For those about to blog, I salute you.

I don't really know where that title came from, as I just typed it, thought it funny, and moved on to the body of this post. It has nothing to do with this post other than a memory (mentioned in the last Lettuce installment) of Cathie thinking that the look on my face meant someone was gonna get blogged...and I'm sure I had that look on all day for the past two days.

Starting this past Monday morning I was attending a "retreat" for where I work. I use the quotation marks because when you have to drive up and back because you are a single pet parent and the place doesn't allow animals it becomes less of a retreat and more of a departure...from sanity and rest, which are two of the goals of such an activity. Now, place said "retreat" in a facility on the tippy top of a mountain (complete with hairpin turns and no mobile service) and throw some moldy logs on the fire (I am TERRIBLY allergic to mold/mildew)and you've got a recipe for me to be laid up for the next few days reacting to histamines...in other words, sneezing, coughing, and unable to breathe through either side of my nose. Don't forget the runny eyes and the brand new tone that has joined the tinnitus choir in my ears...but that might be due to the elevation.

See, when I said it was on a mountain, I wasn't kidding. At the signpost directing you up the even more windy road toward the facility where we stayed is another sign stating "Eastern Continental Divide" and the elevation...which was TWO THOUSAND AND SOMETHING. There are single engine PLANES that don't go much higher than that.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the state of South Carolina for not marring our view of the mountains from those roads by adding guardrails. I hate having to look at an OHMYLORDTHATISALONGWAYDOWN kind of a drop off through the safety of guard rail metal.

I got home today around five and I've been sneezing and stopped up and just generally feeling bad every since. I felt that way last night but thought that I was just tired..until a co-worker told me that last night it was revealed that the wood was moldy. Good thing I didn't just go stick my head in the fire like I wanted to a few times to get warm. If so it would have been an ambulance carefully driving around those hairpin curves (see there, Simon? I've said it twice!) rather than me.

The retreat was a nice chance to not have to be doing actual work, but I'm just not wired for that sort of team building activity anymore. I used to be, when I was a camp counselor, but now I just sort of want to get on with it so that I can get my work done and head home. Shift in priorities I guess.

And now, my two benadryls and I are going to go slip into a nice sleep, I hope. I just have to wrap cotton wool around the clappers inside the giant bells going off in my ears and I'm golden. Night, y'all!