My AnthroCart came today—rather, I went to pick it up (because the UPS driver in my neighborhood doesn’t bother to honk at apartment buildings without intercoms but just leaves the yellow sticky and runs).

It’s a small printer cart. I’ve been working from home on freelance projects that consume the desk. For a project’s duration, the dictionary and several style manuals lie desultorily on the desk and the folding chair, and impose on the bedspace, the not-work space, until it feels impossible not to be working, which I hate. So I decided to buy the small table to increase the work area and help organize the piles.

Andrew sold me on Anthro, a small company that builds office furniture with quality materials. The Carts are unobtrusive, functional, and indestructible.

When the apocalypse comes, I’ll be hiding under my Cart.

I seem to be sick with something unfamiliar. It doesn’t make me feel awful, but tired and mildly nauseated from time to time. Also, weird pains around my abdomen and ribs. So, I’m not working out as often or as long. I might take this week off altogether.

Andrew attended a student chakai with me and I was surprised at how good it felt to have him with me at Urasenke. I’ve brought friends to class before, but class is not a chakai. This was free tea for everyone so that a couple of students could practice an entire ceremony—like free massages by massage students. I told Bonnie and Tim afterward that we should have more of these (so I can invite everyone I know to have free tea) and they said Great! You can volunteer at the next one. Well, that’s not exactly what I had in mind.

Angela ran her marathon on Sunday in 3 hours 58 minutes. She said it was easier than she thought and she feels great.

Meanwhile, I baked a cake, from scratch, for Andrew’s birthday. It probably took about as long as Angela’s run and dirtied most of the cooking utensils I own. Who knows when the last time was I baked a cake. Now I know why: my kitchen is small and poorly stocked. The cake turned out all right though. The frosting was especially good.