The last week was really rough for me. I was super stressed and overly socialized and generally overwhelmed.* I think I started a few posts here and abandoned them when a gnawing anxiety took over and blanked the intended content from my mind. I spent a full day reading about something that upset me, then resolved not to read the internet for a bit, and instead panicked about not writing enough, while also worrying about how I was supposed to entertain Moss's mother when she came to visit while he wasn't here (he'd gone to New York for work). Yay!

Happily, I have made it through the week of horror, and am now enjoying a day of Not Doing Much, because I have come to the conclusion that if I am to preserve my sanity, I must take things slowly. Today I've caught up on my friendslist (all 300+ entries! My, but you all write a lot), printed out something to work on later, done minor household chores, and spent a considerable amount of time petting the cat. Next up I will take a bath, write for half an hour (timed), and go out in the rain to Downtown Boston, where I will attempt to buy a copy of the next book group selection, and then have a cup of coffee with my printed pages while waiting for Moss. After work we're meeting friends for dinner and then seeing Eddie Izzard (short video link, mild swearing) at the Orpheum. I am not going to worry about all the things I haven't done. I refuse to worry about these things today.

*The userpic is me last September in the midst of a minor furniture assembly fiasco. I'm buried under bookshelf parts and an overturned Poang chair, overwhelmed, and grimly amused that I have (quite literally) brought this all down upon myself.

I've been trying lately to update my userpic collection because I have less than half of the free slots filled, and that seems wrong. I want my userpics to cover a wide array of moods and themes, while also being unique to me. Since I got my new laptop last month, with its built in camera, this manifests itself in lots of self portraits (albeit sometimes with teh kitteh of loooove). I have to be honest here; I feel a bit weird about it. Is it over the top narcissism? How do you choose your userpics? Is uniqueness important to you? Why (not)? Inquiring Julias want to know!

Hair Dye and Braaaains! More pictures of expected touristy things later. For now, a vague attempt at showing you my new hair color.

The icon is from Germany, too. All You Can Eat Spare Rips!