Sorry about the cliff hanger....

I didn't mean to be away so long but life happens.

The kitten is fully recovered and back to harassing the other cats, my rugs, and anything that isn't tied down. It seems he injured one of his back legs, probably sliding around on the laminate flooring. He does a lot of skittering and rug surfing in the kitchen. I've seen Puddin lay into him a couple of times recently- trying to put him in his place- with minimal affect. Usually, by the time they are done, Simon is on his back screaming and kicking and Puddin's tail looks like bottle brush. Fortunately, neither seems to be injured in these exchanges and it does Simon good to know he's not the only cat with some whoopa*s.

I have concluded that the issue with not being able to sleep for several weeks was a Magnesium deficiency. After about 5 days on the supplement I was again sleeping well and throughout the night.

At work we are moving forward with the changing of my job duties but we still haven't figured out how to unload some of my other duties; nor has there been conclusive evidence that a raise is in my future. I will have some help which is good but not satisfying. I am currently working on a huge report (54+ pages of data, no narrative) and I just finished calculating the faculty load for the last two years. I had a student help me organize some of the data for the large report and I need to finish up and get to counting today. I have held on to the supervision aspect of my job because there aren't any acceptable alternatives and I enjoy it, even if I'm not very good at it.

Frankly, nothing much creative is happening. I finished one of Durin's tunics but need him to try it on before I start the next. We meant to do that when they came over for dinner on Saturday but it didn't happen.

I'm working on some knitting, Tsidfy shawlette, but I'm at the very last part and it's slow going because of the long rows. I added an extra repeat to make it longer. I'm using the indigo dyed wool/silk that I bought at Egils and I'll have a lot of ends to weave in due to the breakage from what appears to be moth damage. It is pretty though and I'm looking forward to having it done.

Mostly I am re-reading the For better or for worse comic strip. I have all of the books now (or will have when my Amazon order arrives) and it's good, light-hearted fun. She occasionally deals with some rather serious issues but always with grace and humor.

I did my taxes and I have received a nice refund. I have replaced my camera and gotten some additional accessories but they will all arrive with my Amazon order. I have replaced a couple of pairs of my Danskos which was a necessary evil on one pair and an indulgence on the other (But RED!). I have made an extra payment on my house which, while not exactly exciting is helpful. I have had mine and my parent's portraits taken for their 45th wedding anniversary and am waiting on portraits from my siblings and their families. I did a little clothes shopping as well but mostly because I didn't want to wear anything I had for the photo session. I'm pleased with my purchases and believe I got staples that I will wear frequently and that mix well with my current wardrobe. Still, I do have two very full closets of clothes so I'll never go naked (unless I want to). I also got a few staples for the house that I always run out of but that I put off buying if money is tight. So, all in all I'm very pleased. There isn't much left and I didn't get anything put into savings but I've gotten some things that had been deferred for a while.

I was also able to book my flight to Yellowstone and will be taking a two week vacation in July! I'm to meet the rest of the family there but no one else has booked anything yet. Oh well, at least I'm fairly certain my parents will arrive with the trailer if the condo doesn't free up. I'm really excited to see Yellowstone as an adult but I'm wishing for the youthful energy I had in 1992 when I was there before. This trip is my incentive to get through the next few months of work. Sometimes, you just need something to look forward to.

So that's all for now. I'm sure there is much I haven't shared but this is long enough. I hope you all are having a good day and if you aren't I hope you are taking care of yourself.