I am still here, just busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.

The first full week of January I had to go to the most boring week of every year, a sales meeting of the larger group I work for, which does not touch on anything I sell. I wasn't even notified that I had to be in a little town just outside Cincinnati until 11/30 -- not exactly the best time for me, with all the construction and Christmas going on. So by the time I found that email again and tried to make plane reservations, I discovered that it would cost over $1200 to fly to Cincy, but only $400 to fly to Louisville KY and drive the rest of the way. So that's what I did -- no problem, a rather pleasant drive and one more car to haul people around during the week. But driving back to the airport, having allowed 2-1/2 hours to make a 1-1/4 hour drive, I found myself first in a downpour, then in two massive traffic jams (at 2:30 in the afternoon!) due to wrecks. For the first time ever, I turned the car in without filling the gas tank -- in fact, I called my boss as I was inching through the traffic to the airport and told him I know it's against company policy but it was going to be cheaper to pay for half a tank of gas than for a hotel room when I missed my plane. As it turned out, if the plane hadn't been delayed, I would have missed it, anyway. But I don't check luggage, I had already printed my boarding pass, so I pretty much walked to the gate and got in line to board. It used to be so much fun to fly, but now it is just one big hassle.

Nothing has been done on my house since December 22nd, when they were putting the quarter-round down and the second coat of paint in the dining room as the table was being delivered. After giving them a couple of weeks to remember that the job isn't done, we contacted the builder -- Prof politely asked them to come by, I nagged -- and got the builder and his son-in-law out here to discuss what is left. I noticed that neither one of them wrote a single thing down. So I am making copies of the floor plan and noting work to be done, as well as repairs to work they did incorrectly the first time (for example, they apparently used the wrong kind of screws in the bookcases, because they will not screw all the way in and we cannot get the shelves past them). I have a list for each craft -- framers, carpenters, painters, HVAC -- and am numbering the floor plan to match the lists. I do not understand why the builder can't get himself at least this organized. People laugh when I tell them that we are in the 8th month of our 3-month remodeling project, though I fail to see the humor. Mainly, I just want a good night's sleep on a real mattress, which isn't going to happen until they finish the back end of the house (the end they haven't started on yet). 8 months is a very long time to spend sleeping on couches and in an occasional hotel room.

And now my extremely annoying conscience is reminding me that most of the world would be thrilled to sleep on couches, and is totally ruining my rant. My mother always told me I had a Presbyterian conscience -- it doesn't stop you from doing anything, it just keeps you from enjoying it.