gregarious (adj) - fond of the company of others; sociable; outgoing

loquacious (adj) - talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative; chattering; babbling; garrulous

capricious (adj) - subject to, led by, or indicative of caprice or whim; erratic; fanciful

Leave the heavy lifting to the men folks.

Buy twice as much potting soil and plants as you think you need.

Plan on more than one trip to the home improvement store. (For more potting soil. And plants.)

Save the receipts and labels. (Something will have to go back . . . probably on the fourth or fifth trip.)

Wear sunscreen. And Off.

Don't spray Off in your face. You'll get a rash.

Don't get Off in your eyes. Or your mouth. Your mouth will go numb and your eyes will sting.

Don't wipe your forehead or nose with the back of your dirty garden gloves. (Sweat plus dirt = mud. Snot plus dirt = sticky mud.)

Wear gloves and a hat.

Keep the Neosporin and Band-Aids handy. (The rose bush has plans for world domination.)

Drink lots of water. Lots of cold, cold water.

Enjoy yourself, even if you're doing manual labor in 106 degree heat.

Reward your husband for all his hard work and patience and the seven trips to the home improvement store. With barbeque on the patio, where you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Please accept my apologies for the short and boring posting this week. Today is the last official day of the fiscal quarter, and I need every last unit to ship. Every last one.

Because it doesn't count toward my quota unless those computers are loaded onto a boat or a plane or a delivery van or a little red wagon. So long as it goes.

The upside to this is that the end of the day in Asia comes a bit later than the end of the day stateside. Thank God for time zones.

Stark Street starts down by the river, cuts through the center of the city, and runs straight to hell. Storefronts are grimy, decorated with gang graffiti and the accumulated grit of day-to-day life in the breakdown lane.

-Janet Evanovich, Finger Lickin' Fifteen

Buttered popcorn flavored Jelly Bellys

Sauteed chicken, artichoke hearts, asparagus, broccoli, butter, cream, and sea salt.

Served over cavatappi.

Glass of Chardonnay.

Well, it's T minus 3 days and counting. 3 days, 3 million.

And the cast of characters who inhabit my regularly scheduled dream programming have apparently gone on strike. Only to be replaced with purchase orders, status reports, phone calls, and faxes.

Fun. Except not really.