressed in this post are solely the author's and do not represent the official position of any government agency.

I'm starting to understand what it must be like to be a reporter during the 24-hour news cycle. You've got to put out the content, but the truth is that there's not much new to say.  So you find yourself saying the same thing over and over again in less and less interesting ways. 

But today is Saturday, and that's usually a fun day for the family, shutdown or no.

You know our morning routine by now:  So, we did that. 

I went for a run before the guys got up. While running, I listened to a great 80's new wave/post punk playlist on MOG. (Vienna by Ultravox is a great song, isn't it?)  I scared two rabbits, separately, as I ran slowly past them. They scared me back. You'd think I would have been ready for the second one after the first, but you'd be wrong about that.  (Oh:  C25K, week 5, day 3, 2.26 miles - 5 min warm up, 20 min run, 5 min cool down.)

As I sat in my living room floor tapping out that last bit on my iPhone, a military helicopter flew over our house, fast and pretty low. That was unsettling. 

(I know I've done a lot of navel gazing, in this series of blog posts, and muled about how angry I am at Congress. But I do worry about national security during this shutdown. We're not doing the kind of intelligence gathering that we normally do because of the furlough. What if a terrorist plot slips through this giant crack of a government shutdown and something truly unthinkable happens?  Shudder.)

I also met with the personal trainer for 30 minutes at 8:30 this morning.  Yes, the trainer who was the impetus of the cartwheeling incident. I've got five more paid session with her (well, four, now), so I need to use them up. We're mainly doing abs and arms.  No acrobatics.

I should have waited to go running.  The temperature dropped 13 degrees between the time I entered the gym to meet with the trainer and the time I left the gym.  Nice, cool fall weather.

So, I came home, showered, and got dressed in normal clothes. It's the first day since Tuesday that I have fixed my hair, put on make-up, or put on any jewelry other than my wedding band. I don't wear that much make up anyway, and my hair's not at all complicated to style, but it was still nice to get fixed up a bit.

I took a break from furlough blogging to write a quick post about Mom Jeans.

Mid-morning, a friend texted to let us know that the bill that would allow back-pay to furloughed federal workers passed the House 407 to 0. Amazing. I really didn't think they cared about or valued us.  I was wrong.  I am glad I was wrong.  We'll see if it passes the Senate tomorrow, and whether the President signs it.

Late, morning, we all went to toddler music class. The Boy sings the songs from class around the house quite often, and seems to like them. But in class, he seems less engaged, sometimes unruly. All the other kids in the class are girls. I'm starting to wonder (by which I mean "believe") that it's a "boy thing," not a behavior or interest thing.  He's just very wiggly and physical...his classmates, not so much.  I feel like I'm getting a taste of what real school will be like four our guy. I am preparing myself for the parent/teacher conferences about how our smart, energetic little boy won't sit still and face forward for eight hours a day. I know lots of creative, smart, dedicated teachers, most of them are friends from college. I hope that he gets teachers like them, and not a staid, old nag that doesn't understand kinetic little boys.

After music class, we had lunch at Rudy's BBQ.  Yum!

And then we came home for nap time, which we call "rest time" because The Big Boy says he doesn't take naps anymore.  I hear what you're thinking, they start to reject naps at a certain age.  Not my boy, not yet.  What he rejects is the word "nap," not the concept of afternoon sleeping.  He consistently has a 2 to 3 hour "rest" every afternoon, and without it, he becomes manic-crazy-cranky boy. (Also, without it, his parents become exhausted, desperate zombies.  It's a freakshow around here without "rest time.") 

During nap time, I also napped a bit (as did The Working Dad), and I folded some laundry (for there is always laundry).

And after nap, we went to the Pumpkin Patch and had fall fun!

I barely thought about the shutdown at all today, apart from reading about the back-pay bill and writing this blog post (of course), that is

.  As I'd hoped, it was a pretty normal Saturday.  Hope yours was pretty normal too. 

Mom Jeans, the Revenge!

We interrupt this Shutdown Diary to bring you breaking news about Mom Jeans. 

Please stay tuned for your regularly scheduled update of the minutiae of The Working Mom's furlough days later this evening.

Okay, they're not really on the attack or anything, but since I've done two posts about Mom Jeans, it seems like the next title should be something dramatic.  Usually, in the third follow up movie, the main thingy, whatever it is, usually gets its revenge.  Anyway.

Mom Jeans.

So I've told you about NYDJ and about Eddie Bauer Curvy Boot Cut Stay Shape Jeans. Now, I have one more to tell you about.

Shortly after I wrote my post about the EB Stay Shape Jeans (which I love, and which are swiftly becoming my favorite jeans -- they hug the curves perfectly and no muffin top), another friend wrote me an e-mail to tell me about some Levi's for the mom bod.

Levi's, y'all!

Everyone's cool who wears Levi's, right?  (Or was that just true in my small East Texas hometown in the 80's?  And maybe not even then.)

Anyway, this friend really likes them, and so, I had to get some to try for myself.  (Lucky for me we had a buy-one-get-one half off coupon code for levis.com and hubby needed some new 505s.)

Ladies, I give you the Levi's 512 Perfectly Slimming Boot Cut and Straight Jeans.  At $44 a pair, they're even cheaper than the EB Stay Shape Jeans.  I got the straight jeans, since I'd gotten the boot cut of the EB Stay Shape Jeans.  I would recommend purchasing them in whatever your true size is and then go from there.  (Some of the reviews on the website suggest going a size down, but I don't do it with the other "mom jeans," and am glad that I don't do it.)

The Levi's 512s are very comfortable and they do what they say -- hug the curves, minimize the belly, minimize the muffin top -- and they're pretty fashionable.  The down side (for me, anyway) is that hubby says my posterior looks better in the EB Stay Shape Jeans.  But I'm still keeping the Levi's.  I mean, everyone can use a comfortable pair of jeans, even if they're not the most flattering jeans for your hiney.  And the price (especially with the coupon) really can't be beat.

What I did during the Government Shutdown, Day 4

Day Four, Friday, October 4, 2013.

Disclaimer:  The thoughts and feelings expressed in this post are solely the author's and do not represent the official position of any government agency.

When I started this Shutdown Diary a couple of days ago, I thought it might be a fun/funny way to pass the time and document what I thought, felt, and did during the shutdown.

But now I'm tired.  I'm bored.  I'm frustrated.  The anxiety of the past few days is going away and acceptance of the cynical reality is sinking in.  Today's entry is, therefore, less fun to write. But I'm doing it because (a) I want to document it and (b) gotta finish what you started, right?  (Unless it's a bad book, movie or relationship. Those you can freely bail from mid-way through. You have my permission.)

Meanwhile, while I fretted about whether writing this blog about my daily activities and random thoughts during the shutdown was a risky endeavor, other furloughed federal employees are up to even more, um, adventurous pursuits during their forced time off.  (Thanks, friend who knows who she is, for tipping me off.  Wow, just, wow.)

So . . . uh . . . yeah.

Today, I filled out unemployment paperwork. Doing that actually made me more anxious, not less.  I sort of wish I hadn't done it.

I called my brother and wished him a happy birthday.  Talking to him made me feel better.  He has been through a lay-off before, for a lot longer time (although how long this one might be, who knows?).  I was supposed to be wishing him well today, but he's the one that did me some good.  He's a great guy.  Love him lots.

After I talked to him, I got a little bit of comfort from this article, circulated by a fellow furloughed employee.  My favorite quote:

“Hardworking federal employees did not cause our fiscal crises, nor did they contribute to the legislative gridlock,” [Senator Ben] Cardin said in a statement. “It is our responsibility to assure these public servants, mostly middle class and struggling to get by like so many other Americans, will be made whole again when it finally ends.”

Yes.  This.  We didn't start this.  We want be working.  Our families, our kids, should not have to pay for Congress's inability to play nice (particularly given that they still get paid).

I did some sewing, and I went for a long walk, and I ate meals, and I did my 15 minutes of BB time, and I hung out with my husband and my kid.  (The boy and I watched Daniel Tiger in the morning today, instead of Fireman Sam.)

I made myself a root beer with the Soda Stream (and wished that I had the ice cream to make a float).

I took a math pretest on Khan Academy and discovered that, with math, indeed, if you don't use it, you will lose it. If I start studying now, I might be able to stay ahead of The Boy as he progresses through school. Right now, he sometimes skips numbers when he counts ("one, three, six, eight, eleven, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen...."), and I can still do long division and simple algebra in my head, so I've still got a good head start. 

Also, I gave myself a pedicure.

Practiced guitar.  (Did I mention that I have my first recital, of sorts, coming up in less than a month?)

Oh, I also made cinnamon brownies!  (In a muffin tin, as ya' do . . . more crusty bits, which we like around here.)

I weighed myself:  I've lost two pounds since the furlough commenced!  (Silver lining.)

I wrote this blog post . . . .

On the way to pick up The Boy from school, I heard on the radio that someone had set himself on fire on the National Mall.  What the heck is going on in this country?

I'm kind of glad that Day 5 will be a Saturday, so it will feel kind of normal....

Did the normal evening rituals with the family.  Hubby once again made an excellent dinner.  And I'm sticking with the camomile tea again tonight.  It does me a lot better through the night than the boxed wine.

Have a great weekend, y'all.

What I did during the Government Shutdown, Day 3

Day Three, Thursday, October 3, 2013.

Disclaimer:  The thoughts and feelings expressed in this post are solely the author's and do not represent the official position of any government agency.

Okay, so maybe I had more than one glass of wine last night....  But I ate grapes!  Very Ancient Greek of me..or Roman...one of 'em...possibly both of 'em.

Anyway, I crawled into bed at 11ish last night next to hubby, and randomly trolled the Internet for an hour on my iPad because I was bothered and nervous, anxious and frustrated.

Went back and forth about whether to let John Dickerson know, somehow, through a tweet or Facebook post, about my little Shutdown Diary.

Decided against it for fear of losing the job that will not pay me for the foreseeable future.

Chew on that one. 

Plus, I don't really want the notoriety.

What if something freakish happened, like he wanted to interview me?  Would our lives ever be the same again after that?

I'm probably the only lawyer in America who wants never to speak with the press. (I have, actually, spoken to the press, though, in connection with a certain sports team's bankruptcy case.  But only to say, "We have no other comments other than those made on the record in court or in our filed pleadings."  I hated even saying that. Very uncomfortable.)

Then again, maybe it could lead to a career to freelance journalism, which seems a lot more stable than my current non-employment right now....  Also reminds me that I need to edit my piece on stress incontinence and submit it to Runner's World to see if they will publish it. 

Anyway, you want to hear about Day 3, if you're reading this, right? So here goes:

Woke up involuntarily at 6 a.m. again.  Hubby was already awake reading the news.

Still no progress. 

He and I agreed that it's probably best to skip the boxed wine tonight as it's probably not helping our sleep.

Became re-infuriated that certain members of Congress want to fund only the "popular" parts of government while leaving the parts that are kind of a drag to a lot of people, like the ones that employ spouse and self, closed.

Those members of Congress can eat my shorts.  Thanks for caring about patriotic American civil servants who stick their necks out every day on the government's behalf to enforce your laws. It's good to know where we stand.

Not that I don't care about cancer patients who want to participate in clinical trials. But the National Parks?  Doing it piecemeal -- picking out only the parts of government that are "popular" would mean that this furlough could go on for months for those of us not lucky enough to be a park ranger...because if people get to go camping in Yosemite during the shutdown, they're probably not going to complain to their Congressman about the shutdown.  To end the shutdown, it must hurt more Americans than those who are out of work on account of the shutdown.  So phooey on that piecemeal thing. Sorry. 

Next, wondered aloud with husband re what happens to our insurance coverage and 401k loan repayments during a prolonged shutdown, both of which come out of our paychecks as automatic withdrawals.

Attempted to find out via web searches.

Husband discovered loan repayments may be suspended for up to a year, upon request, during a furlough.  I found appropriate forms and instructions on how to do this on the Thrift Savings Plan website.

Also found federal employee furlough handbook on opm.gov. Handbook says insurance will continue during a furlough, even though the employee portion of the premium is not paid. Such amounts will be withheld from first paycheck after returning to work. 

Felt a little better about finances and health of family. 

Husband discovered that back pay for "excepted" employees is guaranteed by statute, so I should get paid for the Day 1 work (unless Congress decides to change that statute, I guess).

I don't trust them one bit. 

Became indignant (again) that Congress gets paid to dither around and prevent me from doing my job that I mostly like to do. 

Felt incredibly frustrated and helpless. 

Realized that it's not even 7 a.m. yet and I've written a novel here already. 

Decided to put running clothes on and focus on other things for awhile. 

Checked cat's blood sugar. Fed him. Gave insulin shot. 

Sat on sofa with boy watching Fireman Sam, inventorying Hot Wheels, and feeding him yogurt.

Got boy dressed for school, into hubby's car, and off to school. 

Started laundry. 

Checked work Blackberry for 8 of my allotted daily 15.  Forwarded messages. 

Went running in new running shoes.  (C25K, week 5, day 2, 2.35 miles.)  Like them so far.  At first, they seemed a little stiff, but by the end of the run, they were forming to the shape of my foot just fine.

 

Did yard work...mainly just removed an out of control trumpet vine from the Texas sage bushes in effort to save their lives.  Massive undertaking.  Bigger than expected. Took out most of three bushes, along with the vine. Got to feel macho using a saw.  Encountered no snakes. (Yay!) 

Took shower. 

Realized I hadn't eaten breakfast yet. (It's only 10:30 a.m. by this point.) Ate an apple and yogurt. Drank water and coffee.

Got confused about whether today is Thursday or not.  Asked hubby to be sure.

Suddenly felt very tired.  Chilled on sofa and watched Chuggington for about 30 minutes. 

(By the way, hubby is doing his hubby things while I do all this:  physics homework for Coursera, playing the piano, exercising, checking our credit card balances....)

Folded laundry. Tried to watch the news on CNN and then CNBC. How can the "news" channels not have news on them?  Switched to DVR'd episode of Nature about birds of prey. 

Made eggless salad for lunch.  Had lunch with hubby.  Watched Charlie Rose about the shutdown.  No real insight.

Did my remaining 7 minutes of BB time. 

Decided to update iPhone to iOS 7.... Hmmmm.  This thing is really hideous, isn't it?

At around 1:47 p.m., read about the U.S. Capitol being on lockdown because of shooting outside.  Wow.  I'm mad, but I'm nowhere near that mad.

Fretted about the violence.

Did stuff for sorority alumnae chapter, both because it needed doing and because I needed something to take my mind off of the shooting incident.

Changed sheets on beds. Washed sheets.

Put out Fall/Halloween decorations.  (Squee!)

Practiced guitar.

Made vegetarian spinach mushroom pesto soup for dinner.  (Recipe:  Saute two chopped shallots, two chopped yukon gold potatoes, and a package of portabella mushrooms until shallots are translucent.  Add one box of vegetable stock and two cups of water.  Cook until the potatoes are tender.  Remove from heat.  Blend with immersion blender or regular blender -- but messy! -- until smooth.  Add package of baby spinach and allow to wilt.  Add 1/2 cup of pesto.  I had some in the freezer that I'd made earlier this summer, but you can use store bought.  Serve.  It's not super pretty, but it's tasty.)

Marinated chicken for the boys' dinners.

Picked son up from school.

On the way there, heard that Wendy Davis is officially running for Texas governor.  Wondered if Anita Perry might follow suit (but probably not).

Had dinner with my family at the table like civilized people for the first time since the shutdown.

Played Fireman Sam with The Boy. 

Did bath and bedtime routine with the boy and put him to bed. 

Came downstairs and sat on the sofa to edit this post...and to drink some camomile tea, only.  For realz.

Nighty-Night!

What I did during the Government Shutdown, Days 1 and 2

Day One, Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Disclaimer:  The thoughts and feelings expressed in this post are solely the author's and do not represent the official position of any government agency.

Got up. Showered.

Dressed in black pantsuit.

Got boy dressed and into husband's car to go to school.

Went to work. For free, unless Congress decides to pay me retroactively. 

Fretted that I, as the lone attorney on duty, might screw something up. 

First phone call of the day was from a judge's chambers with a possible emergency, maybe-perhaps -- a heads up to me to be on stand-by for the rest of the day. 

Picked at my cuticles. (Nasty, nervous habit.)

Drank a lot of coffee, ill advisedly....

Fretted that the minuscule possibility that a multi-billion-dollar case might file in this district would materialize today, and I would be the only one there to handle it. (Thought I could do it, though, just didn't want to.)

Fielded phone calls from confused persons wondering whether we were still open-for-business. Explained that, despite my presence in the office, we were shuttered except for emergencies. 

Talked with members of the chambers of every judge in the district, and the Clerk of Court, to explain that our office is shut down like the rest of the Executive Branch. 

Obsessively checked the news to see if there had been any progress at Congress. 

There hadn't been. 

Had a veggie Subway sub. 

Bought a dozen cookies for the four of us forced into (possible) involuntary servitude because of the shut down. 

Ate a cookie. 

Okay, two cookies. 

But also two apples!

Thanked and commiserated with my fellow prisoners in the office. 

First-thing-in-the-morning-judge's chambers told me, "Nevermind."

Finally made it to the end of the day.

Drove home.

Listened to news on the radio. Still no progress. 

Listened to Slate podcast about day 1 of the shutdown. 

Played Fireman Sam with The Boy. 

Ate two slices of Pizza Hut Super Supreme Pizza and some broccoli while watching Super Why with my boys. 

Did bedtime routine with The Boy and put him to bed. 

Drank two generous glasses of wine so that I was good and loose.

(First time all day I did not feel as if I was vibrating.)

Facebook messaged back and forth with co-worker; realized I was semi-drunk because I was cheering boxed wine. 

Kissed husband good-night. Checked on son. Went to bed. 

Day Two, Tuesday, October 2, 2013

Infuriatingly awoke before 6 a.m., despite no need to. 

Went for a run.  Might as well....  (C25K, week 5, day 1 -- 2.20 miles.)

Showered. Dressed in jeans. 

Sat on the sofa with son watching Fireman Sam. Fed him yogurt. (Yes, I still feed him sometimes.  It's just easier.)

Coaxed him into clothes for school.

With fellow furloughed husband, took son to pre-school. 

Took car to car wash to get it detailed to remove fine powder of graham crackers from...oh, everywhere in the car. 

Had breakfast with husband at Einstein's. Discussed furlough, and what we should do if it drags on. 

Picked up car. 

Came home. 

Started laundry.

Organized master closet. 

Watched first series of lectures on Coursera of the course, What a Plant Knows, from Tel Aviv University. 

Took the quiz. 

Wished that there were more lectures posted to watch to since I've got the time. 

Briefly checked work email on Blackberry, so as not to exceed the maximum 15 minutes we are allowed to use our government issued electronic leashes, and forwarded messages as appropriate. 

Had lunch at Freebirds with husband. Discussed the shut down, but other interesting stuff too, like our Coursera courses. 

Got my new running shoes ready to be run in tomorrow (e.g., laced them how I like them laced).

Practiced the guitar. 

Folded laundry.

Watched a little CNN to see if there'd been any progress at Congress. 

There hadn't been. 

Practiced guitar. 

Went to guitar lesson.  Played pretty okay. 

Came home.  Listened to Slate podcast about day 2 of the shutdown on the way home. 

Played Fireman Sam and kitchen with The Boy. 

Ate delicious meal prepared by husband, while watching Super Why with my two boys. 

Did bedtime routine with The Boy and put him to bed. 

Changed into PJs. 

Did green clay mask. Then moisturized the heck out of my face. 

Sat down on sofa to write this blog post. 

And, now, am thinking about that box of wine in the kitchen. I'll just have the one glass tonight, I promise. 

Nighty-night!