I'm just watching a t.v. show which features guest appearances by both Liza Minnelli and Delta Burke, the pair of whom are not only possessed of very unconvincing dye jobs but also who have been the recipients of very bad, very obvious face lifts. Liza's face has been rendered darned near immobile while the corners of Delta's mouth are yanked upward into the same perpetual Joker smirk from which Meg Ryan also suffers these days. I'm finding the whole thing very trainwreckesque; I'm horrified and yet I can't stop looking. My overriding thought, though, however unoriginal, is, "Who on earth do they think they're fooling?" Really, what do they see when they look in the mirror? Do they think they look like they did thirty years ago? Do they think people now believe them to be decades younger? Or are their intentions less broad than that? Perhaps they are not so much trying to fool everyone vis a vis their ages as simply get rid of wrinkles. After all, in Hollywood....hell, in our culture, period, wrinkles = bad. If that's all they are trying to do I suppose you could say they've succeeded. They don't have many wrinkles. Faces contorted into frightening rictus expressions, yes....but no wrinkles. So, congratulations on that, I guess.

As if this weren't distracting enough, this episode also features a guest appearance by Rosie O'Donnell playing a character named Madeline which, I have to say, is, like, totally ruining the name for me. I'm now having visions of my Madalyn growing up to be a large, angry lesbian.

(I can deal with the large and lesbian parts; it's the angry added to it that makes it unpleasant package.)

The headache I was hoping to sleep off is still lingering. Awoke after only three hours down and was unable to get back to sleep because of it. Now I'm up to eat a pudding pop and drink some milk (both dairy; coats the stomach) along with two Excedrin. Moral of the story? Next time forget the namby-pamby "natural" solution and go straight for the drugs.

In other news.....well, there isn't much. Things are chugging along here like normal. I've hit one of those lulls where I'm bored and yet I recall that the cosmic universe has a sense of humor and that it's best not to complain too much about things being dull because sometimes the solution is excitement of the kind you'd rather not have. So, all things considered, perhaps it's best I have nothing major to report at this time.

I am going on a trip next month; a little "me time" to replace what my Louisville trip was to me before I started taking Madalyn. I'll be attending Beatles Fest West in San Francisco. I'm looking forward to it, needless to say. Despite having grown up three hours away I have not spent much time in the Bay Area at all. We always went south since that's where all our relatives were. The bands at this festival also appear at Abbey Road on the River so this will be a nice little interlude to tide me over until the next AROTR. I plan to stay an extra day and do some sightseeing, as well.

Alas, my head starts to feel better and the alarm rings in four hours, so I'm afraid that's as interesting as it gets for tonight.

I love this picture. And, no, not in the "I took it and it's so awesome" sense; nor in the "I was playing around with it at Picnik and it turned out cool" sense.

No, what I love about it is how it sums up my daughter's attitude in a single snapshot. It's youthful enthusiasm captured and preserved digitally for posterity. This is Eliza, outside the church on her first day of preschool for the year. She had her "packpack", her shoes and her "pretty" (dress) and she was ready to conquer the world. Oh, and see her friends, especially her favorite, Matthew (who she was smooching on later in the week at the football game, but we won't talk about that).

Just think -- when was the last time YOU were this enthusiastic about, well, anything? I highly doubt that many of you out there feel this way about your jobs. Even if you like your profession I can't imagine you go running up the sidewalk every morning with your arms flung wide to the universe (and, if you do, I'd like some of what you're smoking).

No, we sit here worrying about this, worrying about that (mostly stuff we can't even control, anyway). We think, "I'll be happy....when this, this and this happen" or "I'll take the time to enjoy the little things later - I'm too busy right now." But who knows what tomorrow holds? Maybe we'll never get the chance to do all the things we think we're going to do "later."

Then there's Liza. She's got a roof over her head, she's feeling good, she has food in her belly and she's got family and friends. And she's happy. It's actually pretty simple, when you think about it.

I never thought I'd be someone to feel strange not having my kids around. Content and relaxed, yes. Overjoyed -- some days. But off-kilter? Never. Until today.

Today is Eliza's first day of preschool for the year, which translates to "the first day all three kids are gone all day on a weekday." Last year Eliza attended preschool but she only went for two-and-a-half hours. By the time I got home from dropping her off, had a shower and ate some breakfast it was almost time to turn around and go back to get her!

This year, however, she'll be staying all day. From 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., two days a week, I am a free woman. And, for the moment, it's slightly disconcerting. When I headed upstairs with my breakfast a little while ago I found myself thinking, "Okay, I'll just set this down and then put up the baby gate.....Oh."

I wouldn't say it's unpleasant, this feeling. It's just....different. It's been two-and-a-half years since I've had entire weekdays all to myself at home. When Robert is home he helps out a lot by taking the kids places but they usually are only gone for a few hours and I know they could be home at any time. With them all being at school I now have two days a week when they leave in the morning and I know I have until 3:00 to do what I like - or what I need (it comes very handy for me being that I'm on my own most of the week and sometimes have a hard time getting things like appointments and errands done).

I was sitting here thinking, earlier, about how I really wish we lived in an area where there was more for me to do. There just isn't much going on around here, and while I won't be bored staying at home, I do feel like it's a shame to waste the opportunity to get out and do some things. If only we lived in an area with museums and libraries and neat hang-out spots I would be taking full advantage of those things.

That said, however, the bottom line is I am grateful for the short respite and intent to use it not only for practical endeavors but also to recharge and remind myself I'm more than just MomBot 3000.

Now if only I can break myself of the habit of opening the van door when I get home to unbuckle Eliza when she's not even there.