Well, I'm off to Cleveland in less than nine hours, barring delays because of weather. Given that I don't have a laptop, nor does my work see the need to give them out (for good reason--we're a monthly magazine), I may be Internet free for the next five days or so. So I guess enjoy the silence...I'll leave you with a Word Association Challenge...it ought to be fun reading it when I get back. See ya all on Wednesday!

The word is:
Thunder

Man...I hate my allergies.

I am so sore today. I was worse yesterday, when I stayed home from work. But today is still pretty bad. And it's not even a cold, just remnants of the hayfever attack I had on Tuesday. Damn. I need to get uncongested before Saturday though, when I fly to Cleveland. If I have to fly like this, I'm so screwed...I had "crack" for lunch, as hot as possible, and all it did was give me the sniffles...I was hoping it would open my sinuses up, but it just cleared my nose up. That's it. Guess I'll have to work harder at it.

Part of me hopes the Red Sox win so Boston fans finally shut the hell up. But part of me really wants to see them get crushed and was really, honestly, disappointed when they didn't choke in Game Seven yesterday. Screw the "story of ages" bullcrap. I spent most of the last three innings saying, "Where's ol' Billy Buck?" Oh well, as long as the NL wins, I'll be happier. The Cardinals and Astros are two of my favorite teams other than the White Sox.

Other than that, nothing else is really, really new. November 13 is looking more and more like Moving Day, for those who have the time to help.

Well, yes, it's been decided. Gina and I will be taking a nearly-48-hour bender to Vegas the week before Christmas. I've never been there, and she wants to take me...plus, we got a room at the Luxor for $59 a night for two nights. Now, we just have to get airfare...hopefully prices will stay low or go lower. That would be perfect.

Now, I'm tired (because I had a hayfever attack yesterday, and thus, I'm sick). So that's all I have to say for now.

OK, Vegas aficionados, which would be better?

$64 a night at the Luxor--includes shopping dollars, spa package for two, no upgrade possible.

$89 a night at Mandalay Bay--includes shopping dollars, 2-for-1 spa package, cheap upgrade to executive or honeymoon suite, if available upon check-in.

Discuss.

Does anyone know: Is there any action I can take against the post office to make them pay for mail that they lost or haven't yet delivered?

At the end of September, I mailed out three checks. One to the appraiser, one to my car loan credit union and one to SBC for my final bill. As of now, none of those has arrived.

I stopped payment on the car loan check after talking to the credit union and reissued and mailed them a new check. They probably will waive the late fee. However, the fee for stop payment is $30, for Christ's sake. And knowing how oblivious most of these companies are, if I didn't stop payment and just sent another check, they'd cash both, putting me in dire financial straits. But, stopping payment on all three would cost $90, also hurting my financial situation. Such a retarded system...I hate banks. It's not even my fault, but I'll get charged. Assholes.

Is there anything I can do? Any ideas? Anyone?

Well, our living room furniture is now purchased and ready to be delivered (except maybe the sofa table) on Nov. 12. I would post pics of the furniture, but I'd rather you all see it when you visit. :)

We are tentatively looking at Saturday, Nov. 13, for our BIG MOVE date. By big move, I mean we're going to need tons of help. Actually, the more help, the merrier, really. So, in pencil, mark that day down, please...I'll officially ask for help once the date is solid.

Those dates will give us two weeks to clean and paint the place, and hopefully get the kitchen countertop (for which we've done NO real shopping yet, b/c we haven't gotten in to measure it thus far) installed. That should be enough time. Gina and I are playing around on Benjamin Moore's site, trying to figure out a color scheme. But we'll see how it goes...most likely, we'll be painting the living room/dining room a shade of sage (for those non-feminine males out there, that's a shade of gray-green), because that will best match our furniture. But we might go a beige or tan too...we don't know yet 100 percent. I think we know what we want, it's just a matter of finding it, ya know? :)

I've also (here come the screams and yells, I know) begun (wait for it...) brainstorming for Christmas gifts...particularly for Gina. Since we're going to have a tree to put gifts under and all, I'd feel silly if there was just one present under there for her. :) Not that it's a huge deal or anything...I've actually begun to look for other people too, though...not just her. But whatever...you guys probably could care less about that.

Today, football and dinner with the family...unless we decide to go kitchen counter shopping, which is very likely. It would be nice to get into the condo to measure, but I'm not holding my breath.