Mid-morning pause...

Okay, so it's not really "mid-morning," but it sure feels that way.

I've invoiced most of the month and am pleasantly surprised to see that I've already made my "nut" for the month. I've still got two invoices to write, but technically, I haven't actually completed the jobs they're for (long story), so I'll hold off until I've dotted and crossed the appropriate symbols. I also need to comb through my stuff to find receipts for expense reports.

I really need to develop a reliable system of filing receipts as I go, as the dread of combing through the aforementioned stuff often causes me to procrastinate in filing expense reports (which is not a good idea if you owe American Express as much as I do for the past several weeks of travel and lodging).

The guy is here to work on the loose brickwork in the steps out front and the crumbling patio out back, and I need to get cracking on squirrelling things away in the basement.

Cheers...

Better now than later...

I was enjoying an impromptu salad of romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes, feta cheese, and bean sprouts when - crack! - a tooth that had given me a few tweaks over the past few weeks suffered a catastrophic failure (it was, I think, the feta that literally broke off the side of the tooth), and caused me to seek expedited aid at a local stomatologist's office.

The last time something like this happened, in Houston, the doctor's eyes sort of lit up, as he realized that I represented another month of his educational debt paid for, and named a figure I could neither afford nor refuse. Fortunately, this time, the doctor patched me up with epoxy (as far as I can tell) and sent me out the door in about an hour for less than the cost of a wheel alignment for the Ford. If I'm prudent, however, I'll see about a crown for said tooth when I return from Kazakhstan.

Meanwhile, I should avoid eating things like CornNuts on that side of my mouth.

Our renter came over to the house this morning, and we chatted a bit while waiting for the real estate agents to arrive. He signed the lease, and I will sign tomorrow now that I've received confirmation that his several months of rent paid in advance has hit our bank via the wire. He's already making noises along the lines of renting the place for a second year, which I added to the lease rider, but so much can happen between now and a year from now, I'm not going to particularly worry about it.

I've actually put my chess set and clock on the scales, and determined that they weigh 3.4 lbs. Now I have to figure out, while I'm resting, whether it's worth lugging these items back and forth seeing as how they comprise 8.5% of my weight allowance (assuming the luggage itself weighs only 10 lb). It will only be worth it if (a) there's someone there with whom to play and (b) we actually play, or if I develop a serious mania for independent analysis.

Seeing as how I'm planning to do NaNoWrimo - heck, I've got to finish at least once, even if the result is not fit to print on fish wrap - and how I hope to stay alive in the LJ Idol competition, not to mention doing some translations on the side (should they manifest themselves), I'm starting to think the scales are tipping against taking the caissic paraphernalia along. We'll see.

It's not even 8:30 pm and I'm already tired. I should go join Galina in the den. There are books left to pack!

Cheers...