The budget, and other uninteresting tidbits

The President's FY2008 budget is sitting on my desk, staring at me in its ominous, 4-inches-thick way. So exciting. Like the rest of our life hence a) the lack of recent blog entries, and b) the fact that this one is about...the budget. Of course, "unexciting" does not mean bad. On the contrary, right now we are thoroughly enjoying the fact that we don't have anything to report (see summer 2006). In fact, Friday we went to a late dinner at P.F. Chang's with the Bakers and then basically holed up for the rest of the weekend.

The wind is howling outside the window behind me, and it seems like after a positively balmy January winter has arrived in full force. Luckily, even though the wind chill makes it 3 degrees outside, the heater in our office is finally fixed so it's cozy enough in here. I should say "fixed," because it really isn't working properly--last week there was no heat at all, and this week you cannot turn the heat down or off. Everyone else is sweating, but I think part of me is still frozen from working without heat for three weeks, so I'm still thawing.

In other non-news, I have been trying to get back into the swing of saying "I have homework." Blech. I mean, I have really liked my class so far (though five years out of academia has left my smart-speak very rusty), but that feeling of always having some assignment hanging over your head is not an old friend with whom I particularly want to resume an acquaintance. I've decided to start with self-discipline on smaller levels first: straightening up the living room before we go to bed each evening, making lunch to take to work, sending birthday cards on time. Perhaps if I can accomplish these small things I can also manage to finish my readings over the weekend. Until then, at least procrastination IS a good old friend.