“The only gift is a portion of thyself.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

I feel a bit like poo. My throat’s scratchy and I’m guzzling water because there is no WAY I am going to allow myself to get sick before leaving the fucking country. So there.

Stress and chaos and being around a lot of people is a recipe for illness. We’ll see if all this water and relaxation over the next few days can keep the cold demons at bay and allow my immune system to regenerate.

Christmas was fun, and Ollie is now an official member of my family. My mom has been drawing up adoption papers and everything.

The day after Christmas was simply wonderful. I got some work done and then met up with ALL of the women in my family — sisters Jane, Heather, Jenny, and Mom. It was our birthday present to our mother to take her out for dinner and a show, so the five of us dined at Rama, my Cheers, and then walked over to Triple Espresso, the San Diego comedy staple.