wow. my last blog = # 250. can you believe it? i'm sure it seems that long to all of you, but i am amazed that i have written so much in such a short time. it's a record for me. of course, now that i think about it, i am the woman with a house full of journals... i have one box that has all my favorites in it, and when i am sick or have some rare down-time otherwise (like: stuck at the laundrette for a million hours), i take them out and write in each one. there is a journal for poetry, i have a no b.s. journal, a wishbook, a couple of journals for friends' babies ( i like nice new blank books, hint hint), a beautiful little leatherbound book that is becoming my first journal that i'm sure will see print, a travel journal, a dream journal, a sketch journal... and so on. it is a nice feeling of accomplishment and self-love to visit them and add another page or six.
same here.

i am just stopping in today briefly to thank you all for writing to me and for reading and commenting on my comments. for those of you wondering where i've been - well, i've been sick.
sunday night i did a brief stint in Park Ridge, due to an allergic reaction turned asthma/panic attack. i am weak, and i can only do so much. i am needing sleep a LOT more than i usually do (at least once during the day, and i have been going to bed around 8:30 for the last few days.
the weather, though wonderfully warm (good for the FMS) is causing a bloom of mold and mildew - not to mention the poor confused blossoms. and for some strange reason, the warmer weather inspires ladies to pour on the perfume, and people smoke more - they can smoke outside the library, or my house, or other friends' no-smoking houses because it is warm. (it was smoke on people's clothes and perfume on a !#$% NURSE that did me in on sunday). chris has vowed to actually quit (instead of just saying/pretending/hiding) since this happened, and i have no choice but to change some more elements of my lifestyle too.

i am not ignoring anyone, but when i am home, i am either sleeping with the phone off, or furiously trying to get whatever i can done -
did i mention that my bathroom plumbing is out AGAIN and i have no way to do laundry or
bathe easily?
- in spurts. i have to rest after each little task, so i can't afford to be distracted in the middle of it.
it took me almost five hours to do all our laundry at the laundrette on Monday, because there was SO much of it (we decided to get EVERYTHING done at one go, because we have no idea how long we might have to go before we can do it again...) and i had to nap in between loading washers, loading dryers, hanging up, etc. X came in after his interview and let me continue resting while he folded everything. yesterday, it took me all day to do my most basic "monday" jobs - cleaning the cat box, making the bed, sweeping, etc.
i'm here. i appreciate hearing from all of you more than you know -
and i'll be back - AND BETTER THAN EVER!
much love,
-s
oh, and p.s. - the dr. put me on something ELSE new yesterday... here we go AGAIN.