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February 24, 1997
Last week at just about the peak of my flu symptoms, my tax accountant called. I croaked out an appointment day and time: Monday at 1:30 - that's today. Over the weekend, I promised myself I would gather the records this morning and appear organized at 1:30.
I slept until 11:00AM. This is better than last week when I was sleeping all day most days but it didn't give me much time to get tax stuff together. I rushed around like a whirlwind and got most stuff.
In the car on the way to the accountant I remembered the Earthwatch trip is deductible. I drove home, got the info on Earthwatch, and set off again. By some odd stroke of luck, I got a parking space right in front of her office so was not late. I even seemed organized. Everything I needed was right in my little blue folder, including the explanation of the tax law under which the Earthwatch trip is deductible.
My accountant wanted to know about the trip, what I did, how it was, why that one, what's the next one, what are you going to do next? She says she's envious of my lifestyle. I joke that it's been a two year vacation. We look over my stuff and decide there is no problem making it a 3-year vacation. My only fear is that by the time I have to go back to work I'll be old. She says "you're only as old as you feel." I left it at that.
It's a mild sunny February day. Almost shirtsleeves weather if you don't have to be outside long. I wore a purple blazer over my white turtleneck instead of my official winter Polartec pullover and zipper-dysfunctional blue jacket today. Ned asked me if it was going to get into the 60's again today. It was well into the 60's on Saturday and we had a freaky thunderstorm Sat. afternoon. Saturday night was cold again. Sunday was mild but not like Saturday. Tonight the weather dudes are predicting temperatures in the teens and possible snow flurries. So, I asked Ned "what season is this?" He thought for a long time. The cappuccino machine foamed and sputtered in the background. Baristas scurried about. Newspapers rustled. Finally Ned replies: "I have no idea." I answer: "me neither" and go on my merry way. New England weather so odd we have nothing to say about it. Now that is strange.
While I was writing this, Joan-east called to say the walking schedule for this week changed: tomorrow, 7:30 at Phillips Academy. After I talked with her I realized I felt hungry so prepared late lunch/early dinner. I set the rotini on to boil and the sauce on low to heat it up. The buzzer buzzed. I drained the rotini, applied the sauce, ate same, put dishes in dishwasher, drank tea, and put on shoes to go outside to pick up laundry. On my way out the door I noticed the burner the sauce had been on was still going! I have never left a gas range burner on in my entire life! I can't imagine how I did that. Isn't leaving the gas on a sure sign of Alzheimer's? Am I doomed? Anyway, I turned it off before I left to get the laundry.
I had imagined doing more errands after the laundry but somehow automatically drove right home. What errands was I going to do? Who knows?
I think I'm just tired. I didn't sleep well last night because I kept waking myself up coughing. Ditto for the night before. That'll scramble your mind.
All this time that I've been sick, I haven't been reading either books or on-line stuff. Just too tiring. I started to catch up on a few of the journals I follow but my eyes started to glaze over. Not because the journals weren't interesting, just because I'm tireder than I thought.
I have 2 chapters of oceanography to read for class this week, plus I have to talk to the instructor about making up the exam I missed last week. I guess this has to have first priority.
I started Independent People right before I got sick and loved the first few chapters. I was reading it aloud to Nancy at night. Losing my voice clobbered that project.
Sigh. And I have at least 20 books in the backlog. I still buy books, I just never read them. Why?