In which the universe continues to mess with me

I mean really. What is up with this?

First, it's the book temptation. I've been pretty good about not reading much lately, in this Time of Packing, not reading nearly as much as I usually do (since that is a lot). I still read for a few minutes here and there, but I haven't picked up anything new, anything that I would be unable to put down because I have no willpower that way and thus would lose several hours of packing time, in a few weeks.

But then I got an e-mail from the library saying that the new Irene Kelly mystery I requested donkey's years ago (or at least several months ago) came in, come and get it! And I was tempted. And I checked it out. And, since I only get it for two weeks and The Big Move will not be over by then, I decided that I could read it at work, at lunch, being slightly anti-social but they'll forgive me, and I wouldn't even take it home with me at night. I started it at lunch Wednesday, and since I was going to grab dinner out that night between errands, I took it and read some more (what, like I'm the only person at Chili's reading with dinner? oh, yeah, I sure am). But I left it in the car that night, didn't bring it in to tempt me further. I was strong.

And I read it at lunch Thursday. And I was by then really into it, and I wanted to keep reading. Owie. The book addiction is a strong one. I took it with me after work Thursday, in case I had to wait before my haircut (but I didn't), and then I weakened and brought it inside and finished it over dinner and the start of the Bruins* game. So I was a little weak, but not a lot. I didn't lose hours of packing time to it. Now, though, it's Grey's Anatomy.

The backstory: in the spring, I was talking with another West Wing fan about what we were going to do without it, televisionally speaking, and how House is good but only one night, etc, and she asked if I watched Grey's Anatomy. I said I hadn't, and she suggested I try it. I got Season One from the library, and enjoyed it a great deal in a medical-soap opera way, but didn't want to start watching at the end of season two, since it's the sort of show you should watch in order if you want to know who's sleeping with who (whom) and that kind of thing. Season Two wasn't coming out on DVD until September, and while I was hoping to catch up on it in reruns over the summer, They decided in Their infinite wisdom not to run the reruns in any sort of order, which is just the sort of thing They do, isn't it? So I didn't watch. By the time the DVDs were out, I was into the whole moving thing, saving time for packing and money for moving, but I did request them from the library so I can catch up sometime, and I've been recording the third season episodes to watch someday.

The library e-mailed me: season 2 is on hold for me. Now? Two weeks to moving? I don't have time now! Even if I put it on while packing in the living room, that part of the packing won't take a whole season's worth of time. But if I re-request them, it will likely take months to get them again. Will I break down and buy them? Maybe, probably, sometime. Maybe an after-Christmas sale.

Still, the moral is that the universe has a sick sense of humor.

* The Bruins. Well. Let's just say, it's only now I notice that part of 'Bruin' is 'ruin'. Coincidence?

My bee-stung hand? It's 99% better, thanks for asking. It took a solid week for the swelling to go down, and the itching to stop being a total nuisance. Amazing. One odd thing is that the knuckle at the base of that finger is still red, but it barely hurts, so I don't mind much. I can still see the spot, and it itches once in a while, but finally I can think of other things (like my headache yesterday and this morning, but I won't go into that, except to say that I'm ready to sell my soul to never have another one, if you know anyone who could arrange that for me).