A Dream, a Doctor, & a Washing Machine

Slept fitfully last night. Dreams of war and strange happenings in my neighborhood. I struggled to wake myself up from the nightmares but eventually did. Turned on the TV to see a Saddam Hussein speech. That did not improve my quality of sleep. Glad to wake up today to beautiful weather. Glad to be at work and to be distracted from the world's events. If only I could be distracted from my own thoughts as well.

I had a doctor's appointment today; nothing wrong with me, this was just a checkup. It struck me as strange that I spoke with a number of people in the office, including the doctor, but none of us spoke of the war. It weighs so heavily on my mind as I'm sure it does on others as well. Yet we are all too polite to actually speak of it.

Then I went to an appliance center to purchase a washing machine. The current Lucci House washing machine is at least as old as Kristen - 22 years old...it might actually be as old as me (26). It's been having fits quite often the past year, but Dad is able to keep bringing it back to life. I had been talking about buying a new one for quite sometime, but as long as Dad was able to fix it, I was happy. However, my happiness quickly turned into frustration when I walked into the laundry room Saturday night to find it covered in water. Tried to run another load on Sunday only to find it leaking again. Cleaning up buckets of water off the floor two days in a row was the last straw for me. I have no desire to fix it only for it to break again in a couple months. So, I dropped a chunk of change and look forward to the new machine's delivery tomorrow. I'm grouchy about all the money, but hey, it's better than washing clothes in the bathtub.

Other than the washing machine incident, it was a great weekend. Friday night I had dinner with my parents before they went out of town. My dad and I snuck off together and had a really great conversation. I needed it and am so lucky my parents give me so much insight. Saturday morning I went to class and learned about present value, bonds, and annuities. (Guess what I get to study tonight.) My study group met after class and I felt really good about being able to add to the process. Up to this point, I've been rather doubtful of my knowledge and chose to play a rather passive roll in the group. It's great to have (finally) gotten to the point of understanding what I've been learning. It's a huge relief.

After class Saturday, I enjoyed a few hours in the house by myself. This is a rare experience. Though I love living with my sisters - truly my two best friends, it's nice to be alone in the house from time to time. I had planned on studying but opted to enjoy the rainy day playing Return to Castle Wolfenstein. I really, really love this game. So much in fact, that I played it for at least 5 hours straight. Well, not straight...I was taking breaks to load the washing machine before it stopped working. Kristen came home only a couple hours into my video game stint and joined me in front of the computer. It was soooo much fun taking turns and strategizing together. Kristen is now cursing me for making her addicted too. The cool thing about video game addiction is that it loses its grip on you when you finally complete the game.

Just before Kristen and I left for Larry's birthday party on Saturday night was when I discovered the washing machine disaster. So we departed a lot later than expected, but it also made arriving all that much sweeter. Had a great time hanging out with friends. It was especially cool to have Kristen with me on the long drive to and from Plano.

Slept really late Sunday (until12:30!) which was a special treat. Spent the rest of the day cleaning house, walking the dogs, messing with my computer and enjoying the gorgeous weather. The highlight was having dinner out with Karen and Kristen. We sat on the patio at On the Border enjoying a perfect evening. Wrapped up the night with some studying and another great conversation with Kevin. (Who incidentally comes in town Friday night!)

Stuff at work right now is a roller coaster. It's wearing on me a bit, but growth hurts sometimes. I just need to remember to be patient because whatever is supposed to happen will happen.

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