A Fun Day Yesterday.

I was out and about in the cool Wintery day yesterday to Doug Cartwright's house in Logan Central.  He owns a lead-lighting business and has done very well with it. Currently, he makes jewellery boxes and has worked on the set of the next Narnia film at MovieWorld.

So, I took off early yesterday, bussing it to his place via the 550 and getting off it on Jacaranda Avenue.  The last time I was anywhere near this place, I drove a car and it broke down; and that was years ago!  So, once off the bus I had to find the walkway overpass and found his house very easily.  My task today was to help him start up a blog for another artist who was arriving from Melbourne in November.  It had to be easy to use, publicly easy to find and very easy to change if she didn't like the layout; so I recommended Blogger run by Google (the same blog programs I use).  We had our fun getting him signed in and picking out a template and then working on the title and gadgets.  Doug found it very easy to work on and edit.  Then, I showed him how to change the time stamps on it through the settings tab. 

By this time, it lunch time and we all sat down with a sandwich each and a cuppa and chatted about everything and anything until the subjects were exhausted.  Doug said that if he needed my help again, he'd ask and I said I'd be happy to help with anything to do with the blog or with the Kingston Butter Factory (where the Melbourne artist was going to show her exhibition).

After lunch, Doug showed me his lead-lighting studio downstairs where some of his paintings are also stored.  It's an amazing place full of smaller pieces of glass in containers and huge pieces of glass slotted into thin upright boxes in an area near a workbench where

he keeps everything as clean as possible.  All the templates for his famous jewelery boxes he sells at the Logan Art Gallery is there on the bench and he began working out a lid with some pieces of glass.  After a little while, I watched on and then began taking up some of pieces and getting into working out the patterns.  Once we had them all put together like a little jig-saw puzzle, we had to wrap each piece around the edges and brush flux all over it.  By this time, the soldering iron was hot and the metal rod was at hand. 

I had put on a mask and gloves and the place was opened up because the flux put off a smell once the metal touched it and metal wrappings connected; thus connecting it all together.  First, though, I had to tack each piece, then get it to ridge right and let it go hard.  Doug watched and helped me when I needed it; saying that I picked up the craft very quickly.  And the only sticky part was when the back and one side didn't connect all that well; but once we flared it out a smidge, nobody really noticed.  And what a piece!  

I did take other photos during the day.  We took an afternoon tea break and had a breath of fresh air out in the backyard where I saw a lovely Husky snoozing next to a little red kitten next door and took a great photo of a dandelion before its prongs went flying; it was a great macros.

Before long, it was heading toward 4:30pm and Doug though to it best to drive me home - actually, I didn't trust the busses at that time of day and it was getting cold too; truthfully, neither did he.  Just before we left, a customer arrived with a light shade that had arrived from overseas which had been damaged in transit.  Doug said he'd get it fix in the next day or so, grab the guy's number, gave him a business card or two and then we were on our way.

Boy! Was I tired by the time it was time for dinner last night!  I wanted to write this, but decided it could wait until today.  The jewelery box is next to my bed with my rings in it.  I also thought it would be an apt place for my grandmother's necklace watch too.   

May's Something Different!

Wow!  We're back here again!  And hasn't this month gone fast!  Well, first thing's first!  I got a lot done!  And traveled to this time!

On 1st, May, I scored big at Rockaway's Vinyl Sale!  And as you all know, I love vinyls in the biggest way!  So, at $4.00 each, how could I walk past it?  I bought as many as I could afford - which was only 4 unfortunately - and have played them all!

The 8th,May saw Mum and I going to Meadowbrook

Park at Loganlea to a Logan City Council celebration of Volunteers around Logan.  It was the day Logan Valued Volunteers; and we had a free lunch and coffee and got to kick back and enjoy ourselves with Dean Vegas singing up a storm that afternoon!  I even got to meet him!  And what a hottie!  Mum loves him too!

Between 17th - 22nd May, Mum and I took off to Mooloolaba at the Sunshine Coast.  I had won a 2-night stay at the Mantra on the Beach Hotel up there and so invited my Mum to take me (let's face it, I don't have a boyfriend of anyone special in my life; so I thought to give this to my Mum as a Mother's Day pressie).  We spent our time traveling around Eumundi and going to the massive market there, visiting Yandina and 'The Ginger Factory' and then looking in on the first European settlement - Coolum Beach - on the way back all in one day.   We also met-up with some Bookcrossers and had dinner at family up there too at Pelican Waters.  Fortunately, the weather was on our side until the day before we left when it began to rain.

On May 24th, I thought it was time to clean up the house... after all, I've cleaned out the house in February, so why not tidy up.  It's a big job, but it's gotta be done.  And three days later, I did my first section of the house - the art area next to the back door.  I'll be attacking another section today and tomorrow.

Today, I found out something even bigger than something I've done.  It's big news.  I found out that Gary Coleman (the child-star from 'Dif'rent Strokes') has passed away at the young age of 42.  He was an angry man and had big problems in his life; and I do hope he rests in peace now.

So, that's all that's happened in my month of May.  Stay tuned for next month.  You never know what's going to happen!

Inheritance

Late last night, I was throwing my large feather-down duvet onto my bed before climbing in and snuggling into it and I remembered that it was my late-Grandmother's.  And it got me thinking about all the things my family inherited from her after she passed away.

There are so many things in my house that my Grandma used in her everyday life and I now use the same things.  There's her knitting needles and cylinder.  They are all old and wonderfully used; and yet I've used a few of bamboo ones for scarves and flat work without having to go to expense of purchasing any new needles (well, okay, one pair for a Dr. Who scarf, but that was a necessity; and I've used them since).  Then, I have a pile of

Grandma's doilies.  She crocheted them while watching television; usually the tennis and quite a few of the family members got a good number of them each... and I got all the crochet hooks too, without a clue how to crochet!  The brown cylinder is a container Grandpa made to keep all the crochet hooks together; so Grandma didn't lose any.  How good was that?

Then, there was Grandma's cookbook - which Mum got.  It's full of wonderful recipes all written by hand.  It's a wonderful thing to see.  I love seeing it once in a while and would love to get it all written up properly and let everyone in the family have a good hard-cover copy each one day.

I also inherited Grandma's 1920's Paling & Sons 'Victor' upright piano.  And what a piano it is!  For about a decade, this sweet instrument was in storage because nobody had the room for it.  Then, around August last year, I move around some furniture and found the room and it's now in my humble home, all tuned up and I'm learning to play it.  And she just sounds wonderful!

And if it wasn't Grandma whose things were wonderful and lovely, it was Grandpa's.  He had his coin collection (which I don't know where that is) and his mouth organs; which I'm proud to say my older brother took up playing.  And Grandpa was a big reader too; and so I have a nice little collection of books that both Grandma and Grandpa had in their bookshelves at Tarragindi.  They are old and out-of-print, but in good condition.

And it isn't just my Mum's side of the family who have given us things.  Dad's side gave us some lovely things too.  Nan's organ is still around and I've gotten some funny books by Bill Cosby too.  Then, I received a lovely necklace in recent years and was told that my Nan remembered that once I admired it and I was to have it.  So, it's a part of my jewelry box now; and the funny thing is:  I don't remember looking at it, but I do remember the necklace.

Isn't it amazing how it's the things that we inherit in our lives that makes our families all the more closer? 

Sometimes it doesn't, but most times it does.  The times it doesn't is when people become petty about who wants what.  I love Grandma's piano and that she also gave me all the music that she collected together with it.  It's just a wonderfully beautiful instrument and I do look forward to learning more about it as the years pass.

So, what have you inherited - no matter how small or insignificant - that makes you remember your favourite Aunt or Grandparent?  And did you ever find out why they gave it to you?   

 

The Big Clean Up - Part One

Well, this is a bigger thing than I first thought.  Cleaning my house used to be an easy thing; until I let it go a little.  Now, I'm not walking around a place that's just full of little pathways (and yes, I know somebody who lives like that; I won't mention their name here to protect their privacy).  But I have begun on the Big Clean Up for this year; now that I have cleaned out this townhouse, I can put everything away.

The first place I attacked was my art area next to the back door, near the laundry.  It badly needed a clean out and a clean up; as I had paint inside the large black container on wheels that hadn't seen the light of day for over 2 years.  And when you've stopped using acrylic paint for that long, it get gluggy and separate and look like glue.  So, instead of going through all of it, I tossed it all and refilled the entire container with the paints I'm using now.  Then, I found out I had about 20 small canvasboards!  Yeah, you read right!  20 of them little things!  Wow!  So, I got them all together and sat them out so I can get to them.  And if that's not enough, I have about 7 of the ones that are 2 sizes up... that's going to keep me painting for a good long time! I think I'll begin working on some miniatures.

After putting out a massive bag of rubbish, I found the art corner was more spacious and the black box had stuff in it I had been looking for for the last year... I really should get a proper cupboard so all I need to do is open the door and it's all in there sitting there looking at me waiting for me to use it.  

Right now, though, I'm in the process of replacing my detailing brushes.  It's an expensive thing to do, but I'm looking at the right ones and tossing out the old ones; but when it comes to using them all, I'm grateful I'm doing it.  Also, I'm keeping their plastic protectors on them instead of tossing that part of them away.  It keeps all the bristles nice and straight and in good condition.

So, that's the first area I've done in my house.  The next one will be downstairs as well.  I'll be keeping my office as the last place to do as I spend a lot of time in here on the net.

Another place I have done is the books I've registered

for Bookcrossing.  They used to be all over the place.  Now, they are in a 'green' bag and a box; all ready for sending off, and they're sitting neatly next to the filing cabinet and not under my feet as before.  I have also organised a box of goodies that I can go through so I can send things away when I mean to.  In this box, there's gifts and goodies for people that I can just find and include in parcels without having to run around wondering where they are.  My purple basket from my birthday is still in use as a container of what I've received.

So, until I post again about the Big Tidy-Up... I hope you're all keeping well.  I'm hoping to have the house in a such a way that I don't have to work too hard on it... a little like my garden really; low maintenance but looking good. 

Around the Corner

It seems that everything in my life is just around the corner.  There's my collection of coin purses ... where I'll be collecting my 100th purse.  That's just around the corner.  I don't know how many handbags I have (truthfully, I haven't counted them) so I'll need to soon to find out how many I do have.  

Then, there's Winter which is just around the corner.  The days have been getting shorter and shorter and colder too.  Also, the sun has been turned around in a different direction; just slightly.  And my miniskirt has taken a back seat to my jeans and jumpers and long-sleeved shirts and skivvies.  I've been making sure the weather is nice and clear to do my laundry - with a nice breeze - so that it'll all dry in time before it gets too cold and it's all wet again because the dew will fall.

Little Miss Stevie has to be covered over before the sun goes down along with the front curtains pulled and the lights turned on so she doesn't catch a cold.  She's just turned 5 years old; meaning that she's now a middle-aged budgie... quite old really but young at heart.

Also just around the corner, I'll be helping a friend of mine pull together a blog for a woman who needs one designed.  She asked him but he's not sure how to do it; and I've been asked to help manage it too!  How good is that?  I've never been asked to manage another person's blog before... of course I said I'd help.  And I'm looking forward to going next Monday to my friend's house to get this blog going.  He's also hoping to learn about blogs too so he can get one up and going as well for himself.

Another thing that's just around the corner for me is piano lessons.  Yep, I'll be off to learn more about playing and improvising on my Victor piano.  I'm going well with the self-taught books; but I'd like to know more about how to get my mind to be a little more open with how to get it around the notes that aren't on the paper; a bit like automatic writing.  Improve is easy once you've learnt how to do it, but hard in the learning process.  And seeing I've only been taught to read what's in front of me, I'd like to know what's not in front of me and play the music I hear in my mind, as well as the notes on the paper.

So, what's just around the corner for you?  Is it exams, or holidays?  Is it a sale you've been waiting for?  Is it a trip you've saved up for and have organised?  Do tell us.

Cleaning House

Okay, I gotta admit something I find very embarrassing... I'm not the best housekeeper in the world.  Honestly, I'm not.  Some parts of my house are tidy - like the piano, stereo system and where Little Miss Steve's cage is.  But otherwise, the rest of the place is a mess.  The lounge has one space on it for me to sit and that's it (and it's a three-seater lounge).  The kitchen table isn't all that tidy from one day to the next.  And my bedroom has laundry from only God knows how long ago.

So, seeing I had a big clean out in February, it would only further my house along if I put away things that needed putting away.  And I've begun already.  The office was started on yesterday and there are things that were sitting around the place that have a home.  I cleaned out a bag off goodies that showed up in the mail before I went to Mooloolaba and I went and cleaned out the bag yesterday afternoon and figured out what I wanted and what I didn't; keeping unused Christmas and Birthday cards for those special people in my lives this year; thus saving myself some money.  The stuff I'm saving has been put into a box and onto a hand-made desk in my office so I know where it all is. Also in this box is things that I'll be giving away to Bookcrossers across the world.

Now, all I need to do is find a container for my Life History stuff by the door and seal it up in a way that I can find things.  Right now, it's in two bags just sitting there!  And I'm constantly tripping over them.  So, what I'm thinking of getting is a Constantina Folder so that I can put each item into a certain section in it and store it properly.  This will take a few weeks to tidy up this office.

While I'm slowly cleaning up this room I'll be working on the lounge room, kitchen and my art area near the back door.  I need some things to put my art gear into for when I'm not using it all; something which I can access when I want to open it all up and just paint or collage whenever I want.  I don't want to be stuck having to move crap out of the way.  So, it looks like I'll be saving up some money to work on buying something second-hand or from 'Sam's Warehouse'  Otherwise, I'll have to put it all into the lidded container I have.  Such a pain!  It does need to look tidier though; and something I can clean around with a broom and a vacuum cleaner.

Yep, now I've cleaned out the house, I'm tidying it up.  In the next few posts, I'll let you in on why I'm doing.  And it's not because I have somebody in my life - I don't - there's a more interesting reason than that.

Home Again!

Mum and I had a fun and long trip home.  I was navigator

again; which meant we were going all the way out of our way to see one thing... but we ended up seeing other things along the way too.

First off, we wanted to see Mt Tibrogargan up in the Glass House Mountains National Park.  You can actually pull up at the side of the road and take a photo of the massive thing!  It looks like a crouching gorilla (or man, depending on your perspective); and it's an extinct volcanic mountain... and what a mountain!  We drove around the scenic route behind it before we found the road the led us to the front of him/it.  And Mum got some lovely shots of it.  But we had to be careful as there was a massive nest of angry green ants running around that the people before us had walked all over.

On the way there, we drove to Beerwah where had morning tea of the most delicious coffees in our lives!  My caffe Latte wasn't too hot and came in a large white mug and was just to die for!  And the Hedgehog they served was a little hard, but it was very morish.  Mum had a coffee where she was hoping to get more out of it; but felt it was too small.  This little town was lovely and quiet and looked like a piece of Rochedale South had been plucked up and placed in the middle of nowhere! 

On the way to Beerwah, we passed the Ettamogah Pub.  This place is very famous in this part of the world and I've never seen it until today.  So, when we happened to pass it, Mum pulled over and we both got photos of it.  What a pub... but it's more of a theme park now and not just a place to eat... with a ferris wheel and other attractions behind and around it.  Kind of takes away from the feel of the place if you ask me.

Also on the way to Beerwah was 'Australia Zoo'.  Mum has always wanted to go there; but I've never been interested.  I just never liked Steve Irwin or how he treated animals.  I know it's all about conservation and keeping animals safe; but it's how he did it that bothered me.  I felt as though he was teasing them all the time.

We found our way back onto the Bruce Highway and then finally onto the M1 and we started seeing familiar signs everywhere as we headed towards the Gateway Arterial and the New Gateway Bridge.  And what a bridge!  We noticed great differences as we drove over it compared to its sister bridge.  The massive high rails along the sides and the speed limit signs flashing at us are some of the things.  It's a great

bridge and I can't wait until they fix up the other one to get it working well enough that they both work together.

Now, Little Miss Stevie is home with me and I've gotten most of my gear unpacked, the washing sorted out for tomorrow and the cold goods in the fridge along with everything else in the cupboards, I'm ready to either have a nap or just chill out until dinnertime.  I'm not sure which yet.

And So... It's The Last Night

Since this morning, Mum and I have been doing a fair bit of stuff... only because the weather cleared and the sun came out; and so did everyone around Mooloolaba.  After we stuffed around on the net and on the camera, we thought to take a walk around on The Esplanade and take photos for 365 Project. 

Then,Mum got an sms from Aunty Narelle and Uncle Iain and they had arrived at Mudjimba Beach Caravan Park and the caravan was all up and ready for visitors.  So, we decided to have a quick lunch and go and see them.

Driving to Mudjimba was easier said than done.  What I saw in referdex was a lot different to what

was actually out there in front of us!  The road we took to go into Mudjimba took us in then took us straight out... which was really weird.  So, we stopped and looked at the map and found another way to the van park. And what a place!  There was so much space for the set-up of caravans, plenty of shade and it was very quiet (a far cry from the caravan park we frequent at Brunswick Heads, NSW) and it was full of Bush Turkeys!  Uncle Iain told me that there were about 30 or so of them.  We sat down and had some tea and talked about everything we had done since we arrived. Well, the time came when we had to go back to the hotel and we took off just as it began to rain.

Mum drove us along the coastal road to get us back to Mooloolaba.  Once back here at Mantra, we walked around the tourist strip, we thought to try to figure out what to have for dinner.  So, instead of eating out, Mum offered to make some pumpkin soup here in the room.  She did and we've just had our cup of tea and pieces of chocolate.  In the next few hours, we'll have our gear mostly packed and ready to go.

The next time you'll hear from me, I'll be back in Brisbane.  I hope you've enjoyed reading about our trip to Mooloolaba.  I'm looking forward to putting my photos onto photobucket.

Our Last Day in Paradise

Well... this is our last day here at Mooloolaba.  When I woke this morning, I looked outside and saw what the weather guy on the news told us was going to happen: a wet, cold, rainy day.  The best thing about this is that it's our first wet day of our holiday.  So, that's good!

Last night, we had another home-cooked stir-fry with prawns in it makde by me.  Mum loves what I cook and asked what else I cook for myself.  I told her about my home-made pumpkin, sweet potatoe and carrot soup with garlic... yummo!  And that there was a pasta and veggie bake I make that's delicious and Gabe makes it too from my recipe. 

While cleaning up, Mum thought to dry out some of the Corianda in the microwave; like she does at home in her own.  So, she put it between the pieces of paper and put it on the usual temperature.  Almost as soon as Mum turned her back, the whole lot in the machine caught fire!  Well!  Quickly, she opened the microwave and the stuff was still on fire!  From the lounge, all I could hear was her swearing... so I looked around and I could see something was on fire, but didn't know how bad it was.  Mum began laughing saying the microwave must be more powerful than she thought and put the rest of the corianda in the fridge.

Today, I think we'll be hanging around here, writing the last of our postcards, reading a little and then packing for tomorrow; as we need to be out of here by 10am.  

We've had a great time; and the weather's been on our side for a good amount of the time.  Even though we thought the room was quite small at first; it had been good.  And the views have been amazing!  We've taken photos of it every morning and enjoyed ourselves completely.  Even though the bedroom is very small, we've been able to adjust and acommodate each other and each other's habits; no matter how funny they are.  And the habits are funny really.

Today, my Aunt and Uncle from Brisbane are coming up to spend four days at the caravan park down near the water not far from where we're staying.  So, Mum and I might go and see them once they've settled in and once we've packed up a little.  It's going to be an unrushed day today of getting ready to leave here.  Such a pity we have to... but we can always come back.  After all, it's only a two-hour drive north of Brisbane.

We've had a wonderful week of traveling around and enjoying what the Sunshine Coast has to offer in the way of tourist attractions.  The Sunshine Motorway is the best way to travel around the place; but it also means you miss out on the big attractions of what this part of this state offers.  There's Mt Tibrogargan which is one of the extinct

volcanic mountains and I remember seeing it when I was younger and we treaveled around this part of Queensland.

Then, there's Eumundi and its massive markets!  OMG! Talk about huge!  Mum and I arrived there at around 11am, but still didn't get to more than a quarter of them!  So, I guess we'll have to see the other three quarters next time.  But we did see 'Cocoa

Chocolat' which is a place where all the chocolates are hand-made!  If you ever do visit Eumundi, visit the markets and find this shop!  You must taste these chocolates and meet the owner... I swear, they are the best I've ever eaten.

Yandina is lovely little town with a Ginger Factory in the centre of it and this factory has the biggest selection of ginger products around.  Their ice-cream is creamy and delicious as is their ginger beer.  I will drink no other ginger beer without thinking fondly of this one; and no other ice-cream will reach this quality that Yandina had reached.

We even visited 'The Spirit House' and took some lovely photos there.  What wonderful place that is!  A restaurant and cooking school hidden in amongst a forest of statues, water features and seated areas with umbrellas.  I'd love to eat there; if it wasn't so expensive.  Well, one day, when I can afford it, I will.Yes, Mum and I have had a wonderful time here at the Sunshine Coast; and still we didn't see anywhere near enought of the attractions that we'd normally see on a holiday.

Stickin' Around Base Camp

As much as we love travelling around the Sunshine Coast yesterday, Mum and I are very tired and we really need a day off; and so today is the day.  Last night's dinner went down so well that Mum has suggested that I do another stir-fry - this time I add in prawns instead of vegetarian bacon.

But today, I'm going to take you around the hotel room and parts of Mantra that you haven't seen.  It's a small set of rooms, but yet it's good.  This hotel is mainly used for

functions and meetings, so there's mirrors everywhere!  There's one in the bedroom - of course - and one in the living room and one in the bathroom too.  Then, once you're out in the area where the lifts are, there's a pretty decent-sized one there too!

And there's plenty of windows too; so plenty of natural light during the day. The bedroom has a full-length window next to the beds (which are very close together).  Then, there's one big one next to the kitchen, and a lovely big set of doors that look out to the beach and The Esplande.  It's wonderful!  I don't get to see the ocean very much; and just can't seem to stop photographing it!

Once you're out the door of the unit, there's a little corner

and then the lifts; but if you keep walking along and turn left, there's a corridor that runs along and curves around.  Along here is a large set of windows that look out over the back of the hotel and over the back of Mooloolaba.  It takes in the Glass House Mountains and surrounding areas!  What a gorgeous view it is!  It makes taking out the rubbish worthwhile... as this is the same corridor that you walk along to put your rubbish out.

When you want a coffee or something to eat, there's always a place to go.  Once downstairs, there's a lovely lot of restaurants along what's called the Tourist Strip.  It's got everything there you could possibly think of (but I've yet to find a bookstore... maybe I didn't look hard enough).  Anyway, Mum and I had a Bookcrossing meet up there on Tuesday, and the coffee was wonderful; as was the company.  

Well, today, seeing we're just lazying around the place, we're hoping to get in a coffee or a walk around The Esplanade.  Better yet, we might walk out to Point Cartright for a bit; sounds like a nice relaxing thing to do.  I might stick around here and catch up on my reading and postcard writing.

4:34pm:  As the day has passed us slowly by, the clouds have crowded Mooloolaba from all sides.  They came in over the ocean and from the mountains too bringing rain with them; however they were only light showers.
Even though we went out for lunch along the tourist strip at a bakery past Brisbane Street, the day didn't seem to improve; and we both forgot our cameras.  While at the bakery, a pigeon kept walking in and pooping all over the floor.  The lady behind the counter had to keep washing the floor down every so often keep the place tidy; and the pigeon kept on coming in searching for food and pooping everywhere.  It was so tame that we could corner it and walk closely behind it.  I noticed a tag on its leg; so I thought it may have been a homing pigeon; but I wasn't sure.  So, the lady and I got him out from behind the counter (which seemed to be his favourite place) and I picked him up gently.  Once in my hands, he didn't seem to struggle too much until we were outside.  Then, he flew off a short distance and turned around to begin walking back!  It was so funny to find him back under my feet this time when I went to get off my stool from lunch.

We walked all the way long the tourist strip nearly to the surf club and back.  On the way back, we stopped in to a book store and looked around; such a pity it was so tiny, yet very much full of the most up-to-date books around!  Then, we found this place that was full of Indian and Chinese things.  It was beautiful and the smell of incense hung in the air just a little bit.  There were leadlight lamps, jewellery, hair accessories, bags, bracelets of all kinds, keyrings of all kinds, bookmarks, hair sticks, paintings, fountains, notebooks, Tibetian Singing Bells of all sizes (even one that was massive and cost $395!) and there were little perfume bottles and other beads and necklaces,

statuettes made of jade and quartz ... oh!  So, much was in this little shop and we wished we had the money to buy a lot of the lovely stuff in it.
But I wasn't feeling all that great... actually haven't been feeling good all day... so I was eager to get back to the hotel.  Mum wanted to walk around the place and it was looking like it was going to rain again soon.  It still does.  Now, I'm back here at the hotel and Mum's out at the bank and getting some prawns for tonight.  So, there was our day of hanging out here... I'm hoping I feel better tomorrow.