I worked yesterday and I'm working tomorrow, so today I had to rest -- did a lot of things that are, at this late point in my feebleness, what passes for my favorite things. Read it and weep: ate green beans and beets for breakfast, lounged around watching Don Giovanni for ages in my new ratfink T shirt that Dave very kindly gave me for my evil birthday. Read the Mexican book I'm into, although my concentration is so bad I am digesting about a paragraph a day if I'm lucky. Fiddled around on the web smallerising and emailing off (to a visitor to E's website) the short book Tiff and I did about E. Thought about calling E at work to pick her up at 4:30 as she has banking business to do -- but remembered it is Volleyball Day, so was inspired to take a nap instead. Fell into a strange exhausted sleep with the most bizarre dream. The dream had a part that was in the corridor outside a huge gathering of people. As I (or whoever) walked down the wide, patterned hallway the walls shimmered and came into and out of focus. I (or whoever) realised that there were halls leading off the main hall, but they were deliberately concealed by the shimmer effect. I (or) followed and found a hidden hall, then went down it to a spot from which I (or) had to retreat a little to avoid being seen. I don't know what happened then -- I think I woke up. I also dreamt my thumbnail was long and oddly shaped and my mother was there -- I decided it might be good if she cut my thumbnail as I would have trouble with it -- then I realised she was dead and wouldn't be trimming my thumbnail. What a weird dream! What a weird thumbnail! I can still see the hallway, though.

In January of, I reckon, 2001, I was at work fiddling around on one of my computers when there was a phone call for me. It turned out to be the sister of 2 students who'd moved far away -- she was about 27 and I knew her somewhat although not intimately. She told me she had no one else to call, and was in a bad situation. Could she stay with me? After questioning her I said yes, and she was driven down from Tacoma in record-breaking time by a female who left her and her obviously pre-packed luggage in the parking lot. So -- she lived with me for 3 months, and I, being a person who is entirely happy alone, didn't get to be alone for 3 months. She was about as nice as a person could be, as far as respecting my space. It was during the time I was going with my mum to chemo, so there was a lot going on. I set a deadline and made sure she (even crying and upset about having to grow up) made every attempt to get it together and move out. I got her work at school, loaned her money, and as the deadline loomed, drove her around looking for an apartment. I told her I was absolutely serious, and that I had no sympathy for her tears as I knew she'd have the greatest time when she finally got her own place. She moved out on the deadline. She really liked living in her own place. There were some ups and downs and I helped her out again. School hired her full time, and she was doing another job which paid off in a car. She got married at the beginning of last summer, and had a baby just the other day. The baby shower is tomorrow. the baby's middle name is Lenora, which I like because it's very nearly an opera-heroine name. Life is weird.