Not about Chavez.

Okay, first off: I really hope the people of Venezuela get a less cray-cray leader for their next one. And hopefully one who will play well with (at least most of) the rest of the world?

However, in my own little circle, today I received some not-great news. No, it doesn't have to do with the health of anyone I care about (and despite my self-criticism, I include myself in the list of people I care about). It doesn't have anything to do with my job. But it's still news that makes me a little sad. Oh, it can be recovered from, with some changes, and there is a possible best-case scenario that would actually be not that bad at all. (I can't reveal what it is because the person involved has not passed the news to a boss as of yet, and doesn't want it to get out before they tell their boss, and there's a remote but real chance someone who knows both of us reads the blog).

But yeah, Universe? Could you please stop sending the unsettling changes my way for just a little while? I am someone who DOES NOT LIKE CHANGE and I think you are well aware of the fact. And also that at 44 I cannot curl up into a little ball under my desk and cry and say "make it stop," not without getting some kind of referral to the campus counselor, who is a perfectly nice person but I don't have the time or the energy to go to some kind of mandated counseling thing just because I run out of cope.

I have cookies to bake tonight (I'm the AAUW hostess and it's Bunco night, so I figured cookies and fruit would be better than messier cake. And I will just note in passing that I'm happy we only have Bunco night once a year. I know some of the women really enjoy it but it is not my cup of tea. (Bunco is a dice game that consists of trying to get pairs of numbers in ascending order. Not much strategy, but lots of luck and lightning fast reflexes are required. And it get get quite boisterous and aggressive.) And I don't know what else. I'm trying to do some grading in between other things.

It's been a long time since I made cookies. As part of my avoiding-sodium thing (which does include baking soda and to a lesser extent baking powder: both have sodium but soda is far worse and I don't know for sure how much sodium a home baked cookie would have) I haven't baked in a long time. Well, other than stuff like flapjack and shortbread that has no leavening. But I'm going to make chocolate chip cookies this time....

But yeah, not the happiest camper tonight. I don't have teaching tomorrow, just some research work to do, but still.

Also, universe, while you're at it, please don't make me have freaky complex detailed packed-with-stuff dreams tonight? I appreciate their not being nightmares but I still don't feel like I've SLEPT after my brain is that active all night.