Six thousand steps before lunch and panhandled by a toddler

It's been a bit since I posted here, and I still need to finish my travelogue!  All I can say is that I haven't felt like writing.  Somehow, the day on Thursday made me want to write it up.  A couple of weeks ago I bought I cheap pedometer from Walgreens.  I've been averaging 4-5000 steps per day and hoping to get better as time goes on.  On Thursday I had 6000 by lunch and another 3000 by bedtime!

A little background: in 2014, the judge set up twice-monthly hearings where interested* parties have a chance to object to estate inventories and accounts.  I'm in charge of pulling the files, giving them to the magistrate covering the hearing, explaining the rules to people who want to object, checking folks in and sometimes explaining to people who show up that they don't need to be there when nobody has objected.

Some hearing days we have no cases, some days we have lots of cases, and on days like Thursday, we have only a few cases with a boatload of people.  They all need to be herded into groups and then into the hearing room one case at a time, and sometimes kept apart if there are strong emotions at play.  The magistrate took people into the hearing room on the basis of "First case with all their people here goes first" and once she had the first case being heard, I had a minute to call the attorney for one side of the third case, because she hadn't shown up yet.

The parties for our three cases were interesting.  One had a trio of African-American great-aunts, ladies who looked like they had seen some shit and weren't taking any, another had a really arrogant asshole attorney and the third had a guy who looked, sounded, and shook hands like he'd been living in a cave his whole life.  Damp, pallid, skinny and doughy.  ::shudder::

So in the middle of running back and forth herding cats and occasionally stopping at my desk to try to work on guardians' accounts, I was stopped by the gumball machine by an adorable little boy who asked me if I had a quarter.  Softie that I am, I gave him two.

Things were calmer once the magistrate cleared all the cases.  I call her "The Fastest Pen in the Midwest" for good reason--in one of the cases, she had her decision to me before my colleague had even docketed the attorney's notice of appearance. :-)

I did manage to get all the accounts and inventories published or approved that afternoon and cleared my desk of a boatload of work.  I also got a notification that a library book I'd been waiting on had come in, so I stopped on my way home to pick it up.  My phone rang when I was two blocks from home, but I knew it just meant Mom had beat me to the house, so I didn't answer.

Mom and Dad have been emptying the attic, so Mom brought over a bunch of unused carpet scraps for me to put out for the fabric recycling company to pick up Friday morning.  I fed the dog and let her out and put her away again while Mom was stuffing bags and carrying them to the curb.  I helped with the last bag and then we were off to Home Goods.  Mom had a bunch of rewards, so she gave me half, and I got the softest new blanket and a shedload of hand soaps (for home and for work) and three yummy-smelling Halloween candles.

After that we had dinner at Aladdin's and then went to Gabriel Brothers, where I found a gorgeous fall jacket for only $12.99 and Mom looked at all the bras and didn't buy any because they were all push-ups.  I got home about 9, lit the juniper and clementine candle and was glad that Mom & I had gone out, even after a very busy day.

*"Interested" is used here as a legal term--someone has to have a stake or share in the estate, not an interest in the sense of curiosity.

Leftovers from the trip and a great reason to be home

My flight home was unremarkable except for the couple of hours I got to spend at the airport with Captain Crossword and the princesses.

I see that I forgot to post this picture of a calm, cool and collected Jack Russell terrier being a service dog:

He and his person were seeing the sights as I was waiting for John and Jen at the Leaky Cauldron.

Downs and ups

Wednesday was Call Day, which is the one day of the month when I play bailiff, and although I've gotten much better at it in the last year, it's still a little stressful.  Then I had a co-worker have a hissy fit at me (I think as a stand-in for the rest of the world) and give me work that she didn't feel she could do impartially.  So I fell off the non-smoking wagon. :-(

Thursday was an appointment with my regular doc to see if she'd be willing to take over prescribing my Lexapro.  My neurologist was responsible for it, but it costs $500 to see him, and even if I only pay $60 of it, add in driving time, cost of gas, cost of parking and it adds up quickly.  In addition, the county is self-insured and I'd like not to be the straw that broke the county's back.  Dr. J was willing to prescribe Lexapro for me, but when I asked about an increase, she said I'm at the maximum safe dosage.  So she put me on 5 milligrams of Wellbutrin, and asked me to come back in 6 weeks.

I went in to work, did the Orders from Call Day, which the judge has to sign, and came home and slept.  I'm not proud of that bout of self-pity, but it happened and now it's over and I'm moving on.  Moving on was helped immeasurably by a phone call from my friend Doc, who has been my friend since second grade--she's getting married, and she graciously acceded to my demand to be the clerk who signs her marriage license.

Three of us had drinks after work Friday night and had fun.  I'm still looking forward to Universal with Captain Crossword and the Princesses, and meeting Jen and John from Cakewrecks, and yes, my friend Donna backed up the wagon so I can climb back on.  So life is far from awful, and I have many, many, lots of things to which I look forward.

By the numbers

Attorneys I've dealt with this week:

Passive-aggressive, 2
Patronizing, 1
Argumentative, 3
Determined to re-write a previous discussion, 1
Funny, 2
Charming, 2
Irritating poser, 1
Failure who tried to go over my head, 1
Lying sack of weasel shit, 1
Irritating because they're filing stuff at 3:59, 2

Members of the public I've dealt with this week:

Sweet and sad, 1
Slightly odd, 1
Loud but adorable, 2
Loud and argumentative, 1
Prone to empty promises, 1
Bat-shit crazy, 2
Just did not understand, 1

But thankfully, unlike last week, no one screamed at our chief magistrate so loudly that 4 people pushed their panic buttons.

This is your brain on migraine

So I missed work yesterday because of the first migraine in 5 or 6 months.  I spent the day sleeping, got up and assessed, had a hot bath and some more meds and then moar sleeping.

I woke up with a bit of a headache but also with my typical post-migraine thing where I'm jittery and so sensitive that it feels like my nerves start four inches outside of my skin.  I managed to get dressed and drive to work, and get through 3 hours (including auditing one fiduciary account and one guardian account) before the headache started to grow and my sense of smell tripled.  The latter is my biggest pre-migraine warning, and I heeded it and gtfo of work.

When I got home, I let the dog out, explained to her that it wasn't 4:20 so no, not dinnnertime, took off my coat and went to turn up the heat.  Oh, shit, the thermostat screen is blank and none of the buttons make it be not-blank.

Schlep down to the basement and check the breaker, which is in its proper position.  Flip it off and then back on again on General Principles (salutes).  Come back upstairs and call 1-800-DADHELP.

Unfortunately, Dad is still sick with flu or norovirus, whichever one he got last week.  He listens to me try to word and tells me to call Hudson Heating.  I do, and speak with a nice young woman who tells me they can have someone at my house between 1 and 4.  There goes my nap, but okay, maybe I can color while I wait.  Two minutes after we hang up, a different young woman calls and asks if I checked the batteries in the thermostat.

Headdesk.  No, I did not.  Guess what it turned out to be?  I called everyone back, with lavish praise for the young woman at HH who saved me the cost and embarrassment of a service call.

I forgive both Dad and myself for missing something so obvious because WE R SEECK and I have heat and a marginally clearer head after meds and a three hour rest.

The Cupcake of Doom

aka my day.

Today being the first day of the month, we had objection hearings.  The magistrate doing them was ready, the hearing room was set up, and we had a LOT more people show up than we were planning for.  Two of the cases wound up being re-directed to another magistrate, and as I was running back and forth with files and making sure everyone was checked in, a co-worker snapped at me about how poorly organized the hearings were and how a third co-worker (who hadn't said a thing to me) was being importuned by people asking her questions.

Later, when my boss said something to me, I told him the truth about how I felt, and essentially got told to get over it, that's just this co-worker's personality.  HellOOO that does not make it okay.  If I went around interrupting visibly busy people just to snipe at them and then said it was how I roll I don't think I'd keep my job very long.  Fortunately, the magistrate didn't think it was a big deal and the actual hearings went smoothly.

By the time all of that stuff was handled, it was lunchtime.  An hour away from my desk was really not long enough, but I went back like a good employee, only to spend the afternoon trying to audit inventories while taking phone calls from idiots.

After work, I went to Staples, intending to mail three simple packages.  Of course, instead I locked my purse, packages, phone and AAA card in the car.  A nice manager at Staples let me use their phone to call Mom and ask her to call AAA, which she did.  I waited for almost an hour, missing the UPS pickup while I did, but eventually a tow truck arrived.  The idiot inside said truck pulled up behind my car and sat in there until I approached him, then rolled down his window and asked for my card.  IT'S IN THE CAR, IDIOT!  is what I did not scream at him.

Once the car was unlocked, I got my stuff out and turned in and paid for, got back in the car and came home with a pounding headache.  At least the poor neglected hound was glad to see me, oh, and my hair still looks good.

Sea change

Today is Monday, so I'm rather surprised to find myself in a better mood than I was yesterday.  Granted, I did not have to do laundry all day, but I did have to deal with needy customers, entitled attorneys and slightly grumpy co-workers.

Still, I got awesome pens for everyone for 60¢ each, wore a kickass outfit, had a carrot cake cupcake for breakfast and didn't make any egregious errors.  Plus, I was reminded that my presence at Friday night's after-work drinks party was appreciated, and I reminded myself that on Saturday, I by-golly started and finished Mom's payroll taxes in 3.5 hours.

And then I came home and there was a sweetly supportive comment on a blog entry that made me A. smile and B. resolve to get someone's birthday pressie mailed ASAP.

Bits and pieces

My adorable dog is hard on toys, so I buy inexpensive ones with no faces.  This is what she does to them:

So on Sunday night, I went in with the big trash can and cleaned up all the bits of stuffing and other debris while LMPP made pathetic noises which I translated as "I'm not done with that" and "That one's still good, really!"

When I got out of the shower, she was lying in the hall on top of two unshredded toys, nibbling on a third.  Nobody is going to get Smaugette's hoard now!

Work is interesting right now.  We've had a streak of people doing really dumb things, like forgetting to mail in paperwork, etc.  There is also lots of work going on as the front counter area gets renovated.  Most of the work is being done at night, but today maintenance was taking apart half of our file storage shelves and moving the other half.

Power tools on metal shelving made our court sound as if we should be answering the phones "Stormer's Tire and Lube, how may I help you?"

Yesterday was Call Day, so that's over for the month and we have Monday off, so I'm getting an oil change.  For the first time since I bought Edgar, I am truly angry with Ford.  The coolant light was on, so I bought universal coolant and then couldn't get any in the car because the fill opening was under the rigid part of the hood.  I wound up using a kitchen funnel held at an extreme angle and my hand braced around it to catch any spills, all at 7 p.m. in my unheated garage.  But the light went off today, so victory for me!

Somewhere, somewhen, I did something right.

Yesterday was Call Day, which is smoother now, and on my review the judge noted "great improvement" since I took charge of it in January.  So I got through that and still managed to audit and docket filings for 15 or so cases, yay me!

Last night was the office Christmas party and gift exchange.  We met at a local bar music room for a yummy buffet and the budget covered everyone's first drink.  I had a wonderful, very very spicy Bloody Mary which came with an olive, a slice of lemon, a dill pickle spear and a piece of bacon.  It was a meal in a glass, basically.

When everyone had eaten, the judge stood by the stage and thanked us all for coming and then started the gift exchange.  This is our third year of doing a White Elephant/Steal the Present and it's a lot of fun.  My gift to the exchange was the cowboy boot-shaped shot glasses I got at the 2013 party, and a growler of my brother's Buttface Amber Ale.  My office-mate originally got it, but had it stolen from her by one of our investigators.  I originally opened a gift bag with a "bathroom book" 52 Things to Do While You Poo plus a travel-sized assortment of Poo-Pourri products.

Gifts ran the gamut from beer (mine and a mini-keg of Heineken) to light-up yard decorations (a dachshund in a Santa suit) to assorted Christmas decor both tacky and classy, and cookware and such.  Our chief magistrate was delighted with a set of decorate-your-own gingerbread men and our judicial attorney threatened repercussions if anyone stole her Christmas lights.  Luckily for me, I was not stuck with my poo-related present and was able to steal the gift that made my night and my year, hand-painted by one of our marriage license clerks.

I try to avoid names, but this particular co-worker is young, incredibly nice, an artist, a skilled baker and apparently, she also paints pottery!

Behold, a mug I will love for a long time:

So much accomplished, so much yet to do

So far on this long weekend I have:

Gotten all the houseplants but one in from the garage, arranged and watered.
Gotten the final 40 pound bag of softener salt down to the basement and in the softener.
Done 4 loads of laundry and put clothes away.
Went to the grocery store and got my contribution to Tuesday's 'comfort food' lunch at work.
Moved my vintage trunk so it is under the antique map.
Gone out to Mom's house, watered her plants and sorted 10 days' worth of mail.
Cleaned the bathroom & kitchen sinks plus the tub & toilet.
Swept the kitchen floor.
Remembered to take the recyclables to the curb on Friday night.
Took compostables out to the pile.
Changed the sheets.
Changed to my holiday blanket and comforter (with help).

Blanket:

Comforter:

Things I still need to do:

Finish the laundry, including the fall comforter and blanket, and put it all away.
Sweep and steam the bathroom floor.
Take all the dog hair to the compost pile!
Set up my new nail polish storage system.
Vacuum.
Shower, exfoliate, all that.
Manicure.

I'm realistic enough to know that the vacuuming may not happen along with the bathroom floor, because I definitely can't skip showering and washing my hair and I've only got one back and a few spoons.  Still, when I type up my list, I can see that I wasn't lazy, I did get stuff done, and if I did it with lots of breaks, then who cares?

My Friday the 13th

started out thirteeny, as I looked out from the kitchen window and saw my recyclable can on its side and all of my recyclables in the driveway, both ditches and generally higgledy-piggledy.  Then as I drove to work, the dog at the towing place was sleeping on his back with his feet up in the air and I worried that he was dead.  I worry about that dog anyway, wondering if he gets pats and love as well as food and a doghouse. :-(

Then I got to work and it was all guardian's accounts and getting ready for Call Day and then it was 1:30 and I was being a bailiff and we had the fewest cases and the largest number of people we've had all year, and Magistrate H and I worked really well together.  Then it was 2:30, only 90 minutes of work left and I got to make one of my co-workers do a happy dance when I told him yes, my mom will bring back some of my brother's beer for him.

Then I went home and the headache hit, so I took a nap, ate dinner, loafed online and then went back to bed.

Today was much better.  My head only hurt a little bit, I got the presents for Texas all wrapped and out to Mom & Dad's for delivery.  Plus, Mom made an amazing turkey dinner because I will be alone on Thanksgiving, and then sent me home with pounds and pounds of leftovers, PLUS snack mix.

Tomorrow is going to be dedicated to laundry, cleaning another quarter of the breezeway, and moving more houseplants inside from the garage.

Elections, attorneys and flash crushes

Everything I wanted happened at the polls on Tuesday.  One of our magistrates was elected as a Municipal Court judge, my school district's bond issue passed, Ohioans said Hell No to amending the constitution to create a monopoly and a qualified candidate was elected as Municipal Court Clerk of Courts.

I was both surprised and amused to see that a local attorney who's been doing domestic cases for a long time has absolutely plastered her truck with Bernie Sanders signs.  And on October 30, a group of local attorneys who perform as a rock band called Roxy Moron dressed up as characters from The Wizard of Oz and played live at the Tangier.  I didn't go, admission was $50, but I got to see pictures, including one of our Chief Magistrate dressed as the gatekeeper of Emerald City!

Everyone's heard of flash mobs, flash fiction and flash floods, but on Thursday I had three successive flash crushes. :-)  All were on attorneys, two of whom were definitely my "type", and all three of whom made me laugh.

I am looking forward to my day off on Wednesday, and I have lots of plans which may or may not come to fruition.

Miscellany

I've posted so many entries to Bubbles & Baubles that it feels weird to start this one without a disclaimer at the top!  It was a good week at work.  I met a couple of nice women from my city who were serving as jurors on an ugly case, my boss came to talk to me about some suggestions I'd made to our notices, citations and call day (and she left with my good pen!) and I didn't even think about killing or maiming anyone. :-)

I did think some nasty thoughts about someone else who works in the courthouse.  I don't know who she is, but she drives a black Cherokee with some distinctive window art.  A couple of weeks ago she pulled that "zoom up the far right line at top speed and then jump into the far left lane just before you need to turn" move.  Okay, I really, really dislike that move, but I didn't want her to die in a car fire until I got caught in a lane I didn't realize was closed ahead and she wouldn't let me in the other lane.  Selfish cow.  DIACF.

Next week is going to be a really good week for books--a new Cherie Priest book (squee!), a new Seanan McGuire book (squee!) and a new Terry Pratchett book (squee!) which is sadly the last Discworld novel ever (sniffle) will all be mine by the end of the week.

This morning was interesting--I had to go to the grocery store and get frozen food, then come home and stuff it in the freezer so I could go work out.  I put my bathing suit on under a dress and shopped and unloaded successfully and did the unthinkable in terms of the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I forgot my towel.

Now, if you've been to Casa de Jammies, you know that the Natatorium is only about 2 miles from my house, but when I got there and realized I'd forgotten my towel, I didn't go back for it.  The reason was in part because I didn't want to waste gas, but also in part because we had a storm forecast, and I didn't want to miss my window before it started and the pool got closed because of lightning.  It turns out I didn't need to worry about that, but I worked out anyway and then drip-dried in the car on the way home.

We hates the quad stretcheses, Precious, yes we do.  Nassssty, nasssty horrid little stretcheses.

Yesterday, one of the local radio stations played a live version of Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" complete with horrible feedback squeal, and this morning, the album version was the last song I heard played as I finished my workout.  So here's a little Stevie & co. so you can share my earworm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_aYibUx1B8

What's up?

Not much here, just working, reading, painting my nails and working out.  There have been some bumps in the road at work, but since said bumps have led to more of a friendship with a co-worker, I can deal with them.

I have heard from 3 independent sources that citrus essential oils will cut the bond chlorine forms with skin, so I've taken to using a grapefruit eo shower gel for my post water-walking showers.  I don't know if there's less damage to my aging skin, but I do smell good. :-)

It's hard to believe that summer is almost over and even harder to believe all of the travel plans for next year.  In March, I'll be going to Universal in Orlando with Mom, Dad, Captain Crossword and my nieces.  In April, Mom and I are going to France and England, and then in December, the whole famdamily is going to London because The Awesome Nacho's band is performing.

Dad is reluctant to go because he dislikes the inconvenience of travel.  Well, I don't know anyone who likes it, but Scary Bear does not want to be winkled out of his cave.  Of course, he was then bemoaning the possibility of losing his whole family to one plane crash or terrorist act, and Mom said "Then come with us."

That was exactly what I thought when she told me about it. :-D  Oh, yes, we'll all go down together...

Oh, and it is nice that a quick Google search shows that I am far from the only person who thinks that a white Kia Soul in your rear view mirror looks exactly like a Storm Trooper.  I feel vindicated and less paranoid.

Things I have learned in the past week

1.  It really sucks when you have a black eye and an allergy attack which makes your eyes itch.

2.   I stink at typing with a cold pack held to one eye.

3.   There is a line between "summer casual" and "escaped from the ER before they got the restraints on you" and some people are not afraid to cross it and then come to court.

4.  Our local hospital chain thinks prohibiting any personal expression in hair color or tattoos is unprofessional, yet dressing medical staff in all black is professional and so is making fun of Walmart shoppers.

5.  My new-ish co-worker loves makeup as much or more than I do, but she's not a big fan of horror novels.

6.  Hoicking boxes filled with books around the living room two days after a major fall is Not A Good Idea.

7.  I am not a complete loser when it comes to nail art.

I have kick-ass co-workers

When I got to work this morning, my desk was all decorated, both with pre-made 50 decorations and streamers and with office-made signs that said things like "Fifty is the new fabulous."  The one that made me laugh out loud even though it hurt was the one that said, "It Took 50 Years to Look this Good."

One of our investigators was hanging out with my accounts colleague, and she said something that was to become a familiar refrain through the day, "Happy Birth--what on earth happened?"  No one I talked to wanted to believe that I'd fought off a black bear that attacked my parents in a parking lot, so I went with "Walked into a bathroom doorframe".

There was a surprise birthday lunch for me and two of my colleagues, one of whom is also 50 and the other of whom is literally half that.  Someone made the Italian green bean salad that I love and was surprised at how many people asked for the recipe.  I didn't, because it is my favorite summer salad, but I did compliment her on it and notice the basil she put in.

My lip and my eye still look awful, but what hurts is the chest muscle I pulled.  I have to give a shout-out to Mallie, who was the one who talked me into spending money on bras that actually support my boobs, because when I woke up this morning, the pain was so bad I nearly barfed, and I hate to think what it would have been like if I'd gone through the day with inadequate infrastructure.  As it was, I was still in a lot of pain at four o'clock, but I made it home without crying.

Speaking of crying, there was a card in yesterday's mail that was all about what's good about turning 50, and while my niece would dismiss it as "Sappy!"  it made me tear up because it was from my 80 year old uncle.

Family, friends, food and fun.  I could get used to this 50 thing.

"Admit it," he said, "You've always wanted a hug in the middle of the jury room."

And while it had never occurred to me that I might be hugged in the jury assembly room, I will never decline a hug from my father.  Dad got three times lucky last week when he was summoned for jury duty.  He didn't have to appear on Monday or Tuesday, and while he and I were chatting Wednesday morning, Judge Croce herself came down and dismissed the jurors, saying the defendant had pleaded guilty.

Dad looked very nice on Wednesday, and when I told Mom that, she said "Because I dressed him!" :-D  I am fairly sure, btw, that she meant that she picked out his clothes, not that she put them on him.

Last week at work, Monday and Tuesday were frantic, as I tried to docket everything I could before the automatic hearing date changed.  Wednesday I got to see Dad and Thursday was more frantic reviewing and docketing so I could feel free to take Monday through Wednesday of this week off.  County employees had Friday off for the holiday, and come Monday morning, I'm a-headin' up the lake.

While I'm there, I will spend time with my family, eat my mother's wonderful cooking, visit the Cheese Haven and read a book or two.  So looking forward to it!

JOY!

So you've heard about the Supreme Court decision.  If you're not overjoyed, go read someone else's blog.  :P  I've always said that Probate Court does two happy things, adoptions and marriage licenses.  Friday afternoon, the happiness doubled.

From the first couple willing to have their pictures taken to the dudes who looked like extras from Duck Dynasty to the little girl with rainbow-striped bows in her hair whose mommies were getting married, the whole court fizzed with excitement.

My department is at the other end of the clerk's offices from the records room, but I did legit need to be over there a time or two, and it was just wonderful to see all those people using our newly remodeled room as it was intended.  The renovation was completed on Wednesday and the marriage license counter was moved from the main counter into the records room where you can get copies of any non-confidential license we have.  The help desk is now there instead of outside the magistrates' offices, and it's been repainted, has sound baffles on the ceiling and an open floor plan.

So congratulations to the U.S. for freaking finally joining the 21st century, and let's keep going.

Free day!

My phone buzzed as I pulled into the parking garage yesterday morning.  The power was out at work and I should go home and wait for instructions.  So I went home, and at noon got a text message that the probate court would be closed all day.  I said a quick hurrah and went to the craft store for photo frames and then came home and changed clothes.  I baked a lemon pound cake to take to work today, got caught up on some chores and took a nap.

The frames are for my great-grandparents' teaching certificates and their wedding picture:

If the former looks familiar, it's because it looks exactly like the one Laura Ingalls gets at the end of Little Town on the Prairie.  I figured it would go nicely with the map.  Now I just need to drag Dad over here to hang the map!

Three mayors in two weeks, seven candidates and other stuff

This post is a little bit link-heavy (four is a lot for me) but they all go to the website of the Akron Beacon Journal, and I've never had problems with their site.

First up, after our 27-year mayor resigned, so did our 7-day mayor.  The latter's time in office was 10 days.  Then when another City Council president stepped up to be mayor, there was a "discussion" in council (involving him) that led to the cops being called.

We now have seven candidates for mayor, and one of them I know to chat with and one I know of as the boss of my smoke break buddies from the Clerk's Office.  Mr. Horrigan has my vote, at lease at the moment.

In non-political Akron stuff, we're getting some new public artwork featuring Devo.

And for all that the courthouse was packed with reporters on Friday afternoon, I guess Judge's Croce's announcement that she wants to learn everything she can before deciding if a man convicted of murder 20 years ago should get a new trial just wasn't exciting enough.  I had to search to find the story rather than seeing it on the front page of any websites.

In the last week, I've seen two vanity plates that stuck with me.  HAMSTAR is intriguing, because it could refer to shortwave radio, pigs or something else.  HMMRH3, especially on a Hummer, just reeks of insecurity.  Yes, dude, we know your penis substitute is expensive.  ::yawn::

And finally, Akron had thunderstorms hit at exactly four o'clock two days in a row, and both of them were fierce!  I got so soaked on Thursday that I stopped at Payless on the way home to get a pair of sandals I needed anyway and put my tennies and socks in the bag and wore the sandals home.  Friday had the same ferocity but a little less volume, so I could jump my way across the street without getting my feet drenched.  Both days, by the time I hit Cuyahoga Falls, the rain had stopped.  Global weirding, ladies and gentlemen!