It's been a long time, dear readers, and I do apologize for not writing sooner but I have been busy trying to cough up my spleen. And between the aforementioned activity and the raising of my child...along with tending to a great big pile of cheese that is my work, I just have not had the energy to type even one little sentence. So I waited a little while and now I can give you two or three great big run on sentences. All at once! You see, I do love you.

Even after trying for a whole week, I was not able to cough up my spleen. I tried really hard though. Ask David. I don't think I have ever had a cough so bad. It shook my body and woke me up out of a dead sleep at night. Fortunately for us, I was so worn out by the coughing that I let David practice some of his acupuncture on me and it really seemed to help. No, really, I think it did. Which is great because we are banking the entire future of our little family on the fact that David can make a living sticking needles into people who ask him to. So that's some good news.

We do have a few in the bad category. So let's make a list!

1. My morbid sense of imagination is compelling me to look out the back door every few minutes to check on the kids playing in our alley way. What I hear is the sound of children stuffing other children into a meat grinder. What I see when I pull open the door in a panic is a very organized game of catch with an equal amount of parents and small children all playing nicely. Why am I like this Mom?

2. The U.S.military is slaughtering innocent civillians again. In Iraq (a good a place as any I suppose). Or maybe not. It just can't be proven. So maybe this doesn't go in the "bad news" category. I guess it's just unproven news that is neither good nor bad. Unless you read the BBC webpage because they definitely think it's bad. Oh those Brits and their investigative journalism! They should just stop that.

3. Austin has been going to daycare in dirty socks, which is very bad, judging by the looks his baby-sitter gives me when I pick him up in the afternoon. I CAN EXPLAIN WHY! NOBODY PANIC! But regardless of the explanation, she and her helper always look at me in such a way that makes me think they might call the police to aprehend me before we get as far as the park. Which would be why his socks are dirty. Because of that sandy park. Because David and I let Austin just roll around in that sand, getting it in his hair, his diaper and apparently his shoes, cuz his socks are just so very sand covered. We are bad parents, I know. Letting our child play! Shame on us.

This is why people. Why are Austin's socks all dirty? Because. Because if you live in a city that has been built on the type of hills that people in other parts of the country would consider steep enough to ski down, then you do not live in a city where once could consider pushing a basket of dirty laundry up and down those hills to and from the laundromat while at the same time pushing a stroller. Or carrying a toddler. How about chasing a toddler, try that one, eh?

Between me being indisposed with the sickness and David going to school and coming home and watching Austin so I can go sit in the corner and cough, we just have not had it together enough to send one of us out to climb Mount Shasta with the laundry basket. Can you forgive us? Can Austin forgive us? Does Austin even care? I do not think so.