Golly

Has it been a week already?? Sorry for the lack of updates - too many distractions lately.

Let's see, what have I been up to...I worked Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and I've been training for the Assistant Manager position, so that's been keeping me busy. I'm learning opening and closing procedures, and I'll be opening the store for the first time by myself this Sunday. Oh! I was so excited yesterday - I got to choose a special section and set it up (just an endcap, really), and I chose Tommy Lee Jones movies. I searched for TLJ films, picked 15 of them and made up a sign. It'll be interesting to see if any customers actually rent one of the movies, or even notice.

My mother was staying with us all last week, another distraction, and we took her back to Rhode Island on Sunday morning. It was nice to get back into my own bed at night, instead of the couch.

My truck was in the garage for a couple of days, too. I left the house on Saturday morning to run an errand and noticed my battery light on; I looked at the battery gauge and it was registering down near "L". I drove a bit further, stopped at a stop sign, and the light went off and the gauge shot back up. Drove a bit further and it dropped again. I called my mechanic and he did a quick test on the battery. As I figured he would, he said it was difficult to tell with an intermittent problem like this and it could be the alternator, but he wasn't really sure. The best I could do is wait for it to die. I went home not liking the idea very much. I decided on Sunday to just drop the truck off at the garage with a note. I work at night in New Haven and the prospect of getting stuck down there in the middle of the night was not too appealing. They were able to finish the repairs by late Monday and I picked it up late yesterday. Turns out it was the alternator, but the problem was something they had not seen before (of course!): whenever the rpm's hit 3000 or above, the alternator would fritz out and the engine would switch over to the battery. Once I was in neutral (at a light or a stop sign), the alternator would kick back in and recharge the battery. So, $265 later I have my truck back, as well as peace of mind.

Final distraction: another bee sting. This time on my chin. We were at a local fair called "Dog Days of Oxford", where people bring their dogs and there are competitions, contests, booths and food. Mostly it's for people and dogs to mix and mingle. I was having a good time until I got stung. My chin swelled right up - I looked like a superhero! - and then my palms began itching. By the time I got home they were extremely red and hot, and the redness had spread down into my wrist. I never had an allergic reaction to bee stings until earlier this summer, and this recent reaction was a bit worse. Looks like I may have to look into seeing a doctor and getting something a bit stronger than Benadryl to carry with me, just in case. Damn bees.

And that's what's been going on with me. Time to eat lunch.