Of Crashes, Colds, and Color Change

It's been an interesting week. Friday night the nearly unthinkable happened. Trey's computer crashed. Well, that's a bit melodramatic since he hasn't technically lost any data, but while writing away on a lecture as I slept in bed late Friday, Microsoft Word became frozen and wouldn't save or allow him to back-up any of his material. Furthermore, Control Panel and almost any other Windows-based program would not open at all. After lots of incompetent fiddling on my part, we came up with a plan approaching the 2am mark. Geek Squad to the rescue while Trey worked on the rest of his lectures on my laptop thanks to his handy-dandy Flash drive with its stash of lectures and the golden thesis. Yesterday morning, first thing, we headed to the computer doctor. The Geek who helped us was surprisingly non-condescending, and so I did my best to ignore the uni-brow. Thankfully, the problem does not appear to be viral but rather some sort of Windows's malfunction (blasted Bill Gates). 3-5 days and it should be brand-spanking new, its only lasting evidence a slightly lighter wallet and a profound sense of relief at another computer bullet dodged.

To top it all off, earlier this week, Addison started with a nasty cold which, bless his young and vibrant little body, only lasted a few days. Trey and I, on the other hand, have not been so fortunate. We both have been hacking and wheezing like a couple of Atlantic City old biddies with a fondness for gin and 3-pack-a-day habit. I am a bit concerned about my breathing. Many of you know I have asthma, and this particular chest infection seems to have set up shop in my lungs. I don't know if it's the diminished capacity from a growing stomach or a symptom of a larger problem, but I've been practically attached to my fast-acting inhaler. Stairs or any mild exertion winds me. If my breathing is not significantly improved by tomorrow, I'm calling the doctor. So far, Little D has escaped this one. Here's to hoping!

And the final piece of news is that I dyed my hair a new and bold color. Red. Well, again a bit melodramatic. I added red into the blonde mix of highlights. Strange to get one's hair cut in a place where they call fringe bangs and don't flat-iron as a matter of course. I swear I live in a parallel universe of vocabulary uncertainty and cultural confusion. Buggy or stroller? Nappies or diapers? Bangs or fringe? Who says what? I'm so muddled I can't remember anymore. And when did the flouncy, American hairstyles of today start to look so last decade? At least my fellow Americans find my vocabulary amusing even if I just find it a constant reminder of the ongoing transition of repatriation. I'll post a picture of the new color soon (the cut is uneventful as I'm trying to grow my hair out for the new baby and the wedding next year).