Where was I?

Eh. It's been a week. In no discernible or rational order:

- Tomorrow will be day seven (and a half) of not having my computer at work. I'm brilliant, though, and snagged the departmental laptop (we have one for people to take to meetings and use for presentations, or for travel) and set that up on my desk. My own 'puter got snagged by a virus, along with half the campus, it seems. The first time I asked when I would get mine back (they took it Thursday afternoon and said it "would be a day"; I emailed on Monday afternoon) IT was, as usual, rude and condescending. When I asked again this Friday, pointing out it had been over a week, they were a bit more polite. My boss comes back from vacation on July 6th; if I don't have it by then, I'll bump it up and let him deal with it. It's not as if I don't spend all day, every day on it.

- For the last seven and a half days, I've had no music at work. I listen through the 'puter most days, although I do have an ipod sound dock. I just kept forgetting to bring the ipod. The first couple of days were torture (no idea why I kept forgetting to put the ipod in my purse, except that it lives on a sound dock at home), but I kind of got used to it. My productivity seemed to go up, too, though that could be a fluke.

- While I often have odd dreams, especially when I'm sick or getting sick, nightmares aren't something I have often. But last week, I had two. One came at the end of a half hour long nap last Saturday afternoon - bad enough that I woke up in a panic, with the distinct feeling I may have been yelling. The second, the following Sunday night, or rather Monday morning, just before waking. I don't remember details of either, and frankly don't want to remember. Life is actually fairly calm and stress free right now, and has been for a while. If I knew what prompted the fright fest in my head, I'd avoid the trigger.

- I'm not surprised SCOTUS ruled the way it did last week. Mostly, it makes me sad. The depths to which this country has fallen in just my lifetime are staggering.

- Unhealthy coping mechanism in response to all the furor last week: Watching all six Star Wars movies this weekend. Not quite as much of a marathon as it may seem, as I started Friday and didn't finish until this afternoon. I hadn't seen the original movies since I saw them in the theater. I'd seen parts of The Phantom Menace a couple of times (the pod race uses Champ Car turbo-charged engines for the sound effects), but had never seen the other two of the "prequels". Longer post on the experience later.

- Trying to cook more at home. Weeknights, it's just more convenient to pick something up on the way home. But I'm trying to put together a downpayment for a new car, and eating at home more consistently will help that fund considerably. There are a few things in the freezer already to make weeknight dinners a bit easier. Given that it's going to be rather cool this week, I'm thinking the chili will be thawed for a couple of dinners.

- Spent the afternoon cleaning in the sewing room instead of actually sewing. Put away some things, restacked and sorted some others, cut smaller scraps of fabric into 2 1/2 inch strips to add to the already stuffed box of strips (eventually, they will become a scrappy log cabin quilt). Realized I may never run out of Swiffer duster refills (the fact that I can rarely find one of the four - FOUR handles I have when I really need one may contribute to the glut of refills), that I have enough 100 watt light bulbs to last at least another couple of years and I've accumulated enough decks of cards to supply my own World Poker Tournament. All that stuff wasn't actually in the sewing studio, but in the half of the full wall width closet that is not devoted to sewing stuff. It's pretty well organized, but every so often needs a straightening.

- Next Friday is craft day. The Hawaiian applique will go, along with a tied wreath I'd like to get on the front door asap. It's red, white and blue, and I meant to have it done before July 4th. I may just make it.

- Need to finish up the outside and clean up the inside - a couple rounds of entertaining coming up. The old card group is getting together in July, I think on the 17th, and sometime the first two weeks of August I'm finally having the neighbors over for dessert. On a side note, I finally, after almost four years of living here, saw the woman who lives on the other side, end unit of our building, to talk to. "Talk" is probably a stretch, since I had just pulled in and gotten out of my car when I saw she was out of her car, in her parking bay doing something. I called out a hello, and she said "hi"...and promptly scooted back into her unit. Another neighbor says she has almost never seen this woman, and that neighbor has been here more than ten years. Let's just say I'm not expecting the ghost lady to RSVP in the positive.