My foot still hurts.  My systolic (top number) blood pressure is still high, though lower than it was a week ago, but the diastolic is normal to low.  I have several deadlines to meet, so I am once again up in the middle of the night to get the paperwork done.  But since it's all numbers -- annual territory review, monthly expense report, next year's forecast -- I figured it was time to take a break and use some words.  I am much more comfortable with words than with numbers.

Here is my schedule for the next few weeks:

Monday 8/4, fly to Portland for a "rehearsal" for the annual sales meeting.  Return to Houston on 8/7.

On Saturday 8/9, fly to Alaska for vacation.  Return 8/17

Sunday 8/24, fly to Baltimore for annual sales meeting.  Return on 8/28

Tuesday, 9/2, drive to New Orleans.  Return 9/5.

Monday 9/8 through Thursday, work annual trade show that goes all day and into the night.So that's part of what's waking me up in the middle of the night.  Too many things to keep straight in my head!  I'm also trying to figure out just what I want to see in Alaska.  Oh, and I think a cousin from New England is coming this weekend.  And my roots are gray.

I mentioned that we swapped our old laptops for new ones.  I even bought a mouse with -- TA DA -- horizontal scroll.  But I have this ancient Palm Pilot with over 2000 names, customer information, directions to plants, everything I need to know.  I call it my brain.  I had a series of difficulties trying to update my old Palm: I couldn't make a CD so I loaded the information on flash drive; the flash drive wouldn't work at all on one of the Professor's computers and the other one said I would have to buy some sofware before it would read it; when I got the new laptop it had no connection for the updating cradle; after several adaptors and software downloads I gave up and bought a new Palm.  Which took all the information from the flash drive.

Now here's what has my panties in a wad: they refuse to reimburse me for the new Palm.  It's not an "approved" gadget.  I don't know exactly how they expect salesmen to keep up with their contacts, except through Outlook -- and that helps you when you're out of the office HOW???  I guess I'm being bratty, but I don't care -- I will not load all these contact names into Outlook where everyone would have access to them.  They refuse to pay for something I use strictly for their business, I refuse to give them access to my data.  I know I can't win against a big corporation, but I can at least keep them from winning everything.  It makes me feel a little better, even if it's not especially rational.