I can't keep denying it, I've got a cold. It seems to be in my throat of all places. Work won't be so fun if I keep coughing like this. At least my period finished.

I'm working 9:00 - 3:00 tomorrow. I think I will miss Sarah's baby shower. Her in-law family have arranged it all. The only thing I needed to do is show up. I was all set to enjoy just showing up and seeing how they do a shower. But, now I'm going to miss all or most of it. I would like to come over for the last hour but I've been so tired after work that I don't even want to put my feet on the gas to get the car going anywhere right away. So, I've been debating with myself, trying to decide if I should send an email letting the hostess know I might make it or should I just get out of denial and admit to both of us that I won't make it for the shower. I do want to go too. I just don't think I will still want to go as much after six hours of walking around being nice and trying not to cough on everyone.

Oh well, that's standard. Life gets in the way of itself all the time.

I am liking the job, did I already say that? I like helping people and so far there has only been one grumpy customer. Most people say they don't need help but about half of them pause and then ask me about something. I really liked Friday when I found a lady a pair of exactly the pants she wanted for half the price she said she was willing to pay for them. She was impressed. :)

The car is getting more cracked. While I was driving around on Thursday I heard a little noise and looked at just the right time to see the crack in my front window grow another inch or so. I hope it lasts until Spring. If it gets right from the bottom to the top or sides will the whole thing fall apart? Definitely not a happy thought.

I watched Robot Wars on TV tonight. It was great. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Best of all was the comradery between the players. They hammed it up a bit but overall they were cheering for each other even though they would like to have their creation win, of course. The big winner of the show was a bot called Pussycat. I'll watch again, if I happen to see it in the TV listings.

Almost time for me to shower and hop into bed. Last night I went to bed early and this morning I was up by 7:00, just in time for getting ready for work. But, I had the day off. Not so for tomorrow morning. I need to buy an alarm clock. The clock radio I bought it supposed to have one but it isn't going off. Kind of an essential thing for an alarm clock.

BackWash isn't working this afternoon or evening. I hope it isn't being hacked or something worse. The main page is not coming up at all. I've never seen that happen before. I did update Kids BackWash, that works. But, it has a different domain.

Not a real first day since it was just an orientation. We toured the store, signed papers, got a uniform (golf shirt) and found out what we are doing. I am a floor service person. Sounds great so far. From what I know I walk around and see if anyone needs help. If they are looking for something I take them there, offer to show them little extras to go with their planned purchase, etc. Basically it's my job to be friendly and outgoing. How hard can that be? I guess we'll see.

Anyway, I hemmed up the black pants I bought for work. So I'm pretty much ready to start tomorrow at 9:00am. If that turns out to be my regular shift I'd be happy. I still don't know that part for sure.

Of course, my period started today too. It does seem to have great timing. I've heard it's due to stress that you get your period at the worst times. But, I don't believe that theory. I've been under a lot of stress and it stopped completely for several months. I was sure I had early menopause. I began to feel extremely hopeless. That's a horrible thing to feel. Now, I really understand suicide, what goes through someone's mind and what drives them to take that last step. It's not feeling sad, feeling you can't cope, etc. It really is a lack of hope.

Enough of that. Just now when things seem to be getting better I don't want to rehash the past few months.

The little car is great. That crack down the front window IS growing. I look at it every day, how can I miss it after all. But, other than that I am really starting to love my car. I talk to it now and then. No name yet, I haven't found one that has that feeling of total rightness.

It's been a long time since I updated. Things have changed, as things do. I bought a car, a Ford Tempo (93) for about $2,000. On Friday I heard back from Zellers, I got a job! Tomorrow afternoon I'm going in for an orientation session and then I will find out just what I'm doing and when.

For HerCorner I am lagging behind from October. In part due to the server move, in part due to just not getting two articles done on time.

My sister, Grace, has moved out to Vancouver. Men were here over the weekend to move her stuff out there. She had it all really well packed and ready so it just took them half an hour at the most to load it up and get on their way.

Not much other news. I'm tired tonight. I seem to be tired every night these past couple of months. I guess I've run low on my night owl-ness.

August is pretty sad looking. I haven't felt like writing. Nothing seems to be working out and life is just plodding along, taking me along with it. I wrote a few columns in BackWash but this is more personal and I just didn't have the spirit left to put something into this, the weblog.

My sister's baby shower is this weekend. I haven't told anyone how depressed this is making me feel. I don't even want to write about it.

Lot's of stuff on my mind but that's all I want to put into print.

My sister helped me, gave my resume a look over and some suggestions. She is the big business typhoon in the family. She really does know her stuff. Anyway, she was not impressed with my website. True, the front page does look amateurish, especially the layout. But what she especially thought I should get rid of is my Witchery stuff. Likely she is right, only a few people really understand all of that. Most have no clue and many would think I was crazy, gothic or a danger to society - maybe all three. So, I am thinking of making it invisible, just like my adult pages. I bet you didn't even know about those. I've only made one link to them and its not anywhere on my own domain.

So Witchcraft might have to do the same. Its not like I've been posting new content there anyway. I did want to, planned to, all that stuff but its never happened. The traffic it used to get has died off too, so its not likely anyone but me would miss it.

Magazines, Magazines, Magazines!

In the short time since I moved, is it a week already? I have bought over a dozen magazines. One book too: The Canadian Writer's Market. There is a story about that book now. The latest edition came out just 2 days after I bought the old one at Chapters. I noticed it was in need of an update at the time but I bought it thinking it would be of some use, since websites were included for most of the listings. But, when I went back to Chapters a couple of days later I noticed the new edition sitting on the shelves. It hadn't even been on their website yet. So, on Sunday I took the old edition back to Chapters and asked to exchange it. No problem, so now I have the latest edition.

Are you bored enough?

I had an idea this weekend too. Well, one of many. Anyway, I thought I would look at writing a bi-monthly/ monthly newsletter or blog or something column-like called "Tripping Around Ontario". Of course it will have to wait until I have that car. But, when my last name is Tripp and I enjoy travelling and I am a writer, isn't that just a combination too good to ignore? In the end, why not? So, if I can figure out how to pull it together and what to do with it once the string has been pulled... I think its a good idea.

the Spitfire Grill

When people ask what my favourite movies, music and books are I never have a ready answer. I just don't seem to keep names and titles in mind. But, The Spitfire Grill is one of my very favourite movies. It was on TV tonight. Even though its now almost 3:AM I'm glad I watched it. Likely I won't stay up and online to put out my BackWash newsletters now but thats how it goes. Maybe I will get them done sometime tomorrow, more likely tomorrow evening again. For now, I'm checking email and getting to bed.