"I sincerely miss those heavy metal bands, I used to go see on the landing in the summer."*

YAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.

The pool closes this weekend. And the temps go up to 85+ on Wednesday. Of course.

Reading Maisie Dobbs (still), Laura Lippman (still), and Cynthia Kaplan, who I may be just the eensiest bit in love with. Her essays ring so true (the one about her grandma with Alzheimer's is pure genius).

Following political stuff pretty closely right now, and am so proud of Obama. I think he is going to win, and I think that his presidency will be historic in more ways than just the one that gets touted in the mass media.

Wanting coconut ice cream. And a few consecutive hours to read and think and write. And maybe some Chex Mix. Also, a few limes (which I also forgot at the grocery store) to try my hand at mojitos.

Spent the day yesterday sorting game and puzzle pieces and putting them away in the new closet storage system (read: milk crates), moving books onto the boys' new bookshelves and culling the collection, washing, sorting, and putting away laundry, finding uniform pants and shirts, scrubbing the brick and mortar dust off the porch and porch furniture, calling the shrub removal guy/the water department/the plumber, all the household tasks that little sick guys who want to be held have prevented me from doing the past week.

Could I be any more boring? It's been much the same here on this blog for several weeks and I apologize. Sick children...school starting...Labor Day festivities (ha! I was smart enough to decide against the giant party here, sometimes I am not as dumb as I think)...migraine...check back in another week. The babysitter will be here on a regular basis, two of the four will be in school all day, I will have active clients again, my brain may begin to function on other than a reptile level again, and I might be more interesting. Don't worry, it's all fine, just not a lot of brainpower or time...have a lovely, long weekend.

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*Wilco. But of course.

"Tweedly dee..."*

I totally forgot my little brother's birthday. By DAYS. I am a rotten sister.

Two of my four little guys have fevers, and one of the other two has a weird rash, completely putting the kibosh on all those "Last week of summer" fun plans, or even just a jaunt to the duck pond or pool. This SUCKS. (Seriously, they all look awful and sick enough that I don't even want to drag them to the grocery store, but man, I need some limes. Mama needs her mojitos, yo.)

We had dinner guests Sunday evening. I threw together a meal - tomato tart, Italian bread, steamed yellow squash, a cold roast chicken, and a big dish of homemade aioli. There were no vampires getting near any of us that night. Well, except the boys who saw fit to drown their chicken in ketchup rather than garlic. What does ketchup keep away, werewolves?

I made a batch of lemon curd, folded in stiff whipped cream, and piled it into a butter-and-amaretti-cookie crust. That was dessert. YUM.

I have been conversing with the inimitable Joke regarding cocktail shakers, and have adopted the procurement of a Boston shaker as my thrift shop goal of the moment. (In the meantime, I am mixing my Bacardi cocktails using a Sam Adams pint glass and a giant plastic McDonald's cup - I ooze class, I know.) Lately I have been thrifting lotsa books, some neat old linens (and a set of superhero sheets), baking ramekins, a pair of pretty pewter lamps, and some terrific skirts. I even discovered a new thrift shop on the other side of the river, while on the hunt for a breakfast place. I found the breakfast place, too, and had a delicious plate of eggs over easy, home fries, and toasted ciabatta. Plus lashings of hot, fresh coffee. Heaven.

I started the newest Maisie Dobbs while guzzling lovely coffee - it is just like all the other Maisie Dobbs books, that is, comforting and charmingly archaic and NICE.

I am also reading another Tess Monaghan mystery, The Sugar House. I whizzed through The Lace Reader; all you guys who like Amanda Eyre Ward and Joshilyn Jackson might enjoy this. I think The Gargoyle is going back until a later time, I just don't seem to have the brainpower for this right now. I really enjoyed Jincy Willett's The Writing Class; clever and funny. I have a few review copies of a few books floating around to tackle next, so keep your eye peeled for those reviews...

School starts Thursday; kindergarten the Thursday after. THANK GOD.

That's it, my 'nettie friends. Not a whole lotta shaking going on at all.

Oh, but I am busy being inspired by this post; I ran Sunday, did yoga this morning and weight training after, and have runs planned for the next two days. My goal is the Turkey Trot Thanksgiving Day. After that, who knows? I still have yet to complete that half-marathon...although I HAVE been playing lots of TETRIS Marathon on Facebook...

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*The Backyardigans, "Tale of the Mighty Knights"