Fish for crawdads, drink some cold beers.
2006-09-20, 9:16 a.m.

A conversation recently overheard at the local bowling alley:

Don, pointing at DW�s infamous one-shoe-off flamboyantly tripping bowling dismount: Where�d DW get that purple ball?

Me: I dunno. Got it caught in a gate latch or something. I hope it doesn�t fall off.

The people in the adjoining bowling lane: ::crickets::

Some things:

1. I am drained � completely empty. I�m sitting here trying to think of something interesting or funny, and I�m just staring at my desk. Maybe it�s too early. Maybe I need more coffee.

2. I purchased arthritis stuff for my gimpy right knee yesterday. Wouldn�t ya think that a bicycling injury (not really an all-at-once injury, more of a gradual �hey, that�s starting to hurt�) would have healed itself in the past couple of months? I would, but it hasn�t. I�ve moved on to Osteo Biflex and Capsacian C, which I have no idea how to spell, and am too lazy to even try. Here�s hoping it works, bad spelling and all.

3. We�re (you and me, internet) hoping the arthritic knee stuff works because I have crossed a personal weight threshold of doom. I�m not going to tell you what it is, but let�s just say it�s on par with my sophomore in college weight. I really need to get back on that bike like YESTERDAY.

4. My Lil Guy has had this nagging cough since the beginning of July. We tried to let it run its course for a couple of weeks, thinking it was allergies, but apparently this cough doesn�t have a course. So far, he has taken Singulair (allergy and asthma med), Zithromax (antibiotic), Predinisone (steroid), Singulair again, and now he�s back on Zithromax.

I�m just about tired of his pediatrician trying to diagnose via prescription. The kid has been coughing for 3 months. Not bad, not barking, but definitely draining and tiring and annoying. If this round of Zithromax doesn�t do it, the good doctor wants to put him on an asthma inhaler to see if that does it. But does what? Does he actually think he�s treating the cause? I believe he�s just trying to mask the symptoms, and then declare victory.

So my plan is this: if the Zith doesn�t do it, WE�RE GOING TO A NEW DOCTOR. SSSSHHHHHHH! I mean really. How about let�s look at his lungs? Or do a sputum sample? Something? Quit trying to pigeon-hole a cough into asthma.

SO. That�s all I have to say about the cough that doesn�t end. At least he�s not like barking and gagging and choking. It�s mild, yet persistent.

I just sneezed 10 times. I thought you would want to know, and I think it helps you imagine that you are sitting here with me, covered in microscopic droplets of my saliva. It�s like we�re bonding.

The new job description is going good. I know that �going good� is not proper English, but if you say it with the right accent, it sounds better than it looks. I�m managing to stay astoundingly busy for 10 or 11 hours a day, pissing lots of people off along the way. If you didn�t know, the job description for affordable housing asset management contains elements of �pissing people off�. And god knows I�m good at that, and quite comfortable with it.

The last thing is this (you will notice that I left off numbering the things way up there, threw in a couple of section breaks, and then abandoned formatting altogether): I went to Walgreens last night to get LG�s latest antibiotic, and on my way out, a guy was talking on his phone. Here�s what he was saying:

��and I thought we�d go down to the park, fish for crawdads, drink some cold beers��

Doesn�t that sound like fun, y�all? I hope he was asking some lucky girl out on a date. I nearly invited myself to go along with them.