See now - THIS is why I don't enter contests.

Contests are bad for my self-esteem. I get all upset at not succeeding, and yet - I am not making any extra-spectacular effort to get in there.

Ah well. I don't wear the All Mediocre Badge for nuthin !

Which is why yesterday, I left the laptop at home, and got a massage.

Way to compete, girlfriend !

You know, I have heard people rave about massages, and how fantastic they are, and how relaxing and wonderful - and I wonder if I'm doing it wrong. Because when I get a massage, it feels like someone digging into fresh bruises over and over again. Suffice to say - I'm tense, in general. My shoulders alone are a project. And the massage experience yesterday, at the hands of a very skilled therapeutic massage therapist, was very painful. But at the end, the shoulder that had been pulled up to my jaw was back down where it was supposed to be. So, it was a success ! But today, I feel like I have been hit by a truck. More water. Must. Drink. Water. Ouch.

Unfortunately, amidst my suffering, I need to climb up into the attic and crawl around for a bit. I have 2 missions to accomplish:
1. track down pink streamers that I *know* are up there somewhere, in preparation for Lucy's party on Saturday, and
2. locate the infant car seat. It was given to us by a friend, who has found herself in the family way unexpectedly. And since Baby V is not living here, and we have no new placements on the horizon, I was thrilled to be able to return the seat to her - freshly laundered, no less !

But first, I returned to the scene of my heartbreak - my trusty laptop - to suffer a bit. Physically AND emotionally. A pity party on a grand scale, as only Daffodil can. HOWEVER, I will not let this get the best of me. I will drink my water, clean the house, decorate for the birthday party, and attend story time and Tae Kwon Do with flair !

In the words of the great Bob Marley : No nominations, no cry.