Thursday, 6:12am. Sit up with a silent groan, turn alarm off, get out of bed.

In the bathroom, I witness the first crisis of the day. My hair is pointed in all directions. Fix it with water. Brush teeth, wash face.

Kitchen, pull lunch out of the fridge and cut up some orange slices for the piggies. Back in my room, clean the guinea pig home and then give them food and treats. Happy piggies!

I take the pigs trash to set outside the back door, and discover the second crisis of the day. Charcoal, the stray cat we're feeding, is out there, and he brought his friends. A black and grey/brown tabby runs away as I open the door. a solid grey cat sits at the top of the steps while Charcoal "Meows". sighs. I put food in Charcoal's dish and put out a separate handful of cat food for the other cat to munch on.

Wash hands. Make bed. Out the door at 6:37. The drive to work is about 20 mins long. As usual, I get behind somebody without brake lights. This is a strangely common occurance when I drive. Just shake head and pay attention, huh.

At work a few minutes before 7. My work partner, L, is already there. I turn the machines on and warm them up. Wash a few exterior signs, radius the corners of some steel signs. Then go and grab the next bunch of orders and start checking them over.

It's nice and quiet. When L has finished up the few orders she had, she works on some company mailing stuff, because I was evil and I grabbed all the orders and left her none. Well, there's not that much to do anyway.

Lunch is at 11:30. I go out to the lunch room, open all the window blinds and read my book. Earth by David Brin. I ignore anyone else who comes into the lunch room. They are used to me ignoring them.

After lunch, I decide to work on the steel machine. The UV lights in it have wonked out and need to be replaced. I pull the machine away from the wall. Decide it might be a good idea to turn the machine off! In the back, you have to pull out this drawer, which is about 2.5 feet off the ground, and then you have to play with long flourscent bulbs from *underneath* the damn evil drawer. And the floor is filthy. And there are 14 lights to replace.

It was a lot harder work than I thought it would be. When I was done, I didn't really feel like working any more. So, I finished up some Nova signs... but all I did was watch the machine do it's thing. Pretty soon the big boss comes by and asks about the lights that I had set next the the door to be thrown out. "I changed out the lights on the steel machine," I tell him and he asks why. "When the lights get old, sometimes their output spikes." You've been having problems? yep. What kind of work was involved in changing the lights? "Well, it took me about an hour, and I only cussed twice!" Heh, he teases me and then thanks me for doing that.

Which energizes me to get working seriously again. Checking a couple of large orders and getting them organized. L leaves at 2:30 and I start cleaning the machines and finishing up for the day. I leave a few minutes before 3:30.

Home at 3:53 to an empty house. Charcoal's at the back door, I go outside to check on him, but he's still got food in his dish from this morning. I wonder if he's getting fatter... if "he's" pregnant I don't know what I'm gonna do! I pet him for a little while. Then dump out the food in his dish and bring the dish inside and wash it.

Make tomorrow's lunch. Get some leftovers from the fridge, nuke them and consume them in front of the tv. Watch a bit of Charmed. Apparently Pru is dead and there is some stupid new girl now. eh. whatever. I only watch 10 minutes or so.

Charcoal meows and I go outside to play with him some more. I sit at the top step and the cat snuggles up in my lap. He's definitely got the cuteness factor going. :)

In the shower, I discover I've only got three soaps to chose from and I am bored of all three. must buy different soap! I dress in my green sweat pants and my big white tee shirt I got from the Smithsonian, Washington D.C. that says No Place Like Home and shows the Earth with lots of animals on it. One of my favorites.

While the computer boots up, I play with the guinea pigs for a few minutes. And then light two candles.

On-line. Surfing and writing this. Eventually SO comes home. and now it's 6pm, I've had a hershey bar and I'm working on a coke. I'll upload this and surf some more.

Later, I'll turn off the computer. Read my book. Play with the guinea pigs some more. Probably read one of the magazines I got yesterday, The Diarist's Journal. Yay.

Then to bed with me. Just to do it all again tomorrow.