My bio on that page has brought some new readers in, and to you, I say welcome. Relax, stay a while, get to know me. I admit some entries are better than others and I shudder to think what will be said if/when my diary is ever reviewed.

That in mind I am going to try to be gentle with the diaries I review. So many of them are angst-ridden 14-year olds though, that I may start to lose my patience. There seems to be a lot of that going around, don�t you think?

So, my birthday is coming up. I�ll be 26 on Tuesday. 26. 26. 26. Really, I�m fine. Late twenties. I can deal with that. So long as you all know that I am stopping at 29. I can do that, right? Right?

No, really, I am fine about it. Sometimes it just surprises me, that�s all. I mean, didn�t I just turn 21 last year? Surely I can�t have been married for seven years already�where did that wrinkle come from�oh. God. Next year I�ll be 27�

Seriously, I�m just kidding.

Can someone get me a drink? Jack and Coke. Better make it a double.

I do have lots of birthday festivities coming up though. Birthday dinners out, a night at the comedy club (since they were kind enough to send me eight free tickets in honor of the occasion) (speaking of which, anyone want to go with me to see Tammy Pescatelli (of Last Comic Standing) on August 15th?), the concert on Nashville on the 4th.

In other news, progress continues on the useless attic storage area to swanky new master bedroom conversion. I know I promised pictures, but my digital camera is being an ass. The batteries need to be replaced. Remember how I said it has to have the precious, rechargeable NiMH ones? Well both sets are getting old and won�t hold a decent charge anymore. Bastards.

I am starting to seriously think I might need to clean up my language. I mean, I follow my grandmother�s rule that �shit�, �piss�, and �ass� are note �cuss words� and as long as you know your audience and they know/love/understand you, they are okay to use. How can I not trust a 70 year old lifelong Christian when she says that?

But the other night when I was teaching Vacation Bible School (see, there is a lot about me you don�t know) it was all I could do not to tell my class (of nine 3rd and 4th graders � with no asst. teacher, by the way, not that I am complaining) to put their asses in their seats and shut up.

I�m just saying.

Tonight, just after dinner, my sister called to see if LO wanted to come up and spend the night with her, thus getting her out of my hair for one bedtime (bedtime has been rough lately). So I packed up her little Care Bear overnight bag and sent her off for the night. Two hours later the phone rings. It�s my sister. LO misses me and wants to come home. Mind you, this is the child who spends the night with one relative or another about once a week and who barely said goodbye to me as she breezed out the door and this is the sister who lives a block and a half away. I talked to LO on the phone, but nothing doing. She wanted to come home and now. So I went down, picked her up, brought her home, put her in the bed and she was out like a light. Little stinker.

So it�s getting late and I�m going to watch Office Space with the hubby for nine millionth time.

Remind me later to tell you about the stalker I had at the mall this week!

Good night and Happy Saturday!