So I Lied.

Warning: This post contains liberal amounts of mushiness, angst and photos. Not for the weak of stomach.

(Our view from the Master Suite at the Ann Starrett)

Yeah, I promised Raechelle and myself I would ignore the online world and ice my back, and in my own defense, I did just spend twenty minutes on the ice pack and can't currently feel my shoulder blades. But I feel like I can probably make with some bloggity before the pain returns.

Port Townsend Weekend '08 was a blast. Our first getaway sans children, and it was wonderful. We holed up in a beautiful room full of antique furniture and commanding views of the surrounding hamlet, and we were only about three or four blocks from the main strip.

(My lovely traveling companion)

(The bed that proved my undoing - my BACK, you pervs!)

(Raechelle on the "fainting couch")

(The bed canopy ceiling - we agreed the rose was a bit... "sphinctery")

We had great weather for a sleepy getaway: some sun, some bluster, a bit of rain. We ate, we drank, we window-shopped. I made it out with just one extra T-shirt, while Raechelle ended up with three (count 'em) THREE hats.

(Showing off the hat some big Scotsman bought her)

(Some big Scotsman trying to be all sexy on no sleep - this can't end well)

(And yet, she's adorable. Where is the justice??)

We even saw a kinetics parade, where locals showed off their crazy human-powered conveyances. It was a very lovely couple of days, spent with a very lovely woman. Lots of hilarity, and lots of mushy too. We had a great drive back to the Bainbridge ferry and were home in the mid-afternoon (after learning that the Seahawks had been slaughtered by the NY Giants - mother pus-bucket!).

Unfortunately, the physical toll of no sleep in a Victorian-era bed that was at least two inches too short and a chronic ear infection that returned in the cold Port Townsend weather combined with the mental stress of coming home to find the interior temp at 75F and two stove burners going unattended (among other lesser issues), making my spine into a crackling labyrinth of pain. To top off this amazing agony sundae, I slammed my left knee into the corner of the coffee table just in time for that pain to join the fresh migraine (and the knee is all kinds of colorful today!). Despite this, I still made a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond for some drawer organizers as Raechelle kinda went on an organizing binge. She made a dent in the wine from the previous night, and I had a couple beers (it had been that kind of afternoon). She cooked a really yummy dinner, and we settled down to watch a bit of the Pittsburgh/Jacksonville game and some Sunday night Fox animation while Raechelle caught up on some of her blog reading and helped Kayleigh a bit with her homework (I know! Crazy, I tell ya!).

Then it was an episode of Buffy (1st season), and bedtime. Well, bedtime for everyone but me. I'd had such a great weekend, but all of the frustration of physical pain and finding stove burners going full blast when I walked into my home (when I'm already paranoid about fire) meant that I was wound way too tight to get to sleep. Raechelle was pooped and was in no condition to chat, so I couldn't even "download" all the crap spinning around in my head like marbles in a glass jar.

Needless to say, not a good night for the Toddster.

I awoke to conflict with Tyler (gee, who saw that coming??), saw Raechelle off to work with a latte and lunch, and dropped Kayleigh at school. Immediately made an appointment for Tyler back with his old counselor at Highline (now that the kids are covered again, I'm hitting the overdue maintenance, and that includes mental & emotional upkeep). Next up, both kids to the dentist!

That should just about bring y'all up to date on my part of the weekend. Raechelle says she will post tonight after work, since her new gig doesn't allow her a lot of leisure web time. She has some pics on her camera too, including one of me on the "fainting couch", for contrast.

And I just received the replacement bulb for my video projector, so it looks like I have a project this afternoon.