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Rain, rain go away

My head hurts. There is something wrong with my water filter on the fridge and the water tastes like ass. More aptly it tastes like mold or ick or something else nasty. I�ve got a good sense of smell, so stuff like that drives me nuts. I had a couple of beers last night with dinner, so I had wanted to drink a big glass of water to avoid the morning headache, however I got distracted by the nastiness of the water and could never produce a glass of water of an acceptable level of quality. The end result is that I went to bed without water and woke up with my two beer headache.

Well, I wrote that this morning and then spent the rest of the day working. Luckily, the two beer headache was gone quickly, so that�s good news. I hate two beer headaches. Get this � my big toe still itches from that damn bee sting. Super suck! My inner hypochondriac has kicked in, and I�m quite positive that I have serum sickness or some other rare but potentially life threatening illness stemming from my bee sting. I�ll keep you posted on that.

I�m getting that lovely overwhelmed overworked feeling that only increased responsibility without increased pay can deliver. It really isn�t the work that is bothering me. It is the lack of time to skip out on work to go sit by the pool that is driving me crazy. I need to schedule me a day off. Mmm�.day off.

This weekend was entertaining. As I mentioned in my previous entry, the plan was to load Paco and Jane�s kids in the car and drive to Salina for the weekend. The plan was delayed a bit as we awaited their arrival which wasn�t a big deal until the rains came. Holly was doing fine in the car, but then darkness began to fall and she began to miss her mommy and daddy. After a few minutes on the phone with Paco, she calmed down, and soon she was helping me point out cows. Thank god for the cows.

A few miles later, the sky darkened, and we started to see lightening on all sides of the horizon. Let me just say that storms in the Midwest are a sight to behold. However, I prefer beholding them in the safety of my home with a battery operated weather radio, a flashlight and good access to a sturdy basement versus in a SUV barreling down the highway into the heart of the storm at 75 mph. Sensing the pending doom of heavy rains and high voltage lightening, Elliot started a game called �Look at THAT one!� which consisted of pointing out large bolts of lightening striking on all sides. Ryan and I joined in enthusiastically, and soon, Miss Holly was complaining that no one was checking out her madd lightening on her side of the car. This game was fun and all until it became necessary to pull off to the side of the road due to extremely heavy rains. Ryan and I maintained the air of fun and excitement while I searched frantically for a radio station that could confirm that we needn�t prepare for a visit with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

So there we sit, amidst the beautiful Flint Hills. The winds gently rocked the car, and a river of fresh rain rushed underneath the car. Lightning filled the summer sky which was a lovely shade of black. Amazingly, we managed to keep the kids and ourselves from crying during these particularly tense moments. Soon, the rain started to slow down, and we were freed from our temporary parking spot on the Interstate Highway. As we neared Salina, the rains slowed and the car was filled with the joyous giggles of kids allowed to make farting noises on their arms because their parents weren�t around to stop them and their aunt and uncle were grateful for laughs versus tears. Let me tell you, that Holly has a mean fake fart. Funny stuff.

I wish I could tell you that the ride home was much less eventful, but the Rain Gods had a different plan. We had to halt the �alphabet � sign� game in order to not annoy Ryan as he maneuvered through rain-soaked highways to deliver the kids safely to their parents. Enough with the rain already. Sheesh!

Alright, I need to go home and eat some leftover pizza. Later dudes.

6:27 p.m. - June 14, 2005

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