Random Thoughts

• We've had some really gorgeous days lately in Raleigh. Comfortable temps, crystal blue skies, nice breezes, just perfect, really. But now we're getting into the upper 80's and I'm afraid this is the end of the glorious days. It will be 24/7 A/C from now until September, basically.
• My cold is getting better. There's less sneezing and my throat doesn't hurt anymore. It's mostly just congestion at this point, so I sound much worse than I feel. I'm hoping to be completely healthy by next weekend.
• Almost worse than my cold are these horrendous bug bites I got from going to Taylor's barbecue. I don't think they're mosquito bites, because they are particularly fierce and dark red and blotchy. They itch soooo badly, but it feels soooo good to scratch them! I took a Benadryl one night and the good news is I slept like a rock and woke up without any side affects so maybe that's my solution for the 11-hour plane ride!
• I have two new additions in my office, Elefante and Tortuga. I love them both dearly. Both came from the flea market.
  
  
  
  
• I've been listening to some London podcasts and learning fascinating facts. Like the first manager of the Savoy hotel in London (known, of course, as the location of Julia Roberts' Anna Scott's press conference at the end of Notting Hill) was Cesar Ritz, who then started his own hotel to rival the Savoy's luxury. And part of that luxury at the Savoy has to do with the plumbing. Apparently a bath can be filled in a matter of seconds because the pipes are so large--12 inches in diameter!
• The NY Times' Frugal Traveler series is in Europe now. For some reason they completely bypassed London. Um, maybe it's the "frugal" part? Still, I was surprised to read that the exchange rate for the Euro is $1.68. That's nearly as bad as the pound! I hope our economy gets well soon. Otherwise the only affordable places to vacation will be in the states (which isn't terrible...Disney World is still on the top of my list) and Latin America (although I could put my Spanish to use, I'm not so keen on touring the third world, as arrogant as that sounds).
• Work is going well of late. I've taken on the project of revamping all of our documentation, which is SO my thing. I could work in InDesign all day long and not get tired of it. I get so engrossed, and the hours just fly by. I'm finished with the Basic User Manual, and will be starting on the Advanced one today. There's so much more to do, but it all needs to be done by July for our new release (we add new features to the application twice a year).
• I watched and loved the Grey's Anatomy season finale. If you're a fan, you must read the writers' blog, as well as listen to the writers' podcast. It adds so much to the show. You can hear how the writers come up with ideas, like to have someone encased in cement. And you hear the scoop on future episodes, too. Like they assured listeners that Derek is NOT going to get hit by a bus on the way to dump Rose. Mer and Der are actually going to be together for real.
• The Lost season finale was also great, because so many questions were answered. But of course, many more were introduced. There's so much flashing forward and flashing back, I think when the series is over, they should have a boxed set of the shows re-edited, where everything is in order. Every script is so densely packed and full of layers, having everything laid out in front of you all put together would be very satisfying for those of us who need closure.
• That's it for now. Have a lovely weekend!