House in Progress Diary

Rolling Right into Stressville, USA

This was supposed to be a different post than the one that follows. But this is what really happened during the course of my day. So it goes...

1) Get home from sleep study at 5:30 am. This sounds like an oxymoron. Is it really a sleep study...if you have to get up so early?

2) Left new book, America the Book: A Guide to Democracy Inaction, at the hospital. Feel frustrated with my increasing absentmindedness.

3) Dave the Cat is angry with me for being gone overnight.

4) Take photos for weblog during last 4 days while working to restore exterior wood trim. But, in a panic when the laptop starts to melt down, erase all of the pictures accidentally. Abandon my plans to post in detail about that project this evening.

5) Whine to the dog. The dog wants a treat.

6) Read an article about lead dust that has me frantically re-cleaning and scrubbing. Wonder if someone could set off alarms in airports from the lead content in their body. Could they?

7) Drip stripper on my arm (even though I am wearing long rubber gloves) when I use the stuff on a difficult piece of outside trim that I can't reach with the SPR. Creates alarming blister. Wonder if I could finish the house if my arm fell off.

8) Cry to Aaron when he comes home. He is very comforting. And he orders pizza.

9) Watch the Presidential debates...kind of. Get agitated and finish stripping wood around the front door while listening for the television in the living room.

10) Become despondent in a strange, "out of proportion way" when The Daily Show doesn't do a show after the debate because it is Friday. Take it very personally. Decide that Jon Stewart is standing between me and a complete breakdown.

11) Pledge to Aaron that I will try to stop taking politics and the media so personally. Go to bed. But put the cat out of the bedroom first.

The house is only a small part of the stress ball that I have become.

Posted by jeanne on October 8, 2004 at 11:40 PM (2)