This week:

• I am sick for the 8th day in a row. Please, please go away dry cough & sore throat. I'm going to turn into a bumble bee soon thanks to all of the tea + honey I've consumed, & I'd love to be able to get through a sentence without coughing.
• I had to cancel on my very diligent visiting teacher for I think the 3rd time in a row, putting me on the list of MOST TERRIBLE PEOPLE EVER. I'll thank the Dow's 450-point drop yesterday as the latest excuse of why I was at work so late. Sorry Suzi. Oh- & I missed Julia's birthday party on Monday. Boo.
• I sort of feel like the sky is falling. Being involved in Wall Street (as vague & broad a term as that is) during this financial crisis is both exciting & terrifying. I'm very, very conscious of all of the people around me that are negatively effected, & my job makes me acutely aware of the real anxiety that exists right now.
• I slept 8 hours (in a row) for the first time in probably three weeks last night. It made the 5:30 alarm clock not so bad, & really, I feel so much better. I even made Mike an English muffin (with jam) before he left for Seminary. I'm such a good wife.
• I've commited to making small goals that are easier to keep, so that I won't get so depressed when I fail to keep the really big ones that I just can't seem to. Example: I'd love to spend an hour at the gym every single day so that I will look like Heidi Klum, but it just can't happen most (any?) days. Solution: 8 minute Abs + 20 pushups every morning. That only takes about 10 minutes, so there is little excuse to not get it done, & then at least I'm doing something beyond typing a few thousand words a day. Once I get this whole go-to-be-early-wake-up-early routine down, I'm going to work on getting in a morning run in a few times a week.
• I've realized that my pleas of almost exactly a year ago have done no use. These are still everywhere (& I still hate them). I almost thought that these were cute, but then quickly changed my mind. Just because something is trendy doesn't mean we have to wear it.
• I'm so tired of this presidential election. I've determined that both candidates (& their VP's for that matter) are just ridiculous - in a bad way. Have you seen the (very legitimate, not written by "crazy liberals") fact checks on Sarah Palin? Both in print & on the news? They make me really angry, & feeling like the woman has actually been intentionally deceitful. I'm sorry, but I don't really believe that American women are dumb enough to vote for a candidate simply because his VP has ovaries, too. The realization that we don't have a great candidate to vote for has left me feeling hopeless (sorry, Barack) & frustrated. I really wish Bloomberg had run. At least then we'd have someone who actually understands the economy (vs. McCain's incoherent mess on the Today Show). I guess it means I'm voting for Ruth White.
• I dream of no lines at Shake Shack. We've tried a few times over the past few weeks but the line is always way too long. Winter is always a good time to go, I suppose, but it also means shivering through your Shack Burger. I can't win.