I'm ecstatic that it's August. That means I'm not on call any longer. I got a call Friday night which I was able to fix, and another which I knew ahead of time could be put on hold. I'd gone to bed around 10:30, then got the call that required me to sign on around 11:30. So, I didn't sleep well after going back to bed. I kept expecting them to call again, but the job completed and they didn't. I got another call while I was gone to get a haircut Saturday afternoon. By that time, my head was hurting so badly that I could barely look at the screen. I also had sweats and nausea. I think that was the beginnings of a migraine. I'd taken two Excedrin before leaving, but I didn't notice any improvement until 3 hours after that. Anyway, I put that one on hold since it was a weekly report. I was tempted to just let them call my backup because I was feeling so shitty (and tired of being on call). But yay, August!

We did some more planting yesterday. We put some zinnias around the mailbox. Man, what a pain in the ass. The space was shaped like a piece of pie, and we put weed blocker down. Jeff had to cut holes for all of the zinnias, probably 28 or so. The concrete on the mailbox post and the old sprinkler system (which is capped) was in the way, too. They're purty, though. And I got a redneck sunburn, literally. So today, the back of my neck and ears are on fire. And I'm sore from all the digging, squatting and such. Whine whine whine.

I also bought and re-potted an orchid to replace the stargazer lilies that died. I hope I don't kill it. I did all of the elaborate re-potting rituals described on the bark-like 'orchid mix' soil we bought, including washing the pot with diluted bleach and placing pebbles in the bottom to aid drainage. I'm now supposed to keep it out of 'strong light' and mist it daily until root growth is evident. (How am I supposed to determine that short of digging it back up?) Then I can place it in front of the window. Geez, why did I get cocky and buy such a high maintenance plant? Do I need to recite affirmations to it daily, as well?

From Free Will Astrology:

Gemini Horoscope for week of July 28, 2005

According to author Truman Capote, "It's a scientific fact that if you stay in California, you lose one point of IQ for every year." I hope he was wrong, since it would mean my IQ has already declined 28 points since I moved to the West Coast in 1977. But even if his theory is correct, and you're a Gemini who lives in California, you'll be able to recover some of your lost intelligence in the coming weeks. That's because the current astrological configurations virtually guarantee that you'll be getting smarter, and probably wiser as well. As for you Twins living outside of California, you can expect to soar as close to the genius level as you ever have.