8:16 p.m. | 2003-05-27 A Good Night�s Sleep & Happy Mail. I still have to finish two projects from yesterday. After 12 hours of some rather vigorous manual labor yesterday, I just didn�t have the energy to finish. Instead, I showered and hopped into my nice clean bed and promptly fell into a very deep sleep. When I woke up, I stretched and slowly rolled over to check the time. It was 8:15am! Yikes! I should�ve been at work already. Apparently I slept through both alarms, including an hour of my favorite radio morning show. I briefly thought about calling someone but none of the people I work with are there at 8:15am, nor would they really care if I�m late. And, it�s not something that happens frequently. This is the second time in my life that I�ve awakened at a time that I should have already been at work. (That has to be one of the worst sentences I've ever written.) However, I care. So, I was trying to get ready quickly without feeling that sense of urgency you get when you start the day off late, because then I start messing things up and end up even being even later. I was at work by 9:00am, which was still before everyone else. Boss didn�t even know I was late until I told her. That�s one reason I love the flexibility built into my job. As long as I get my work done, no one really cares about how or when or even where, for the most part. And, that wonderful deep sleep certainly prevented a major flare up. Then I got to work and tuned into the proceedings only to hear a rousing debate concerning the pros and cons of polybrominated diphenyl ether (a fire retardant). Good thing I hurried and all. Thinking about my 12 hours of manual labor reminded me of my buddies Heidi and Jason who have been picking apples, sorting potatoes, etc., for long hours, 6 days a week, on their journey around Australia. Even better, I got a postcard from them today! They were a little worried that I might not receive my postcard because they say I have a �WEIRD� address. And, they�re right, my address is a bit odd but so am I so it seems fitting. Anyway, their postcard certainly brightened my day! Tomorrow, I�ll put it on my postcard board at work. Then, while I'm sitting at my desk, in my air-conditioned office enjoying my �cushy� job, I can think of them whiling away the hours engaged in grueling manual labor. Well, I better go finish my last two projects for upstairs. Then I can start a new list for the downstairs. Can you feel my excitement? Can you sense my enthusiasm? Can you come clean my house? your thoughts? seed flower