31Things | Day Fifteen: 9:15am

Today is Wednesday.

It is 81 degrees already. Pretty typical for late September in Houston. The morning is sunny and bright; there are a few scattered clouds in the sky but they don't look like rain-makers to me.

I have been up for fifteen minutes, but I really wish I was still asleep. I was up working on a project until 3am (getting photos from 2000-2002 into our family album), and now I'm really tired. I regret staying up so late - but I don't regret finishing what I was doing.

Which reminds me, I need to order more Becky Higgins page protectors; I'm all out.

I am eating breakfast in front of the computer. I am having my usual too-tired/lazy-to-do-anything-better fare: a cinnamon-raisin bagel and a can of Diet Dr Pepper. Which I shouldn't even be drinking at all. I'm really trying to break that habit - but the only thing more effective than caffeine at getting me going in the morning is exercise. Which I don't have time for this morning, and I'm probably too sleep-deprived to do anyway. I keep my soda box tucked away in the dark shadows of the pantry, to discourage drinking it, so my drink this morning is poured into my 2010 Texas Bowl cup (go Bears!) with plenty of ice. I like it super-cold.

I am wearing one of my favorite shirts: the white one with the grey and black butterflies and just a touch of bling. So sad that Fashion Bug is closing. With that I'm wearing my trusty Lane Bryant jeans (the only brand that fits me right now). I am barefoot and will likely not put on shoes until just before I walk out the door. With this outfit I think I will wear my white sandals with the flower embellishment. My only jewelry today is my wedding ring, my amethyst ring, and my everyday silver hoop earrings.

The house is quiet with Chris at work and the kids at school. Which makes me wonder, where is the cat? I have yet to see her today. Usually she's up in my face, meowing, as soon as my alarm goes off.

As I look around the study, I see that it is time to de-clutter again. I really can't work at my best in here when it's a mess. I need to put away the things I was working with last night, fix Hannah's Monster High doll and get it out of here, and clean up the piles on the floor. I've been doing a little reorganizing of my scrapbook stash lately and a few things haven't found a new home yet. Another item for my to-do list.

Speaking of my to-do list, here's mine for the day:

• check the hair salon location on Google Maps. I go so long between visits that I can never quite remember exactly which intersection Sheila's at. Might be important.
• buy that external flash I've had in my cart at B+H for a month now (I need it for my cousin's wedding in October)
• see about getting my wide-angle zoom lens fixed (it's decided to not auto-focus anymore - grrr) and/or renting a high-quality lens (again, for the wedding)
• find out if anyplace around here is still developing 35mm film, and if so, dig out the film from 2002 and have reprints made - and then maybe see about sending it all someplace to be scanned
• finish writing yesterday's 31 Things post on "view" - I have to admit, I got a little stuck on this one. Not letting it hold me back though. :)
• catch up on my Facebook notifications
• create a Facebook event to invite all my friends to my concert on Sunday - I'm going to be the featured soloist with the Houston Sinfonietta! :)
• color my hair
• email Kyra and see if she remembers when it was that a bunch of us all met up at her place for a mystery dinner - in costume! That was fun.
• Google trends, news headlines, and Pantone colors for the years 2000-2002 and start my journaling for our family album
• practice my horn for at least 2 hours
• shuttle Hannah to dance class and back, and pick up Domino's for dinner
• upload as many photos as I can to Mpix before the free shipping code expires at midnight

And then there's the regular morning visits to my blog to write my daily post and check activity, and to my online classrooms at Big Picture Classes to check in on the galleries and message boards. Right now I am in two classes, Dimensional Details which is winding up next week, and Kit-tastic which starts its 2nd week tomorrow. At the moment I also have open in my browser the website for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA; lately I've been reading about their official position on a variety of social issues and finding it both pleasing and reassuring to see that their values fall in line very nicely with my own). And I have open a page at Archiver's online store where I was looking at their exclusive 12x12 3-ring binders and thinking about what I want to store our family albums in (with the idea that it will take multiple volumes). I love the chevron patterns.

In the back of my mind is the knowledge that my mom is coming for a visit this weekend, and is there anything I need to her to bring? The sheets for her bed probably need to be washed. Hannah's birthday is in 12 days and I still need to wrap her presents.

This morning I am also keeping an eye on the clock, which I can both see on my computer monitor and hear on the wall to my left...an aural reminder that time is slipping by. I plan to leave at 9:30 for my 10am appointment with Sheila to have my eyebrows waxed. I hope that is enough time; it seems like every time I go over there, I am always running slightly late. I hate being late - for anything. Sometimes it seems silly that I drive all the way to Friendswood just to go to the salon; but on the other hand, a good hairstylist is hard to find. And Sheila is a great one. She's been my stylist for more years than I can remember. I love that I can tell her simply to make me look good, and place my trust in her artistic and experienced hands.

I have to remember not to hit the garbage can when I back out of the driveway in a few minutes.

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