Wendy, one of our West Coast teammates is in town, which is really nifty. This is someone with whom I’ve worked for more than 2 years and I’m just now getting to meet. Weird! It’s odd how the (almost complete) cessation of business travel has led to a completely different work dynamic.

Still don’t know what’s going on with my Grumps, which is stressing me out. I *think* I’m heading to Charlotte this weekend to visit him, but that’s still up in the air.

Tonight we’re taking Wendy out for real NC Bar-B-Que, which might scare the crud out of her, as we’re going to Allen & Son Bar-B-Que … just about as authentic as you can get: sea green walls, checkered tablecloths, fake daisies in small glass vases and the best BBQ around, AFAIC.

That’s the new thing I’m going to say whenever I get tired enough that my (admittedly poor to begin with) typing skills fail me altogether. (Just was IM’ing with Jeff and managed to come up with that — unintentionally. Should head home now.)

Jeff swam yesterday! This may not seem like any huge thing, but *he doesn’t swim* (or at least didn’t!). Now, I’m probably half dolphin, or maybe puffin, or some other water-loving creature, as I love swimming ok, not so much swimming (in the back-and-forth-across-the-pool sense) as gamboling about, turning flips and gliding underwater. And he couldn’t swim at all!

Given how much I love all water-related things, I wanted to show Jeff the beauty of floatiness. So I bought goggles, a noseclip, a raft and a kickboard (and a pool bag to carry them in) and yesterday we went to the pool. It’s been so long since I learned how to swim (I was probably 3 or 4 when I leaned) that I wasn’t sure exactly what the process should be. But we worked using the kickboard, and practiced holding breath under water and worked on arm strokes and – low-and-behold! – Jeff was swimming. Still need to work on the breath timing thing, but it was a really impressive start. (And ignoring completely my love of water, it’s still a good thing to know from a safety POV…)

YAH!

Project stress.

Admittedly, I’m a sucker for a sale. And Targets. And a tax-free weekend in North Carolina combined with the Grand Opening (woo-hoo!) of a new Target (say “tar-jay”) meant sure disaster for me. Why must the Swell line be so very Swell? And why do they have to have so many things I… need? Like new hair bobbles? And pretty tissue paper (which will be infinitely craft-able). Much shopping. (We even had to take a snack break (mmmmmmm.. cheddarwurst) to sustain ourselves!)

Check out the new section in my website called Manipulated Polaroids (in left nav, under Arts & Crafts). I’m quite pleased with myself.

I could’ve slept until noon today, but alas, there’s always that work thing. And those emails to deal with. Sigh. Meghan, Jeff and I are supposed to go see Star Wars tonight at the Museum of Art in Raleigh, but Yahoo’s saying it might rain. I don’t know what the backup plan is, but it probably involves some food and some movie. (Maybe Shabu-Shabu again?)