I have this list of things I need to get done, several of which need to get done on a workday. Somehow, I never seem to get far on the list on my Fridays. Haven't called the roofer about when he's coming back to fix the furnace pipe and the attic vent, haven't called the tree guy, or a gutter company, or my yard lady. Need to email my architect to prod her about finishing my plans--I'll do that tonight, maybe. Then there's the big list of household chores that aren't getting done, either. Let's not even go into details, there.

But I did get to Weight Watchers (we're a test center for a new program, so things are pretty interesting of late), and went to a bookstore to buy books for my elder niece's birthday today, and made her a brownie ice-cream pie as a birthday cake, and went to the grocery store and the liquor store. Started on the re-arranging for the bathroom work that will happen while I'm gone.

We had a nice family birthday celebration at dinner. Niece has had a wonderful week, topped off by the birthday at school today. Her new private school does birthdays in a big way--she had a pile of notes and mini-banners (some with candy attached) from classmates, plus a plate of cookies that didn't make it home, a plate of brownies, and a plate of something else I didn't see unwrapped. And she was bubbling about it all--maybe it was a sugar high. (OK, she has been bubbling all week.) And that was before the brownie ice-cream pie.

She's not done with birthday celebrations, either--tomorrow night we'll go out to dinner with one friend and the friend's family to Kobe Steakhouse, a teppan-yaki restaurant. And I think there's a movie party in there somewhere, too.