Especially when they hide from me.

I didn't set the alarm this morning, and slept till 9:30. I feel wonderful, for the first time in weeks.
(Which is good, because tomorrow I have to take Nanook to the vet at 8AM, which means that we have leave the house at 7:30 AM, which means I probably have to corral him by 7:15.

I'm not looking forward to the corralling, but I think it will be easy. I'll catch him when he comes inside and is all loving, then shove him into a cold plastic box. SLAM!

My book is done.

Obama + music = http://calabash.typepad.com/global_music_news/2008/04/obama-music-is.html

I finally figured out that the weather guy is saying "trained spotters", not trainspotters. (About the hail/tornado/etc.)

I went to the back door and let Nanook in; he was waiting for me so I didn't even have to tell him about Toto.

Well, it's a little bit tight, but I've gained nearly 20 pounds since I started it. Otherwise, it fits well, and the sleeve will definitely be the right length after I knit the last inch of garter stitch and after I block it. I'm so pleased! This is my first sweater in over 30 years. (That one had set-in sleeves. I have no desire to ever knit set-in sleeves again.)

There are 7 tornados on the doppler radar. I had to go to my car for something and Nanook wasn't around in front. I think I'll go look for him in back...

I slept with my CPAP on all night last night. I still woke up a couple of times, but I was able to put the mask back on and go back to sleep each time. I slept very deeply, and woke up groggy around 9:30 AM. (I suspect it's going to take a while to get caught up with the current sleep debt.)

Then, when I read my work e-mail, I discovered that the project I've been working on has been pulled in by FIVE MONTHS. As of Friday, I'm being pulled off this project onto another one that launches June 15--I've known that for a few weeks. After that, that I was supposed to come back to this project, which was supposed to launch in October. Now it's launching June 30th. (Well, it's launching earlier than that, but that's my date.) What insanity. So I spent much of my day dealing with that. I'm very proud of myself for not calling anyone an idiot to their faces. (Or in e-mail copied to my manager!)

I'm going to try to go to bed a bit earlier tonight. If Nanook doesn't cooperate, I'm not sure what I'll do. Last night he came right in, but it was still pretty late. There are a lot of tornados in the neighborhood; maybe I'll tell him the story of the Wizard of Oz and remind him that his middle name is Toto....

I had to reboot my work computer at least twice today to speed it up, and the same thing with my home computer. I wish we could reboot brains--i think my brain could have done with that today. The network was so slow today that I ended up pulling out my gansey and working on it. I just have an inch or so of the first sleeve to go, but I probably need to try it on again before I can say for sure.

I was able to get some good sleep last night (and some good dreams); I fell asleep with my CPAP mask on 3 times. (Which goes to show you how interrupted my night was...) I have no idea how long I slept with the mask on, just that I was able to and it was good. But I woke up coughing and choking each time, which is the down-side of not being quite well yet.

It was an okay-productive day of work, but not as productive as Monday. I was grateful that I can work at home in my nightgown, but I am going crazy from the lack of human contact.

When I went to call Nanook in last night, he was on the patio table, and I knew that if I didn't grab him, it would be hours before he would want to come in. So I grabbed for him just as he leapt from the table. I got part of his back and then his tail. I ended up pulling him to me by his tail, and then I grabbed his body. I felt terrible because I do try NOT to grab Nanook by his tail, but it was late and I was pretty desperate. He wasn't hurt though, and was actually affectionate when it was clear that he wasn't going to be able to escape my grip.

Oh, I learned about promiscuous ethernet mode today. That raised a few eyebrows when I told other people about it.

I am so sick of being sick.

I just planted a few herbs this year. I got smart and planted them in the midst of other plants, so they are quite sheltered, but still get enough light. (Although I must admit that there is so much wandering jew in front, and it grows so profusely, the dwarf mint I bought I haven't quite been able to find again. But the last time I saw it, it was doing fine...)

I planted dill, rosemary, thyme, and oregano in the back in the "herb" bed. Those are all doing well. I've had problems with the thyme and oregano getting burned up before they root well, which is why I made a point of shading them. I also have holy basil, which is amazing--I haven't cooked with it yet, but every time I go out to check on it, I make a point of touching the leaves because they make my hands smell so fabulous. Like basil, but incredbly exotic and intense. (This is used in Thai food.) I also have arugula and kaffir lime in pots. The kaffir lime isn't doing too well, and I'm not sure why.

Oh, and in another bed, I have lavender. That's doing okay, I think. It was iffy for a while, but I think it's well enough rooted that if I just water it occasionally, it will be fine. I keep talking to it in French so it will feel at home.

I was able to work pretty steadily all day, and actually got some good work done. I went to the grocery store, too, and didn't have to take a nap afterward, which is a first for, well, a while.

I did dishes last night and I hope to make a dent in my pile of laundry tonight. I've never been so excited about doing housework!

I used my CPAP for over an hour last night, but just about the time I started falling asleep, I had to cough up crap from my lungs, so I gave up on the CPAP. Consequently, I didn't sleep very well. But I got up at 7:30, and I've been working away since 7:34.

I have been puzzled by Nanook's behavior: he really hasn't seemed to think that I was sick, even when I felt my crappiest. What I mean by this is that I expect him to be glued to me when I'm sick, because that's what he's done in the past. Lately he's been almost cold. I assumed this was because he was pissed off because I kept brushing him every time I could, and he hates having his fur messed with.

All of a sudden this has changed, and last weekend, he actually came to me to be picked up a couple of times, and he's been very affectionate. I think it's because I was coughing so much before. He hates that, because my whole body shakes when I cough.

He threw up this morning--in the kitchen, the front hall, the living room, and the hall outside the bathroom. Pretty dramatic. Now he is napping on his cushion in my office.

I woke up with some energy this morning, and went out for a while. I crashed when I came home, and now I feel pretty good--except one of the side-effects of the high Advair dose is making itself known with a vengeance. (Lower GI effects.) I'm going to treat the side-effect and hope for the best.

I don't know if it's the large amount of corticosteroids pumping through my veins or because I didn't feel any pressure to work today and I was able to nap and watch DVDs most of the day. (In between letting His Majesty in and out.) I was able to get dressed and FINALLY return my overdue library books.

I spent a large part of the afternoon watching season 2 of The Wire. This show fascinates me, because my feelings about the characters are never the same at the end of the season as they are at the beginning. I think I have half a show of season 2 left, then I start season 3.

I feel better, but not hugely so. I'm still coughing, though I don't think it's quite as much as it was. I'll probably work at home most of next week unless something happens to make me feel outrageously better.

I have felt horrible all day. Completed exhausted and energy-less. I worked for a while, and then I phoned my allergist. Turns out that today is his last day of work for the month of May, so there's no way I could get in to see him. He upped my Advair prescription (another $72). If I don't feel better by Monday, I'm going to go to my PCP.

Still knitting on the first sleeve. But I realized that I can show you the particular pattern (last on the sleeve) that I'm knitting and that is giving me such pleasure. I PDFd a couple of pages from Pearson's book. One of them was the herringbone that was disastrous in my execution.

Right now, I'm working on the tree of life, and this is my absolute fave. I am not sure exactly why it's giving me such pleasure. Part of it is because I'm knitting it upside down (because I'm knitting down the sleeve), and the chevrons slant up, so they kind of reverse-develop. All I can say is that it makes sense to me and I'm enjoying watching it develop. (And okay, can't wait for it to be done!)

I feel worse today than yesterday--I suspect that that's because I slept with the windows open last night. It was really pleasant this morning until it got too hot. However, I think I will try to keep the windows closed tonight. I really hate this feeling of gasping for breath.

I did call my allergist's office and talked to one of the nurses. He said that if I reacted to the allergy shot, it would be with anaphylaxis, not a cold or asthma. I have to believe him, I guess.

After typing this, I googled and found a web site that said that having a cold can make your reaction to the shot more severe--THAT makes sense to me, that I was already exposed to the cold virus, and the allergy shot weakened my immune system further. When I go in next time, I will float this past the nurse. That makes sense, and it also means that there is no way I could have avoided this, that it was just a bad coincidence of timing. (That is, if I had known I was coming down with a cold, I would have not gotten the shot--but I hadn't come down with it yet, so I couldn't know that.)

I am SO bored and so tired of not being able to breathe.

A local Quidditch club!

I tried to use my CPAP last night, but I couldn't. I had to keep removing the mask to blow my nose or cough, and it just wasn't worth it. (The mask only covers my nose, but it hurts if I cough without removing the mask--it's designed to be a closed system.) However, I didn't sleep *well* without the CPAP. I got up about 6 and let Nanook out. I think I finally got up about 9.

I worked at home today, which was fine. I feel like I got a lot accomplished. The way that things are going, I'll probably work at home the rest of the week, unless I am able to start using my CPAP. Even without the CPAP, I have a bit more energy every day--I did dishes tonight for the first time since I got sick. But I'm nowhere near my normal energy levels.

OH! My best new discovery: the new peel-and-seal Oreo package. They really do keep the Oreos fresh.

I got up late and went out to breakfast and then to work, ostensibly to pick up my computer. I ended up staying there three hours and getting a lot done. It's very interesting to me that BEING at work is not exhausting to me when I'm sick, but getting there and getting home is always very tough.

I stopped and bought some orange juice and other necessities (soup, cough drops) on the way home. I lay down for a while, but I watched Barbara Walters on Oprah instead of sleeping. Then I got up and worked some more. (I have a deadline, so I'm motivated.) I worked until almost 9 PM.

Tomorrow, I think I'll work at home all day, even though that mean I need to dial in for the staff meeting. I'll probably go back in on Thursday and Friday. Honestly, it's the 24" monitor...it makes it so easy to work with two full pages at a time. If I had a 24" monitor at home, I'd probably work at home a lot more.

I'll probably go get another allergy shot on Friday. I think that this illness was related to my shot on last Friday, so there will be some discussion of that. (Right now, I'm still having some asthma symptoms, but I'm much, much better. I'm planning to go to the gym on either Thursday or Friday.) I'm still coughing a lot, but I'm going to try and use my CPAP tonight.

But I am thinking about leaving the house tomorrow and maybe working half a day. It all depends on how I sleep tonight. (I'm still too stuffed to use the CPAP, so it's iffy.)

The weather is really nice--really perfect outside. This makes it difficult for Nanook to understand why he should come inside when I want him to. He'd rather come in around 10:30 or 11, and I'd rather have him come around 8:30 or 9. The last two nights I've had to trick him. The night before last, I went outside and sat on the patio for a while, leaving the door open, and he was inside in 5 minutes. Last night, I let Oliver come in and eat Nanook's food, which Nanook doesn't like, but which is effective in making Nanook come in. (I threw Oliver out after two bites.)

I'm not sure what I'll have to resort to tonight.

Blackberries in blueberry yogurt taste very good.

I still feel like crap. My nose is so incredibly blocked that I can't use my CPAP, so while I'm sleeping a lot, it's very poor quality sleep.

Nanook doesn't seem to know I'm sick, though, which is interesting.

So this new drug that it took me over a week to get is to treat my acid reflux, which is one of the causes of my post-nasal drip. I took it for the first time last night, and woke up with horrendous post-nasal drip. I had to pay for Pilates session this morning even though I couldn't go to it. I feel horrible, and in a little while I'm going to go back to bed.

I have a feeling this thing is going to get worse before it gets better. I'm just hoping it's not strep throat. Everyone in my group has had that this year, at one time or another.

I phoned my doctor's office this morning and told them the story, that my insurance company won't let me request a prior authorization form, that someone from the doctor's office needs to call, and I am not going to lie. As far as I'm concerned, the doctor can prescribe something else, because I'm done with this.

So... I just got a phone call a minute ago. One of the male nurses called and dealt with the insurance company and got everything taken care of. (This guy also gives the best shots--I can't even feel them.) So, yay, I guess. I still feel that the whole thing was indordinately, uselessly stressful for a drug that will merely improve the quality of my life and not save it.

Not that I want to need a life-saving drug and have to go through that.

On April 30, 1993, the CERN physics laboratory in Geneva,
Switzerland announced the World Wide Web. Go, CERN!

(In English, "www" (pronounced "double you double you double you") is
the longest possible three-letter acronym to pronounce, requiring
nine syllables.)

If I didn't already loathe and despise the insurance system in this country, I would after today.

I spent half an hour on the phone with THREE companies, trying to figure out how to be able to get a drug that my doctor prescribed. In the end, all I was able to get was a phone number that my doctor's office has to call. Except I called the doctor's office back, and they refuse to call, because  it's fruitless--they'd spend 45 minutes on the phone, only to be faxed a blank form. The only way they can get a form with my information on it is for me to initiate the call.

So I have to call back and be firm.

Ha.

I hate this.

Well, I made progress, but I'm by no means ready for the contractor to come and start working. I'm sore from all the to-ing and fro-ing I've been doing, too. I just need to stretch, I'm pretty sure.

I went and got more allergy shots today. This time, I can tell which one is trees (right arm) because it kind of hurts. Both of them definitely itch, but the lump is smaller than it has been (nickel-sized). I am taking the evening off (of kitchen work) and working on my gansey and putting laundry away.

The gansey...Even with the screwup (I made a fishbone that's an uneven zigzag instead of parallel), I still like it. The final pattern on the sleeve is a tree of life; I'm about 4 rows into that. (I tried to find a photo of what I'm talking about, but couldn't. My chart is taken from Pearson's book on ganseys.) I'm planning to make the same error on the second side so they match, at least.

Nanook is in--he was gone for hours. That boy needs to learn to tell better stories.

I have been cleaning and organizing and figuring out where things belong and putting there for three days now. All in my laundry room and kitchen. The saddest part is that I only have one day left, and I'm nowhere near done.

The laundry room is done, and about half the kitchen. But I haven't done the floors yet.

It's been kind of interesting. I have a huge pile of stuff to get rid of, some of which is in good shape, and some of which will just go when I have my next bulky collection. Some of it has gone in the trash. I threw away some screws and washers today. I have no idea why I was keeping them, nor do I know what they are from. I did discover that I need to buy new batteries for my drill. That's going to be pricey. (About $50 each.)

My laundry room is definitely in better shape than when I started, except I need to have a shelf removed from one of the cupboards (that's when I went to get my drill and discovered that the batteries were dead and were unchargeable).

I moved my microwave and toaster over to the same counter, in a totally different part of the room. I don't know whether I just made my kitchen unworkable, or whether I simplified things. I hope that when I'm done, the fact that I have more usable counter space will make up for everything else.

When I had my roof redone, I was supposed to have the interior redone also, but I put it off because I couldn't bear any more disruption. It's time, now to have the rest done. Basically, they are going to strip the wallpaper in my kitchen, paint it, and redo the ceiling. The interesting part is going to be that the fridge is in a kind of alcove, behind an island, and the only way it got in there was without the doors; those were attached later. To get the fridge out, they will have to remove the doors and disconnect the water line. But I've decided that this is not my problem, it is their problem. My problem is clearing all the crap off the fridge so they can move it if they need to.

I'm taking tomorrow off also for more fun and games; I hope to make at least a first pass on the floors. At least I've stopped itching! Benadryl is my friend.

I can't wait till I hit the maintenance point in my allergy shots. i don't remember itching this much last time, but I'm allergic to a lot more things now. I basically itch all the time, even though I'm taking antihistamines.

Paid time off is a great gift! I have to clean up my laundry room and kitchen so they can remove the wallpaper and repair the ceiling, so I took today and Monday off. The laundry room is basically done; I have maybe 15-30 minutes more of work to do there, and then I have to mop the floor. I ended up with things to freecycle, which is good, I guess. (Anyone need an iron?) I took today fairly easy because I knew that I'd be tired, and I have been. I did a lot of sleeping today.

It's going to storm here. Nanook is in his favorite place, in my open office window, where he can watch everything and not get wet.

I finished my brother's sock this afternoon; now it's back to the gansey. I still have my brother Tom's second sock to start, and three other socks of my own to finish.

I better grab the gansey while Nanook isn't napping on it!

I recently decided that while I value very much the fact that I am a good audience, it's time for me to stop being an audience and be an actor in my own life.

I have no idea what this means, actually, but that's what I'm thinking.

One of the things that I have always wanted to do is ride an elephant. Probably because I was imprinted with too many African stampede movies as a child. I don't really have a life list or a bucket list, but if I did, this would be on it. But it seems like every time I heard of an elephant ride in the US, it disappeared before I was able to get there.

And now it turns out that of all places, there is AN ELEPHANT FARM IN MICHIGAN! In the wilds of western Michigan. And at least one of the elephants gives rides. Regularly. Actually, I could go next weekend if I wanted to. For about $250 and two days of PTO.

I'm seriously considering it.

But then what would I do with my life after that?

I could also go next year around the time of my 40th HS class reunion, or my family reunion.

I had my third allergy shot yesterday, and I think that next time, they are going to have to keep the dose the same. Even though I took an anthistamine before my shot, I still have a generous quarter-sized lump on the arm that gets shot up with trees, and it itches like crazy. It's very frustrating to have this happen so soon. (A quarter-sized lump is the cutoff for upping the dose.)

Otherwise, it's very pleasant to go and be forced to read for 30 minutes. We should all have it so tough!

This morning I interview an engineering student who MAY be able to help with our documentation backlog. Fingers crossed!

My phone bill was unusually high, so I checked--and sure enough I was charged an extra $12.95 by some bogus voicemail company. They claimed to have sent me e-mail, but either it went to my spam filter (and was deleted) or was deleted, because I couldn't figure out what it was for. They got my name and e-mail address from "Brandorama".

I have no idea how I got signed up for this crap, but I will say that there were nice enough about making sure that everything would be removed and I would never have to contact them again. The company's name is "Meteline".

Twenty-two repeats of sock pattern done,
Twenty-two repeats of sock.

Take one down and pass it around...

Well, you get the idea. Now all's that left is the toe. I wonder if my brother wears shoes to work, or like me, his feet are bare... Well, they'll come in handy later on.

No more purling, no more purling, no more purling... I think my next socks are going to be a quickie pair of knitknitknitknitknitknit and you're done. After that, I can make some fancy lace or something. But before I do ANY more socks, I re-start the gansey.

Poor Nanook, he's been napping on it for the past few weeks.

Zyrtec is one of the drugs that makes me suicidally depressed, but I can't stand the itching from my allergy shot any more, so I bought some (it's OTC now), and took it, and the itching stopped. Huh. I wonder if this will help my nose from being stuffed at night. That would be stellar!

After two weeks of slacking (due to work pressure), I hit the gym today and walked a mile for the first time this year. I beat my best average time for shorter distances by .3. I actually got my heart rate to 120 for minutes at a time, which is good. (That was around 2.3-2.5 MPH--I can't sustain that (yet), because it hurts my back/hip.)

The only reason I went the full mile was because the TV was turned to Fox News, and they were dissecting the still-warm body of the Pennsylvania election. But now I've done it, I have no reason not to. I just need to be thoroughly distracted while I do it.

I consider becoming a fruitarian.

link. Surprisingly difficult to find.

I was reading this article about the use of robocalls in the PA election, and  it mentioned the National Political Do Not Call Registry, but didn't link to it, so I googled. And that led me to a page that I can't find again that reminded me that your number is only listed in the Do Not Call registry for 5 years. (Mine expires in 2010. You can check here.)

I never did find a good link for the Political Do Not Call Registry--I'm all over that.

My nominee for Most Unpleasant Voice Ever: Dawna Walter. You can hear her voice on Audible.com. I have no idea where she's from (she sounds mostly unpleasantly midwestern, except for the occasional phrase where she sounds fake Brit, but this may be some variety of English I don't recognize).

She should NOT be reading her own books, but I guess it's because she's a well known (in Britain) personality.

Just when I was thinking about getting ready for bed, Nanook jumped up on the office outside windowsill, which is his signal that I should open the door and let him in.

Except, by the time I got there, he wasn't there any more. Instead, he was up in one of the two trees in my front yard. It's dark out there, but I recognized him by the wag of his tail. He kinda looked like he'd come down if he could figure out how, but I'm too smart to fall for that.

On the other hand, I'm also quite tired, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

20 of 22 repeats done on my brother's sock.

I've been making sesame green beans ever since I figured out how to do so--I ate these in Japan once, and kept trying to recreate them. I finally found out how from a cookbook some time in the early 80's, when I lived in New Haven. As I recall, the secret was sake. My favorit way of eating kale is with sesame, too, though a slightly different recipe. (No sake.)

So I was delighted to come across this recipe for ginger green beans. Hm. I wonder if ginger kale would be good?

Ginger Green Beans
1 lb fresh green beans
1 T finely chopped fresh ginger root
1 C slivered red onion

Dressing:
4 t dry mustard powder
1 T cold water
2 T reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 T rice or cider vinegar
2 t dark-roasted sesame oil

Instructions:

1. Trim and cut the green beans into 1-inch lengths. Cook in rapidly boiling water, about 5 minutes or until crunchy-tender.

2. Drain beans, immerse in cold water to stop the cooking until they are cool, then drain well.

3. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk until well blended.

4. Toss the green beans with the ginger root, red onion and dressing. Serve immediately.

Only two to go, then I do the toe.

My neighbor found a dead bunny in her backyard yesterday. I actually think that a hawk might have dropped it by accident. She was very upset about it; me, not so much. (But I guess if I thought that one of my animals had killed it, which she clearly did, I might be. On the other hand, I believe in nature. Except when it's me who's the least fit.:) )

I went out in the back yard... I can't remember why. Oh, yeah, to find two small empty pots and fill them with dirt so I can plant some seeds. Anyway, I looked around for dead animals when I was out there. I saw some very black dirt in one spot, so I went to check it out. I guess Nanook or one of the other cats just turned it over; I coudln't see anything.

When I was re-turning that dirt over, I caught a flash of white out of the corner of my eye. There's not a lot of white in my yard--some roses on the side of the house, and one of my crepe myrtles. This looked egg-sized, so I immediately went to investigate. Turned out to be the very white paws of Petey, the psycho cat from next door. My neighbor (the dead bunny neighbor) says that Petey is psycho, but I don't really see that. Petey is a Maine Coon, too, but a tabby one. He's absolutely beautiful, but very different-looking from Nanook. (At one point, I had offered to adopt Petey.) One thing I'll say about Petey: although he and Nanook aren't exactly buds, Nanook isn't afraid of him, and Petey and Nanook are perfectly comfortable being in the same yard.

The author of Everyone Poops has written an illustrated dictionary of Japanese onomatopoeia! Today's Language Log has some examples.

The book is way too expensive to buy just to read once, so I'm planning to ILL it. Honestly, it makes me sorry I'm not teaching Japanese any more!

14 of 22 repeats done on my brother's sock foot.

My right arm still itches. I got allergy shots in both arms, but the right arm is the one that itches. I'm supposed to get another one on Monday.

I've been watching "Prisoner of Azkaban" on TV. I'm at the ppoint where they go back in time and relive what they just went through, which, frankly is not all that exciting. I am looking at Nanook asleep on the floor and wondering what I could change him into if I had a magic wand.

I had a Pilates session this morning, not my best session ever. The best part is that I felt MUCH better after the session than before.

I used to think that maybe I was the only one (or, more realistically, one of very few) Americans who snickered every time they saw an ad for "Bridgestone" tires. But since all the information necessary for snickering is in Wikipedia, maybe not. (The name of the founder of the company is Ishibashi--which means "Stone Bridge". He modeled the name after "Firestone".)

I'm not sure why I snicker. I guess I think it's funny in the way that naming your child after where they were conceived is funny. (No, I was not conceived in Burma or Thailand.)

(This is probably more for me than for you.)

I have to do 22 repeats of the pattern on the foot, and I've just finished #10.

I got my first allergy shot today. I haven't figured out how to pay for the shot yet, but I figure that at some point, they will explain this to me. (Every office has their own arcane system.)

No reaction, but I'd be surprised if I did. This is the period where they bump you up to the real dosage. I'm planning to go 3x week for as long as I can. It's convenient--it's sort of on the way home, but the roads are very convoluted right there, so it probably adds another mile to my trip because I have to go around and around and around and--well, you get it.

I just an Urgent Phone Call at work to let me know that the factory warranty on my car had expired.

Except I drive a 1991 Volvo. I'm pretty sure that the factory warranty expired a long time ago.

Thanks to the humans at gethuman.com, I was able to get over $200 in bank charges reversed this morning.

I like to go out for breakfast, it's a Big Treat for me. But this time, the restaurant screwed up and charged me $43, which is a very large breakfast for one person. They figured out before I left the restaurant that it was the wrong amount, but it remained charged against my debit card, which caused a number of small items to bounce to the tune of $205 in charges. So eventually the $43 charge disappeared, but the charges engendered by the bogus holding of my money didn't.

I'm not in a very good mood, mostly because of the work craziness. (Nanook did indeed trot right inside in 10 minutes last night, which was good.) So when I phoned the Bank of America customer service number, I was not in the mood to keep pressing 8 for more options. (I did it three times and then tried to remember the URL for Get Human.) I phoned the number on there, and got connected directly to a human as they promised, and the human was reasonably accommodating. It took maybe 15 minutes for her to reverse the bank charges and another 10-15 for them to show up online.

I've also taken some steps so this doesn't happen again.

One of the reasons I have this account with Bank of America is because of the "Keep the Change" program. It's a way of enforcing automatic saving. (And the bank matches a small amount.) However, the stress of the bank charges and having to actually phone a human is a very strong negative.

The good mood engendered by My Day Off has completely disappeared. Not only is there A Big Work Crisis waiting for me when I go in tomorrow, but Nanook refuses to come inside. He doesn't do this very often, but I'm finding it particularly annoying. I can't just leave him out because of a) coyotes (they've been on the news lately as a particular danger) and b) impending storms. Nanook is loving the wind blowing everything around. And really, he is generally a very good cat and just wants to play.

But I am annoyed. I'm giving him 10 minutes.