Yesterday afternoon my sinuses started to act up. Could it be allergies due to the weather? No such luck. By last night it was clear I had a cold! This morning I am miserable. But I did not stay home, as I usually do when I am sick. It is only week 3 of the semester, and today is my mostly freshmen class, just can't justify canceling this early. Instead I am wondering how I will make it to 7 pm. Teaching takes a lot of energy and focus even when I am 100 percent.

I guess it figures. This is how my birthday generally plays out. It's the reason why September is not my favorite month. After being isolated from the germs of others for four months, I plunge myself into the campus and elementary school environment, and before you know it, I catch something. Even though I obsessively wash my hands, use paper towels to turn door knobs, refuse to share a phone, and don't collect paper (all assignments are "e") - still, I am susceptible. There are long stretches, even years, where I catch nothing that goes around, and I feel all superior. Then I have spells where I can't avoid it for some reason.

I hope I feel better by Sunday. Not because of my big day -- but because I have a bunch of relatives coming to help close the pool. I ply them with food and drink, and they do the chore, since Bob can't any longer. At first we hired a pool company, then we had a catered event, and this year (silly me) I decided to cook. That's what is on the agenda for tomorrow evening. I am a terrible patient -- but better buck it up!

On a more happy note, Bob got me a Kindle! It isn't a surprise. I'm not a high maintenance person, and even if he got me nothing but dinner out, I would have been OK with that - in fact, that is usually how we celebrate occasions, not with a gift exchange, but by dining out, since we both love fine restaurants. Life isn't about presents. However, he felt that for my 50th he should get me a gift. He knew I wanted a Kindle, he explored other things, and decided that he couldn't go wrong with the choice. So he asked me to order it (since I have amazon prime), he told me when to place the order, and he paid for it. It arrived yesterday. I asked him - do you want me to wait until Sunday to open it? He said no. I'm not the kind of person to open gifts early, search the house for hidden Christmas presents or try to figure out surprises, but when it came, although I tried, I couldn't even wait until he got home from work!

I LOVE IT ALREADY. In fact, I had to force myself to not bring it to work today. I was afraid I couldn't resist playing with it -- in my ill state that would mean zero accomplishment. I can already see it has given me back the joy of reading. Bob says he hasn't seen me so happy with a material possession since he gave me the Complete Works of Mark Twain years ago for Christmas. It's true, and what's funny is that this is the reason I really wanted the Kindle - because I have only managed to get to page 270 of the autobiography, and I've had it since January. I immediately ordered the Kindle version, and as soon as I clear my plate you know what I'll be doing!