The routine I'm getting back into (and I realize it's only been two days) is kind of awkward. I charge out of the blocks in the morning, ready to race through whatever's waiting for my attention. Then I start losing momentum. First my head starts feeling full of mush, then my throat gets scratchy, and then I get so tired I just want to drop wherever I am and rest awhile.

So when the Boss calls at four o'clock asking for the messages I tried to give him this morning when he didn't have a pencil, I have the inclination to be short with him, but without the energy to follow through. So I put on my best pretend-it's-all-good voice and read him my notes and hope he doesn't have anything for me to do that requires actual thought.

My mind at this point in the day is barely able to focus on I Love Lucy, let alone the legal and financial implications of keeping a high bank balance for the sake of bonding capacity while at the same time owing arms, legs and other appendages to as many creditors as we can con into lending us money. Just as an example.

Still, I'd have to say that in the grand continuum, today was better than yesterday. It helps that it was a little brighter and warmer out, even though that just means the next storm is gathering momentum before sweeping what's left of the oak and eucalyptus leaves into my ultra-soaked yard. Plus, the Boss is on the road most of this week, so he doesn't have ready access to the transmitting end of a fax machine. He can't send, so I don't receive. Sweet.

I've pretty much ceded territory to the spiders who took over the house while I was gone. I made a joke of it before I left, but they've been more and more evident lately, so I expected them to make some advances in my absence. And so they did. Since I can't relocate all of them and have no desire to kill them, I'm living with all but the most aggressive ones. Those I'll deal with somehow.

It's funny, but I sort of remember a time when I didn't think twice about killing spiders. Now I can't even conceive of doing it. It would be like killing a butterfly (without provocation, of course; if a butterfly attacked me, I'd take it out in a heartbeat). I don't remember when my attitude changed, but I'm all live-and-let-live when it comes to spiders these days (even though I've admitted beating a rat to death with a shovel; go figure).