Wish I could say I've been too busy to blog,

but would be untrue. I've been too something, but not busy. I'd say it's been mostly navel-gazing, that profoundly inert state that keeps me in my seat (on my butt), unproductively passing the hours.

Well, I've not exactly done nothing, just not very much. Last week was planning dinner with friends at home, prepared by my very own hands, for Saturday evening. Woke up Friday night/Saturday morn with sore throat, headache, feeling poorly. Called and cancelled, wrapped roast and stuck it in the freezer and put away groceries for rest of the meal. Damn! I was looking forward to that, but I was correct in cancelling; I'd come down with some respiratory-type disease that has had me coughing, sneezing, spitting, spewing and feeling generally disabled. Laid around all week end, swigging Nyquil and diet cola. Stayed in Monday and Tuesday, finally back at work today and feeling better but not well.

Have had time to watch movies and read. Catching many cinemas on TCM; watched very nice little film from Netflix, Checking Out with Peter Falk, about aging parent who wants to depart rather than wait for a deadly ailment and the kids who are disturbed by this choice. Falk is quite good as the elderly father. Funny how well I understand this character--well, I prefer to see it as funny rather than tragic.

Also saw The Human Stain, a well-done but disturbing film. Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Nicole Kidman, Gary Sinise; quite good.

Finally getting into Name of the Rose. It's interesting, but it's not easy reading, with many references to liturgical history in other languages and my complete dirth of knowledge of 14th century history, I'm in the dark about some details ..... but I'm gonna hang on till the mysteries are solved, at least the ones the humans can solve. Film to follow since I barely recall it from years ago.

Had some guys at the house repairing stuff yesterday so things that weren't working are now. Decided I could buy the pieces & parts and try to do it myself, which would take 3 - 4 times longer than these guys required, and then it still might not be done correctly. OR I could just pay someone to do it right. So I paid someone to do it right. Years ago I said I should have married a mechanic or a handyman; I can really appreciate a guy who can build or repair stuff. It's much easier to hire them than to live with them.