weekends, workdays and long-distance phone calls.

I spent the weekend in the mountains with my best friends -- hiking, shopping, sipping lattes, sipping long island iced teas, sipping a handful of shooters, meeting funny new people, doing crossword puzzles, eating excessively and telling each other secrets. It was delightful. I loved spending my birthday with close friends in such a beautiful setting. I didn't want to leave on Sunday; I felt like calling in sick and staying one more night. Just one more night!

The drive home was suitably hilarious. We laughed until tears came to our eyes and had to hold in our pee. These things happen when you put the Silliest People Ever together in cars for long trips. Besides fast food and Laura's flatulence, lots of heartfelt things are said. And lots of ridiculous things are said, to be followed by long stretches of laughter from everyone in the car.

I'm back in the office, now, bored to tears. I can't even force myself to do my job because it is so monotonous. If they didn't keep giving me raises, I'd quit and get an editing job. Or if I had the guts to do it (which I don't). I'm not looking forward to working at the greenhouse this weekend, either. I hate NEEDING jobs. Why can't I just find a large sack of money each month and live off that? Hmmm?

I am exceedingly tired, but I'm going to go to the greenhouse tonight and purchase a birthday gift for my sister, and then I'm going to go out and ride my horse (whom I can only imagine is even more of a scraggly dust-cloud than he was before I left for the weekend). I might even sponge down his legs and tail outside, if he's good and it's warm out.

Eric called me today. We kept getting cut off after fifty-six seconds and I felt sad and frustrated. Scotland is far away (not as far as where he's been before, but still) and I just wanted to hear about his day and how he is and what he plans to do next. He finally got the payphone to work, and we talked for about ten minutes until he had to go. He said that there are lambs all over the countryside and that he keeps thinking about me saying, "Awww, babies!" so he took a video and will send it to me. They'll be in Scotland for a few more days, and then they'll move on to England.

I am all alone in the office, which promotes an even worse work ethic than ever before. I just feel like locking up and going home.