Back from the errands of despair (also known as the Wal-Mart Wasteland). The process: make list, drive to store, enter store with list. After that, things start deteriorating. "AA batteries." I have nothing resembling AA batteries in my bags. I do have multicolored index cards and a few different types of Little Debbie Snack Cakes. Oh, did I mention I had teenagers along?

But I really need the batteries! This means that I will have to face that evil place again. (And by the way, the sense of evil I get from Wal-Mart has nothing to do with corporate policies or the loss of mom-and-pop outfits in the modern era. It has to do with the fact that when I enter the store I am zapped with rays (maybe from all the smiley logos) that cause me to lose all rational thought, memory, and free will.) Or I could pick up batteries at the convenience store. I mean, it's only a couple bucks more. It's worth the price, isn't it?

Meanwhile, I have all these paper towels to stash somewhere.

I am still compiling all my notes from Odyssey. This is a huge task. I expect to have something coherent to say about it by November.

Also: I'm working on getting my scrabble journal up and running. If you thought my daily life was boring, just you wait!