I've been a complete bum when it comes to blogging. Honestly, not much exciting has been going on. I'm certainly not complaining about that - I'm tired most of the time and still feeling nauseous a lot of the time. So I'm happy things are sailing along on an even keel.

Last week I attended a scientific meeting in a nearby city (think mouse with big ears). It was nice to be out of town for a couple days and even nicer to stay for free at a hotel. Hubby came out one night for dinner. We picked a very nice Japanese restaurant and I started feeling so queasy I could barely eat. At least Hubby enjoyed the good food.

Our big events this past weekend were walking the dog and going out to dinner. (See, exciting.) We haven't been taking Lily for many walks, other than quick potty breaks in the backyard, since the rainy season started. The thunderstorms start rolling in around 5 pm, which means they're usually just in time for my drive home. An interstate with lots of construction + stupid drivers + deluge = scary ride home. By the time I get to the house, the storms are usually full on with lots of lightning. Lily and I both are afraid of lightning, so taking her out isn't fun for either of us. By the time everything passes over I'm passed out on the couch or in bed.

Friday night the storms had passed by 9 or 10, so we took her for a stroll around the neighborhood. She was so happy to get a real walk. A few houses down the street we saw a baby possum zooming around. It saw us and took off. The little bugger was adorable. We hope he's big enough to fend for himself, because we think the momma was killed earlier that morning. We both saw a roadkill on our ways in to work. A little further down the road are the retention ponds. The frogs and toads are full on into chorus mode now that the rains have started. We heard at least 5 different species calling - way cool. I miss the spring peepers from back home, but the symphony of frogs makes up for it.

Saturday night we went out for dinner - a big event given the recent status of my tummy. We went to a local chain known for its beer brewed right at the restaurant (which, of course, I didn't have any of) and for its steaks. I'll call the place "Grain's". If you live around here, you'll know the place I mean. Usually the service is very good and the manager generally goes around and checks all the tables. Well, the manager must have been off that night. Our waiter came by to take our order and drop off our drinks. Another waiter dropped off the appetizer - and it was wrong. Our dinners arrived and shortly after the correct appetizer came - this time lukewarm. Hubby just dealt with a raging case of food poisoning a few weeks back, and I don't want to take any risks about getting sick. Hot food should be served hot and cold food should be served cold. Period. Then I realized I had no spoon for my soup. We finally flagged down a passing waiter and asked for one. 5-10 minutes go by and no spoon. Hubby finally spots our waiter, gets his attention, asks for a spoon and sends the app back. After another 5 or so minutes, waiter comes back with spoon. He did make good by taking the appetizer off our bill, but not once did he check on us to see if everything was alright. Now I know waiting tables isn't easy. I've been there and worked my share of crappy restaurants (think $honey's late night breakfast bar and drunks who don't want to leave at 2 am closing). But the restaurant was half empty and our waiter disappeared for 15 minute stretches of time. Not good service by a long shot.

Like I said, real exciting stuff.