All rolled into one

where-you've-been-for-the-last-five-years day.

I don't recommend having all those days at once. Really, it's a bad idea.

Mom says she's quitting smoking because she can't walk the few blocks to work without getting winded. I know that the restorative powers of the human body are nothing if not impressive, but I also know that sometimes there's nothing the body can do to heal itself after long-term trauma such as prolonged smoke inhalation.

I really hope it's not too late, that her chronic bronchitis will start to clear up after her lungs have time to heal some. What I mean to say is that I hope there's another round of healing left in those lungs.

Anyway, if you are in the Washington D.C. area, and if you feel the need for more stuff in your life, drop me an e-mail and I will give you directions to my block's yard sale, which is happening this Saturday from 10-2. There will be good stuff priced to sell, since I don't really want to load it up to take to Goodwill after the whole thing is over.

I'm thinking that tomorrow I'll go to Staples and get a bunch of colored stickers and just do color-coded pricing rather than individually pricing each item.

If I were truly virtuous, I'd print up flyers on cats and dogs who need homes and hand them to people as they pass by. I think that's a swell idea, but I don't know if I have that much energy. It will depend on how much help I have for the sale, I guess. Right now I'm not counting on much, but you never know.

By the way, I'm not really worried about where I've been for the last five years. I can't change it, but it's an interesting look back.

Also by the way, I skipped free cone day in lieu of an iced mocha. The line at Ben and Jerry's was down the block and packed with kids and young women with strollers. If I'd really wanted free ice cream, I would have gone before school let out.

I hope those young women were actual moms, not au pairs; but this is Capitol Hill, and more likely the babies in the strollers were not related by blood to the stroller attendants.

Oh! Fantastic google searchs from today: "Mustache Olympics" and "Lycra Thumbs" There are some very interesting people in this world. I'd like to end up in a bar with people who search for things like those on the 'net.

Or maybe I wouldn't.

before - after