Liese, was the Valentine's dinner on Sunday? You can take Sundays off and still consider it keeping Lent, right? (I basically figure Lent is a Catholic thing, so you might as well keep Catholic rules, but that's just me.)

But the point of Lent is still going well. I'm using the time freed up from some of those habits to build in some better practices. So I guess it's ok.

But that is the real point anyway.

I am on the struggle bus today. I still have two classes to teach after lunch, which is unfortunate since I'm kind of done working for the day already.

Huh, I have no memory of taking Sundays off during Lent. Not that I ever really gave up things.

It wasn't! It was on Not Actual Day because he was working then. But thanks for the effort, ha!

Yeah, I'm not Catholic either, and any observance I, uhhh, observe, is just me hodge-podging it together.

I'm sorry about the time squeeze and home friction, Gud. Do you think you could divert some of the money that was going into the mortgage to some sort of at home help to free up some of your time for writing and other book work?

I didn't give up anything at Lent, since I'm not really much of a Christian. (Fan of the namesake, though.) I did get started with a stationary bike. I did a good job of upping my bike time and effort while keeping my diet pretty stable. My waist size increased by half an inch over three weeks and I'm super tired. Sort of the exact opposite of what I'd hoped for. But I'm enjoying watching Star Trek TNG while peddling.

It's a little weird to be editing an article that lists 3 authors on page 1, but at the end of the article, where they list the affiliations, etc., suddenly adds a 4th author. GUYS YOU ARE KILLING ME.

Liese, was the Valentine's dinner on Sunday? You can take Sundays off and still consider it keeping Lent, right? (I basically figure Lent is a Catholic thing, so you might as well keep Catholic rules, but that's just me.)

That was what I was about to say! Growing up we always took Sundays off of Lent.

Though I don't think I've actually given anything up for Lent since freshman year of college (when I gave up caffeine--but that was before I drank coffee, so it was just sodas)

Do you think you could divert some of the money that was going into the mortgage to some sort of at home help to free up some of your time for writing and other book work?

Excellent plan! I'm also sorry to hear you're so squeezed.

I myself am thankful today that I work from home and thus can do laundry. Because since I was out of town Weds-Fri, busy the weekend, and then gone again Mon-Thurs, my laundry pile is the pile of DOOM.

I'm in the Vegas airport waiting to go home. I've learned that I need a new, softer bed, which will have to wait till I move, and it's amazing how many people in the world still smoke. Vegas may be the last bastion of public smoke.

I'm coming home with 60% of the money I brought to gamble with, and I won enough to buy a rolling suitcase to replace the duffle I had. The cost is well worth not inflicting pain to my back and shoulder. My Puritan self tried to point out that I was not likely to need a new case in the near future so I should be more thrifty , but my immediate pain is worth avoiding.

Now it's time to go home and worry about the oil leak on the Jeep and aggressively clearing out the house.

Glad you enjoyed your vacation, Connie! Rolly bags are totally worth the cost to not carry a big heavy bag anymore.

Oh, and I quite enjoyed the aggressively driving Jamaican cabbie who drove me to the airport , We bonded over poorly marked, broken down oversized load trailers and their lackadaisical drivers.