Today had a rough start. Having gone to bed with a migraine, and attempting to sleep with two v, two Tylenol, and two Advil, as well as one snuggly dog, I woke up with a headache, but not a head-crushing one of the middle of the night. Dad and I dashed off to catch Jessia for lunch, Dad driving not only because his driving meant extra time I could spend with him, but also protection only to discover about ten minutes after seeing her that I was having another migraine, and I needed to leave.

Jessica offered me some of her migraine medicine, but I would have to get it from her house. At this point, I was willing to drive to Montana to be rid of this cursed thing, ten minutes farther along the road from my dad's house was no big deal.

We arrived at Jess' house and used the key code she had given us. We entered the garage, walked up to the back door, and turned the handle.

Well, turned our hands around the handle. The door from the garage was locked.

Thump. Thump. Thump. My head was still pounding. I looked around, and spied the cat door next to the people door. I looked up.

Dad looked at me.

"You're not."

I looked at him. At the cat door. At him. Back at the cat door, and replied, "Sure am," turning to hand him my coat.

Nominally smaller than my dog door, my hips barely fit through the door (at a diagonal!) as I squirmed into Jessica's house, and wandered over to her kitchen counter for the bag of chemical goodness.

Ah, yes, better living through modern chemistry.

While having lunch with Jessica and Dad: mensturation 1, migraine 2.

I haven't been reading very much lately.

Okay, not quite true. I haven't been reading very many technical books lately. I've been reading a lot of magazines, mostly to catch up with my two foot stack of unread magazines. Now that I'm mostly caught up with them (I have two non-programming, non-bead magazines to read to be caught up, which in my book is "mostly caught up").

The problem I have is, however, that I'm currently unable to read a technical book without wanting to take notes. "Oh," I think when I read these books, "I want to remember this, must write it down." Then I go off to find a pencil or computer, and invariably either decide the effort is too great, or become distracted with some other task, and don't return to the technical book I was reading. Taking notes helps me remember what I'm learning. It allows me to play with the knowledge, turn it over, pound on it, take it apart and see how it works. It's how I learn.

Recognizing the great, grand folly of not keeping up with technical fads and the language of the year or the acronym of the hour, I've decided that I will read at least two technical books a month, striving for four if possible. Recognizing also that this has to fit into the hour a day of exercise, personal blog a day, professional blog a day, letter to my children every two weeks, the magazine a day, the two dog walks a day, two home-cooked meals a day, and one good cuddle a day from the hubby schedule, too, I'll need to be agressive with my tasks.

No, I don't over schedule my life. Why do you ask?

The first book up is Bulletproof Web Designs by Dan Cederholm. Mike raved about it so much I bought my own copy. He wanted to buy a copy for our design partners (who we contract out for website designs), too. If he likes it this much, I should read it.

So, I did. And wrote up my notes.

In Indiana, visiting Dad before 37 Signals workshop on Friday: menstruation 1, migraine 1.

Is there ever a good time to get sick?

Two V, two tylenol, two advil and one mystery pill and I'm nearly functional.

Sigh.

Political blogging at the city level is not that exciting. The meetings are, to be sure, as exciting as watching paint dry.

No, scratch that. Paint is more exciting.

I arrived at the West Conference Room in the Council Chambers a few minutes early, and realized that, despite dressing business nice, the backpack on my shoulders took ten years off my age and no one here would probably notice me. Which is how I like it.

The session is a "study session" on the "General Plan of Industrial and Industrial to Residential Land Use." The "study" part of that session means someone stands in the front and gives a presentation.

I walked in, and, after confirming I was in the correct location, asked where is appropriate to sit. Unanimously, from the top council member to the city manager's assistant at the laptop, the answer was, "Not at the table." "The table is reserved for council members only." Granted, one council member explained if there were seats remaining after all the council members sat down, then I could sit at the table. The other two council members glared at him for the offer.

Early overheard conversation:

"I don't read the newspaper."

"Coward."

The meeting wasn't terribly exciting, but it was long: 7 until 9:30, and that was after the 5:30 to 7 "study meeting." One lady in the back row with Kris and me fell asleep, and started snoring. One guy was completely crazy and refused to stop talking, even to the point of yelling from the back of the auditorium. One school district representative spoke, and pretty much spun all his talk to make the school district look like the good guy, and everyone else look like the bad guy. We caught him in a couple of lies, in as much as we had direct dealings with him. I guess everyone lies, or exaggerates for effect. I just wasn't expecting it to be on public record.

I'm glad we went. Two of the city officials impressed us. The other ones seemed like completely disgusting, slimy politicians, holding the job for the personal power and recognition instead of for the public good. One council member tried to introduce legislation without any public input, while another council member stopped the proposal because of the lack of discussion or public input, even though he agreed with it. Kudos to him.

Not sure how much we'll go back to these council meetings, but I think I may go more often, working on my laptop during the topics I don't care about, and listening when I do care.