Buried Under Clothing

My allergies are crazy. I've been sneezing and coughing ever since I got back from Vermont. I thought they were pretty bad up there, but here they're worse. I started taking generic Zyrtec because they were keeping me up at night, but the regular dose doesn't seem to work. I have to take it every 12 hours instead of every 24. Think I need one now.

Okay, hopefully that will help.

Had writing group yesterday. We met after just one week to get back on track with our first and third Tuesday schedule. I have felt discouraged about Audra and unsure if I should continue. They gave me a boost and all voted for me to continue. Even Nancy, who liked the more descriptive and literary early version I brought but dispensed with. I want to do something different from what I've done before. It feels uncomfortable though. I feel like I'm not really doing anything when I write it but take down the ramblings of a superficial brat and her sister. Even writing that I feel like I'm betraying Audra, though. She immediately protests being called a superficial brat.

This room is snowed under with clothes. I don't think I've put anything away since I got back. I have to attend to it, tonight. We're going to the Renaissance festival in Plantersville this weekend and I have to get myself together. We'll camp out one night, go back home on Saturday after the fair, then leave Sunday morning for Six Flags. I haven't been to an amusement park in ages. My cousin Ryan will be in town so we'll go with him and Alan and Kim.

William's birthday is on Thursday, the 9th. We'll have dinner with Ryan, Kim, Alan, Mom, Dad, and Carolyn. This year his birthday will get properly celebrated, unlike last year when everything was given over to the wedding and it was basically skipped over.

It's hard to believe it's been a year. It's been a very good year.

James, Shannon's son, is doing well after the surgery on his back. We saw him the day before and the day of surgery. He played video games with William just a few hours after the operation to take a tumor out of his back. He seems to be doing really well. The Dell Children's Center is an amazing facility. It's great to see that Dell money put to such a practical use in the community. The design of the building is thoughtful and colorful. They were obviously thinking about children and their families when they built it.

I'm excited about Little Britain USA coming out. I don't have HBO so I won't be able to watch the original episodes, but when the DVD comes out I'll be able to watch that. I've seen all the character clips online. It would be awesome if they take the US by storm as they did Britain. It's a show with sharp character studies by two Brits, Matt Lucas and David Walliams. They dress up as all kinds of male and female characters. One set is Lou and Andy, best friends. Andy is in a wheelchair and Lou helps look after him. Little does Lou know Andy is actually perfectly mobile and races all around getting into trouble while Lou's not looking. A new character for the stateside show is Phyllis, who has a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel called Mr. Doggy. Mr. Doggy orders Phyllis around (so Phyllis imagines) to do things like take all her clothes off on a cold day outside. Marjorie Dawes is in charge of a group like Weight Watchers called "Fat Fighters." She bosses her class around, telling them they can eat as much dust as they like as it's very low calorie. She also directs them to cut a piece of cake in half, cutting the calories in half, because then they can eat twice as much. Sebastian Love, who used to torment the British Prime Minister with his affections, now is Prime Minister himself and has switched his longing to the President of the United States. Carol Beer now works as a hospital administrator so she can tell a whole new set of victims that "computer says no" to whatever they wish for.