You know what's really annoying? When your computer says you're connected to the internet, but none of your web browers work. I've been unable to figure this one out.

I talked to my sister on the phone the other night for almost two hours. I don't know what it is about her that we almost always end up in giggles, no matter what we're talking about. Even death. They're coming for a visit around Thanksgiving. I'm very excited to see her.

I've been so tired this week, and I really have no idea why (except for the one night). I really just want to go home and take a nap, especially since it will be a very long day tomorrow. Between a home football game and a Halloween party, I will be up at least 18 hours. I have no idea if I have the capability to stay awake that long anymore. I'm really, really hoping there'll be time for a nap, and all I can do is shake my head, because that makes me sound old.

My costume for Saturday has pretty much come together. I've got all the components, especially my new boots. They're completely the wrong color for the costume (winter white instead of white), but they're so fabulous, I had to wear them to work Tuesday, in the guise of practicing walking on 4-inch heels. The only thing I'm worried about is the holsters. I spray painted plastic cowboy holsters white, and the paint is still sticky. So either I coated it too thick, or I got the wrong stuff for plastic. I don't know. Maybe I'll just rub them with cotton balls, and they'll be fuzzy holsters. I'll make sure to remember my camera, but if the stupid internet won't work...

That book I'm reading over there takes the form of a letter written by a dying man to his young son. It's the things that the father hopes he would have told his son if he had lived, and it's depressing the hell out of me. It's a very good book, don't get me wrong. It was chosen as the "All Iowa City Reads..." book this last summer, and I'm just now getting around to it. I think it wouldn't be so hard to read if I wasn't in such a mood. Some of the things the father says hits a little too close to home. A little too close to the things I'm missing out on. Combine that with the dream I had the night before, and I cried myself to sleep last night. What is it about a good cry that makes you feel so much better? I don't look better, thanks to puffy cry eyes, but I feel better. The book still depresses me, but I think I'm still going to finish it.

Here I am. At work. On a Saturday. In October. Sigh.

What a crappy month, work-wise. I feel like I've been running around like the proverbial chicken. I'm definitely making my charge hours this month, plus probably making up my entire shortfall this fiscal year. The final tax extension deadline is Monday, and I'm supposed to be out on an audit next week, which is a two-person job, but it'll be just me. The person who usually helps me with it hasn't been trained on the new audit software, so she can't help, and everyone else is busy with other audits. So next week will suck, too, because I haven't even had time to plan the audit. Yay!

So that's why I'm at work on a Saturday. And maybe tomorrow, too. I've been working on tax stuff, and the new financial statement draft for the client where I missed the deadline and so haven't gotten to next week's planning yet.

On a bright side, I've also been busy scouring eBay for my Halloween costume. I've decided on going as Ghost, from Dark Horse Comics. My costume will be a little less provocative, mostly because who wants to run around in a corset in 30-degree weather? but I've been enjoying the hunt. Plus, I am now the owner of two BB guns, which starts with "B" which rhymes with "T" and that stands for Trouble!

Edit: In answer to my question about the corset: Me, obviously

I finally got my new coffee/espresso maker. I'm so excited. I ran all the inital cleaning-out-the-machine trial runs, and I'm ready for espresso on-demand. As soon as I buy some beans. There's this new place that just opened down the block, where the guy has his coffee roaster right out in the open, and you can watch him do his stuff. I actually won a door prize at his grand opening, which was either a pint of gelato or a three-month subscription to their World Coffee Adventure. As much as gelato would have been awesome, I opted for the coffee, for my new coffee maker. It'll be an Adventure!

I am so pissed off. Extremely pissed off. I try not to complain about work, mostly because I usually enjoy it, but when I can't keep my promises to a client and my professional reputation is compromised because other people can't get their act together...I'm just in a rage. I have to send my audit back to Cedar Rapids for a third time to clear review comments that are only there because they had a bad internal inspection and are running scared. My client isn't going to get their audit when I promised them - it shouldn't take two months to get an audit through review!

It's too late to go to TKD to beat on stuff...hopefully a run will suffice.

I am locked in an epic battle with a pokeweed. Don't let that picture fool you, it's a worthy foe. I started by cutting off its five foot of height - it had reached eight foot in height earlier in the summer, before my neighbors cut it down in order to paint their garage. Then I started digging. And digging. And digging. I was a foot and a half into the ground, and I still hadn't come close to finding the bottom of it's giant, tuber-like root. So I cut off the top eight inches or so, and sprayed the rest liberally with Roundup. We'll see who has the last laugh!

It'll probably be the Creeping Charlie.

That little bastard Devlin punched me in the throat last night. The snot didn't even apologize, he just made excuses, "I haven't been to class in three months." Well, then don't spar and just do practice exercises! If you don't have control, you don't spar, or you at least take it easy - as a black belt, he should know that. But the stupid little freshman went crazy.

Breathing is uncomfortable.

An entire day of tailgating is just way too much. I didn't drink a whole lot, and the day was absolutely beautiful. Both my tailgating groups (my usual and a new one) were great. I let the new group use the bathroom, since I these were the friends of an acquaintance. This time, though, I put a tip jar on the tank, and I made an extra $25! Definitely an idea that I will be putting into use for the rest of the season.

I don't know why it's started to annoy me so much, but the amount of trash that people leave is so annoying. Perhaps it was my own experience with inconsiderate guests. What is it about tailgating that makes people believe the world is their trashcan? People who will clear their table at McDonald's, or carefully recycle their paper and plastic, who always take their cans back to the grocery store to get the deposit back don't think twice about draining their beer can and tossing it onto the street, not caring that someone else will have to pick it up after them. Not their problem.

Sunday, Josh, his parents, Chelsea and I went to Oktoberfest in Amana. We had a great time. Great beer, fabulous brats, incredible potato salad and streusel, and fun shopping. I've had better sauerkraut, though. ;) (Really, what is it about your parents' cooking that spoils everything else for you? I haven't had decent maple syrup since Dad stopped making it.) I did get myself a little dehydrated, though. What with the beer and the weather...we had October weather in September, and are getting September weather in October. Not complaining about that now - keep it up!