Back at the house - boxes in the mailbox held my books for school and some jewelry I'd ordered. The cats were wild. My plants were thirsty.

I got an update on my OB referral from Tricare and called the OB's office to make an appointment (left a message). The garage called; Theseus's car is fixed. My college held 6 new-student orientations during the month of August and I didn't know about them so I missed them all.

I have to work a half-day tomorrow at my new unit, to get inprocessed and game-plan my (hopeful) job in the late spring. I also have to pick up my refill for prenatal vitamins. And, apparently, try to beg someone at my school to give me a one-on-one orientation, as I still have no idea how to get around the campus. School starts in 9 days.
    

I'm home now - I have a load of dishes in the dishwasher, a load of laundry in the dryer. I have another basket full of clothes to wash (how??). I have to vacuum. I have to take the trash out. Both bathrooms are a wreck. I miss Theseus terribly. But it's good to be home.
    

I drove home under a yellowing sky, jaundiced clouds huddled together to form a menacing canopy. It even smells like rain. I love the way the air feels right before a storm - hurried, distracted, fluid. I wish I could bottle the feeling of the wind coming through my open car windows and enveloping my face in cool dampness. It makes me feel fast and new.

The changing weather inspired me to stop at the hardware store for sandpaper and wood filler. Didn't I promise myself I would only spend one day on the couch crying? A clerk helped me find tack cloth, I paid for my things, and continued home.
    

I'd planned on beginning a long-term project today, of which I have a number to choose from:

- sand and repaint end table
- sand and repaint Theseus's nightstand
- smooth and repaint walls in guest bathroom
- yard work
- yard work
- yard work

I decided instead to give myself a day to adjust to the persistent silence in the house, rather than rush to mask it. So far I've managed only to take a shower and heat up a frozen Healthy Choice. The rest of the day I've spent on the couch, watching Season 5 of The Office on my laptop and sulking.