It's unmistakeable, the paw print on my car door. Right in the center. Raccoon. Not like the kitty prints all over the hood of the other car. The top comes off again today. Had it off for a couple weeks but we had some questionable weather a couple of weeks ago and my garage being filled with appliances wasn't much of a refuge if I were to require it. Now I think the rain is over for this season plus I've got the garage back.

Finally ordered the camera today, an Olympus E-10. There was never any question that eventually I was going to buy it, the only question was when. The problem with the existing one is pretty simple. It's nice (a Sony DSC-770) but... I have an almost four year old daughter. The camera takes a full second and a half from the time you push the button to the time that focus locks and the shutter finally clicks, sometimes longer. By that time, either she's outa' there or the priceless expression you were trying to capture is long gone.

Today the anonymous phone call count was down to three for the first time in several weeks. That could well be AT&T. It could also be psycho girl, but I suspect she's taking another break because it's less than her normal twenty calls a day. I was asked today why I don't just slap a restraining order on her. Because that would acknowledge her existence and that she was getting to me. I know for a fact that she doesn't use the 'net so I'm pretty safe about writing this. It's like the street vendors in Mazatlan. Never look 'em in the eye. Never say no. Never say a darn thing. If you acknowledge them they've got you. Just wave them off like you would a fly without breaking your train of thought or looking up from whatever you were doing. If you recall last week or two I said the solution is to be crazier than her. I won't tell y'all how I plan to do that because quite frankly I'm not certain that many of you would recognize it as a performance. You'd just think I finally snapped.

In a way I feel ripped off. I have these huge industrial grade stainless steel kitchen appliances. Vast expanses of metal in the kitchen. I also have a large collection of magnetic things which I have been sorting for several months for the proper mix to go in the new kitchen. Then to find out not one of the new appliances is magnetic! It's neuter steel. I knew there were some grades that weren't magnetic - goes back to my industrial equipment days, but thought all the consumer grades were. Who would make a refrigerator you can't stick magnets on? Sheesh. Back to the drawing board to come up with 'plan B'.

Ya' know, I really don't care if we lose (via defection) a lone Republican senator or gain a lone democratic one. The vote is so close that everybody has to play the game and the game is always shifting these days. What interests me is that Strom Thurmond is 92. One day that seat will be up for grabs again and it will be interesting to see who the contenders are.