Yes, I know it's been almost two weeks, but the two weeks that it's almost been have been almost two weeks of intense (if not particularly interesting) work on the Big Project that I usually try to finish by the end of March. But what with everything else that's gone on this winter and spring, including three weeks of underperformance due to what became a Hundred Year Cold, I got a little off track.

And of course we still haven't reached the station at the end of the line. Just because I faxed all the paperwork off to the Boss yesterday doesn't mean I'm really finished. It's actually the beginning of review and revisions and endless, endless questions, some of which I can actually answer. Still, it feels like the end, whether it is or not. And that's a good thing.

My yard guy showed up at a little after seven this morning. He tried to be quiet and stay away from my bedroom window, but I was aware he was out there, even before I heard the droning of his weed trimmer. This was a major job, even though it has been barely two months since he was last here. I always think I can control it myself, but then it always gets out of control. The rain and sun came at just the right intervals this year to make the yard completely overgrown before I could register what was happening.

In fact, the yard this time was such a big project that he couldn't finish in one day. He told me he'd be back at eight tomorrow morning. It sounds like I'm in for another long day that starts too early, but it's better than having him come on a weekend, when nothing (usually, supposedly) keeps me from sleeping late.

He left his tools, so I know for sure he'll show up. I paid him already, so I don't have to worry about hearing a knock on my door before I have a chance to remember how to breathe. Getting to bed is a difficult process for me, but getting going in the morning? Much harder. I never count on accomplishing much before noon.

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General Hospital: Today for the first time since she lost her memory and came back from being frozen (as a different actress), I saw the old chemistry between Lulu and Dante. I think this recast is going to work, and not just because I want it to. They are one of my favorite couples. On the other hand, I don't like Laura and Scotty together nearly as much as I did when they were teenagers, way back before he killed her stepfather. Hopefully Lesley can put a stop to this madness.

Baseball: When the Giants left San Francisco Sunday, they were playing like champions (which, in fact, they are). In two games in Toronto a, they looked like a team that has forgotten how to play the game at all, much less like champions. Tonight in Denver it seemed to be more of the same, with the Rockies taking an early 6-0 lead. But this time the Giants came back to win, 8-6. This is what they've been doing all season, and it's what champions do.

American Idol: The two finalists were both long on talent and a little short on charisma, but the winner was the one I've been voting for during most of the last few weeks of the season. They keep insisting this is a singing competition, but it's really partly a popularity contest and partly a consequence of who connects with the audience. That's (a) not the same thing, and (2) not a bad thing.