Oy veh, what a week. Last time I wrote, I was in a great mood, despite having come down with a cold. Both my cold and my mood were sorely tested this week, though. Because I'm consulting with a dot-com, I was forced to work dot-com hours all week, which meant that I wasn't able to follow my usual sick-bed regime of complete rest, and low stress. In fact the stress was intensified by my also having to help organize the technical symposium I'm going to in Orange County in just over a week. I've never seen such a bunch of incompetence as the organization behind this symposium. So a good part of the stress came from firing off emails to try to figue out a way through the mess without overly antagonizing anyone, and without leaving myself with the blame for the bad organization.

Anyway, both the work-week and my cold are pretty much over for the moment, although I really have so much work to do, that I should work a little this weekend. But I'm not going to - largely because I already have so much to do this weekend. My brother, Neil, is arriving today, for one thing. For another, I'm having dinner with Jed tonight - our first get together since we broke up.

Underneath the stress and the cold, though, there remains a good mood trying to make itself known. I'm sure it would have popped out into the open this morning, had I not felt so run down from the previous week. Not to mention feeling out of shape. I'm sure it's mainly psychological, but after a week of no exercise, I feel like a complete pudding.

Some nice things did happen this week, though. Some beautiful sunsets ...

And on Wednesday, I wrapped up warmly, and drove over to my old company with Mark to have lunch with my former team-members. It's always so nostalgic to go back there. I miss the kind of work I used to do there, and the people I worked with. The only thing that would stop me from applying for my old job back is that the management sucks.

My old team members, L to R, Tony, Mark, me, Wayne, Cristin, Jon

And, before I got really sick midweek, I saw my new friend again (remember - the one with the lifeforce!) And he brought me a cute little cuddly toy. I don't really think of myself as the kind of person for whom people buy cuddly toys, but it was sweet of him. Now I'm just not quite sure what to do with it. It forms a collection of one.

Wrapped up, and sick; but at least I have a cuddly toy.