No matter how hard I try...

I can't seem to update daily.

But this time it's not my fault. Really!

I get to my hotel room last night, and my laptop decides not to boot up. So I turn it off, and try it again. Nothing.

Actually, the night before it had acted up as well, but it booted and I was able to get some stuff done. Last night, nada. Tonight, nada. I'm online using one of the hotel's computers. I fear for my laptop. It seems to be hard drive related; never a good sign. Of course, it wasn't a good sign last weekend when I was home and I saw Noah starting to step on my closed laptop as he was getting down from the table. (I stopped him, but I have a feeling he may have actually stepped on it when he got up to the table)

So. I have a couple of days worth of stuff to catch you up. We'll skip the really boring stuff, and I'll just give you the boring stuff!

I think I'm coming down with a cold. Yesterday I was all stuffed up and had some post nasal drip by noon. (Doesn't that sound better than saying I had a runny nose?) So... so as not to be offputting to my afternoon group, I took some antihistamine. Which just about made me sleep through my afternoon group. So when I got back to my room, I nodded off. Theresa called me as I was dozing, so we talked a moment (although she knows that I don't really know what I'm doing or saying when in that state, so she hung up quickly.) I easily could have gone back to sleep, but I needed to get something to eat, so I went off in search of sustenance.

I was staying in Marina del Rey, a fairly posh beach neighborhood west of LA. Cruising, the marina I saw Edie's Diner, so I had to go in as it clashed with all of the froo-froo upscale restaurants. Totally 50's, down to the little juke box selector on the tables of each booth. It was difficult to choose between the meat loaf (a perennial favorite of mine) or the pot roast dinner. I opted for the roast. Very good, with outstanding fresh cauliflower, brocolli and carrots. Not overdone, which is very easy to do, and usually how they arrive in less attentive eateries. (I should say, I typically grab something fast-foodish and take it back to the room, but as I had no computer, I gave myself a nice dinner out.)

It also allowed my to go to bed early. Except I made the mistake of turning on the television to check the Padres score and it was tied 4-4 in the 9th (vs. the Giants.) So I kept cruising the channels and watching for updates. I finally decided to go to sleep while they were still tied in the 12th. (Giants ended up winning)

But even with that, I woke up before my alarm went off. So I guess I got a decent nights sleep.

Today, the highlight of my day was when Theresa called, only it wasn't Theresa. Wait. That didn't come out right. My phone said it was Theresa calling, but it was Mattea on the other end! I was pleasantly surprised, as Mattea rarely wishes to speak to me on the phone when I'm gone. And here she was calling me!

They were in the van on the way to Old McJunior (Actually Carl's Junior, but it's a long story. Maybe another time) to get some chicken stars and french fries. So we talked about her day, and then it came. "Are you going to bring me back anything from your trip?" Ahhhhhhh. The real reason behing her anxiousness to talk to me! Mattea knows that I will periodically bring something back for the kids. And as I didn't bring anything home last weekend, I guess she thought she'd prime the pump for this weekend. I said that I might, and asked if the boys wanted to talk to me. And they did! I talked to both Noah and Grayson! We talked about their day, and they told me what they were getting for dinner. And Grayson was quick to point out that he wasn't going to eat in the car. Then Grayson hung up.

When my phone rang again a moment later, I figured that it was Theresa just calling to finish up. But again, I was wrong. It was Mattea asking when I was going to go to the store - tonight or tomorrow. So how could I not pick something up. I went out and found a Fry's. Wandering around, I was surprised that they had a kids book section. So I got the kids a book about Millicent the plain caterpillar (or something like that).

Tomorrow, I'll be going home for the weekend. Actually, for Saturday and Sunday morning. I need to be in the Bay Area on Monday, so I'll need to leave around noonish on Sunday. Probably a little later than that. And if it's okay with you, I think I'll hold off on my blogging until Monday night. Tomorrow and over the weekend I'll be with the family, and I won't be getting in until late Sunday to my hotel. But I promise, I'll fill you in on all the good stuff. Until then...