Little Glory.....

.....in competing against yourself in a tournament. The entire weekend, I felt like an army of one. I was the only one from my school at the tournament. On Friday night and Saturday, I was without my family. I told them to come on Sunday, thinking that if they wanted to see me do anything that Sunday would be the day. So they bust a move down to see me....and they see me bow on to get first place in kumite....when I've not competed against anyone. I'm trying not to be disappointed. But I am.

....the bonus of this, though, is that I got to perform my kata in front of five highly qualified and highly respected black belts. One of whom is a woman who looks about thirty-five who is sixty and has trained under one of the most influential karate instructors and who has been influential herself in the development of women in the martial arts. I ate lunch with her today at the hotel bar, and got about half an hour with her to myself to talk about karate and life in general. She gave me my lowest score tonight for my kata, but was the only one who gave me feedback. She paid me a high compliment, though, by saying that I have a lot of power. And for that, the day was made worthwhile.



.....which now brings me to the booty I received this weekend. The 1st place plaque is for my win in chanbara. That was a win out of four people. So for that, I feel like a rockstar. The white medal is for 3rd out of four women in Continuous Sparring.






.....These are two wicked cool trophies that I received for being the Queen of Showing Up. I suppose the kata one will mean more than the sparring one, given the fact that I had to perform it twice in order to receive it. But they mean little to me, honestly, for I simply paid for them.


.....All in all it was a good weekend. But I'm disappointed a bit with how the tournament was run. There were a lot of discrepancies, a lot of misplaced items, and a lot of complaints from people who said they'll not be back next year. I hope different, for I think that the guys who run it have their hearts in the right place. They just need someone to help them run it who can organize things.....But for me, it was seeing the same people from the tournaments past and meeting new people. It's fun to see how other schools run their programs, and to see the growth of everyone involved.

Tournament, Bra Shopping, and Drunkenness....

....Yes, in that order. No, I didn't compete drunk. *winks*


....the day was a long one yesterday. I got down to the East Side in plenty of time for a chanbara (padded sword) demonstration, led by a really neat man from Arizona. I learned some actual technique, which was quite exciting for me. Then, I spent the next few hours ambling about, watching people compete. Yesterday, people did their kata with weapons (which I won't get until black belt). I find it very interesting to watch. Then we also had our chanbara competition. There were four women again.... and I got first! Quite excited about that.....


.....so, feeling the high that comes from winning, I decided to tempt the fates and attempt to find a bra for my ever-disappearing chest. ALL of my bras are too big. Not sure if any of you ladies (or men, for that matter, hehe), have been afflicted by this, but it's NOT FUN. Your clothes just don't look right if you have a too-big bra on. So I spent about an hour and a lot of money at Victoria's Secret in the mall on the east side. You see, I thought that they still had a Kohl's on the same street. Nope. Has been replaced by a Marshall's and something else. Was disappointed, too, because they had a good sale.


....So after that harrowing experience, I decided that I had plenty of time to drink before driving myself home. So I went back to the hotel that the tournament was at to see about getting a drink. Even if it meant drinking by myself. This tells you how bad off my mental status was from the shopping! What's nice is that I found one of my newfound friends in the lobby and convinced her to drink with me. She introduced me to another karate-ka, and we sat drinking until the banquet. By the time the banquet rolled around, I'd had three beers, and was LOOPY to say the very least. I then realized that I'd had a granola bar and a roast beef sandwich all day. After we ate, they gave out the awards, and by the time it was time to go home, I had pretty well come down off my buzz. So I drove to Matt and Nay's, where the party was still in full swing.


....today is the biggest day of the tournament, and the events will include kata and sparring. EEEEEE!!!

Holy Shit, Batman.....

....Day one of the tournament. I've learned a lot. And have learned that I've got so much more to learn. But that's a good thing, no?

....so I get down to the tournament, and no one I know is there. I am an army of one at these most often. There are four of us that have competed from my school in the last year. Collin, me, and two other guys that are my belt. So anyway, I have to make new friends. Which is ok.... most of you know that I've never really met a stranger. It's a blessing and a curse.

...anyway, the two events of the night are Continuous Sparring and Ippon Kumite (one-point sparring). And, there were four of us. I had four total fights tonight. For continuous sparring, I didn't really know what I was doing for the first match and got my ass blown away. The second match, I had that "I'm not going to lose THIS time" mentality, so I won. That gave me third place out of four. For one-point sparring, I was paired with the same girl starting out. The goal with one-point sparring is to have all five judges say that you got there first. Easy, right? NOTSOMUCH! The chick and I went for probably 25 goes before she beat me. Then I got a minute to recover before I had to DO IT AGAIN! The second fight is like the consolation round. That was a fight for third/fourth, and I got fourth.

.....tonight's lesson? I have so much more practice to do. I wish that our dojo offered more of a chance to really get good techniques in. Should come with time. What's funny is that people think that because I'm a brown belt that I should have better techniques. And that's embarrassing. But I can't develop good techniques if I don't know how to develop them. Need more instruction.

....Am going to bed now. Am very tired, as I still haven't shaken the bug that my kidlets have given me.....

Nervous.....

....so am a bit nervous about the weekend. Am going to be gone from everyone for the entire weekend. Which I'm suddenly not liking. Am nervous about how I'll do, especially since my wonderful son decided to be kind and share his illness from earlier in the week. He could have shared a cookie, a soda, anything but this!

....so doped up on Sudafed, vitamins, and pain relievers, I will go to work today. At some point I need to get my good gi dry cleaned. We'll see. It might just wind up wrinkled and whatever. And then after work, I'll make my way down for the first night of competition. Tonight is all the new stuff. We'll see how it goes!

....I practiced my kata and sparring so much this week that I'm sore.

.....but fuck it. I spent a lot of money for this weekend, I'm going through with it, come hell or high water.

....Happy Weekend to you all!

Ponderings....

....do you think Gichin Funakoshi and the other Okinawans had disgusting feet from practicing karate in their backyards? Looking down at my feet this afternoon, I realized that perhaps I need to figure out something different. You see, I spent about 20 minutes last night after karate class practicing my kata for this weekend. And, well, I must not have cleaned them all too well when I showered last night. They're kinda gross.....

..... I really thought this was quite clever.....

Feeling Lazy....

.....have been working out like a madwoman in preparation for tomorrow. Am getting quite nervous. And I think that it's because I'm trying out two new events.... Continuous Sparring and Ippon Kumite (one-point sparring). I may or may not have anyone to compete against, which is frustrating, but hopefully someone will be game to play. I would really love to learn more about those two events.

.....and I would rather be drawing on the sidewalk with chalk right now.... hence my latest pic. ;-)

Two Weeks....

...that's all it takes for a good germ to incubate and start causing havoc. Collin's at home today with a fever, headache, and sore throat. Erin has a cough brewing. And Griffin complained of his tummy hurting. Upon hearing that he wouldn't play video games all day if he were to stay home sick, he opted to go to school. Yep...he's going to play the game as we go along. Good job we have digital thermometers!

Sunday....

....so I mowed the lawn for the first time since I became an adult. It wasn't all that difficult. Just took an hour or so. I bummed Collin's iPod off of him and went at it. You see, I used to mow my grandparents' lawn as a kid. Probably younger than I should have been when I did it, too. I never looked as cute as Erin, here, though!

....am really getting nervous about this tournament this weekend. I will be trying some new things. So methinks that has a lot to do with the nerves. I'm probably not going to get in as much practice as I'd like this week. Kid stuff is getting in the way. But if any of you are free on Friday night, Saturday, or Sunday, feel free to bop by the Marriott East and watch me get my ass kicked!

Court Of Honor...

...not a great pic of the boy, but we have his Boy Scout Court of Honor tonight. Not sure if I told you, but over the course of his camp this summer, he promoted to the next level of scouting. The group inspires him to work hard, and they're like another familial unit for him, so I love that he goes. Now. When the checking account starts groaning, so do I, but I really love that he's in such a well-run organization.

Pass The Paper Bag....

....so for a while I've hated my hair. It seems to be thinning to me, not sure why. But it's been in a pony tail for about five months now. Seriously. So I got it cut today. It looks a little better than in this pic. And why am I smiling? Because the conversation upon my arrival home went a something like this:

"Mommy! Your hair! You don't look so good!"

That would be my lovely daughter.

Please pass the paper bag now? ;-)

Cutie Tootie....

.....am not good with formatting pictures and moving them in Blogger, so here's a pic from the back, Judy.... isn't it funny? Erin would look like such a big girl in the second picture if not for the backpack!

...because I really have little to say. Here's a cute girlie! Happy Weekend, All!

New Specs!

...they came in much sooner than I anticipated. Seven to ten days turned into three! Yay! Am kind of wondering about them, though.... they will take some getting used to.

If You want to Go To The Tournament....

......here are the details.... Feel free to come watch me get my tuckus kicked!

Well, Thanks for Nothing, except Judy....

.... I've made the decision on my own to bite the bullet and just do the tournament already. Am quite nervous, as I think that this is a pretty big tournament. But I feel like I'm not going to be doing this forever, especially if Griffin wants to compete. I hate that I'm going to be missing some things. I'm hoping that I can still make some of the fun events that I've been invited to. But I feel like this might be my one chance to get the full picture of competing in martial arts. Who knows? I might still do it next year (as a black belt! competing against 2nd and 3rd degree black belts! YIKES!), but the likelihood of it is increasingly slimming down. The irony of this is that our teacher is looking to put a team together, too!


.... so I went to sparring class last night, and one of the 2nd degree black belts worked with me a lot. He's a very tough coach and actually pushes me. He often hazes me to get me pissed off, too, but that might actually get me past some of my fears of being more aggressive to score points. He never wears his head gear, though, which makes me nervous as shit. I beaned him pretty good, too. But he took it in stride.


....I'm finding a comfort zone with karate these days. I think that some of the push for excellence is coming back to our school. Which I like. I know that the teacher is in a tough spot. It's his business. His source of a living. And it's tough when you have people who don't want their kids to be pushed. I know people have pushed him NOT to be tough on their kids. But there is still a measure of dedication and call for excellence that needs to happen in ANY sports activity that needs to be met for there to be a total enjoyment in the sport, especially if someone's competing in the sport. It might not always be comfortable for you to have someone telling you that what you're doing isn't perfect. But when you've been pushed to do things right, it's an awesome feeling, knowing that you're improving and actually getting GOOD at something. I wish that I had the confidence of the nearly-31 year-old me as a 14-17 year-old. I think I would have been better at swimming. No Michael Phelps, but a more fulfilled swimmer. Oh, well. Does no good to wish now. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be 14-17 again!

....Happy Wednesday to you!

Need Help....

....there is a major karate tournament on Labor Day weekend. There is also a banquet that weekend, honoring the top ten of each event, of which I have two awards coming.

....Labor Day weekend also happens to be some big events in the worlds of my friends that I don't want to miss out on either. A big annual party that should be loads of fun that I don't really want to miss. And then a Labor Day/Housewarming/Birthday party on another day of that weekend that I don't really want to miss, either.

...But now I have to choose. By tomorrow I need to decide whether I'm going to the banquet. And if I'm going to do the tournament.

....Can I just whine one more time and say that I don't want to have to choose?


....What would YOU do if it were YOU? (Don't I sound like Dr. Suess there?)

Tuesdays....

... did you know that iTunes releases a free song or two each Tuesday? Some of my favorite music comes from this.

...I then go to Pandora and listen to more of what the artist sings, and then come up with more artists to listen to as a result. Music makes me so happy!

Love Hanging Out With Girlfriends....

....because they understand the significance of the fact that we, as mothers, rarely make it into photos. Not that we enjoy being in photos. You bet your bippy that I don't! But our kids may or may not want to remember what we looked like when we're dead and gone. Ya know? Think about it, fellas.

Getting New Specs!!

.... so am quite excited about my new glasses. They'll be in soon...7 to 10 business days. My old glasses are starting to be a bit on the broke-ass side. Am hoping that these will hold up well. I didn't remember that I'd gotten the special scratch-resistant, will replace if you scratch them lenses last time. Would have replaced them earlier this year if I'd remembered. Oh, well. The scratch isn't bad, so they will definitely work for my back-up frames!

.....so here's a funny from the weekend. One of Diane's camping neighbors was a little tipsy and invited Erin to help her wash dishes. I think Diane had shared her secret that she loves to clean (she gets it from her Grandma Byers.... NOT me). So she washed dishes. Was incredibly cute. The lady gave Erin a dollar. Which Erin carried around for the rest of the weekend. This morning, Griffin had gotten a hold of the dollar to "see it." A fight undoubtedly ensued. So I told Griffin that he might get a chance to earn his own dollar (he was quite sad that he'd not been given the opportunity). And Erin, in order to stake her claim, WROTE HER NAME on the dollar.

A Good Time....

......so we played a little miniature golf. I watched and snapped (pics.... was so tired when I originally posted this!!) while Aaron and the kids played....






















......we went swimming in the "swimming hole"....I watched and snapped pics while Collin and the twins swam with Nick, my friends' son....



















......and I introduced the kids to the wonders of gambling by buying cards for them.....I snapped pictures and PLAYED this time!
















.....Overall we had a good weekend. Diane and I got lost while trying to find a scrapbook store. Apparently the only Miller St. in Plymouth, IN is smack dab in the middle of the old town Plymouth. It was a good time, though. The rest of the time we spent hanging out at the camp site. I prefer to camp at state parks, but couldn't beat the company!


.....and how 'bout that Michael Phelps? To have youth and dedication on your side.... lots of dedication. The Olympics is so very powerful to me. The dedication and heart that most of those athletes show is so inspiring.

Would You Believe.....

....that these two little nutjobs were fighting so much they both got spankings five minutes before this photo was taken? Such a love-hate relationship!

....Happy Friday, everyone!

We're Goin' Campin'.....

....this weekend will find me up in Northern Indiana with our friends Ron and Diane. They have a son that is a little older than Collin. So it's nice to hang out with them. This is what our camp site typically looks like.

....a small victory for me tonight... took the twins to karate and they both stayed on the mat the entire time. And I even was on the mat with them. A successful night!

...another victory is that all the kids are doing well in the first few days of school. The twins slept in until 7 this morning (thank goodness for small favors!). They also seem to be excited about school. Last night I found out that the twins will be separated for the entire day at school, not even having lunch at the same time. And when the nuttiness of figuring out where everyone is when calms down and we've settled into a routine, I feel like the separation will be a welcome thing in our house. Because maybe by the time they haven't been together all day, they'll be NICER to eachother when they get home. It could be a shot in the dark to hope for this, but I'm hoping for it nonetheless. Did you know that they have never really been separated like this since they were in the NICU? I wonder what it will do for them, but am excited that they will get to develop even further as separate people. No worries, folks, they still will cry a river when the other disowns them as a best friend. So I think that they'll still be thick as thieves.

....and to give Collin some air time, we will be going Monday to an introductory meeting for band. He's decided that he wants to play the alto sax. We'll see how that goes. It throws a rock into the wheel that is our schedule, but we'll see how things go. Between scouting, karate, and now band, am not sure how we're going to get everywhere we need to be. I need to go out and buy one of those family planners again.....am already spinning around in circles!

Whew....

...we survived the first day. Dinner was spent looking through all the papers that the kids brought home. Am totally feeling for Katie at this point....because I don't know what the heck I'd do with two more kids than what I've got!

....so everyone enjoyed their days, for the most part. I think Aaron's a bit on the wiped out side. But Griffin said that his favorite part of the day was putting on his new shoes and going on the bus. Erin said her favorite part of the day was snack.

....And the kids' placements are nutty to say the very least. Collin has three different teachers this year. Final year at the Intermediate School.

....Erin is in the afternoon class at KG, so she goes to the extended day program in the morning. Griffin is the opposite. Both like their teachers for both parts of the day. But trying to remember who goes where, until it's routine, has proved to be daunting for the feeble-minded (being me!).

First Day of School!!

....Can't believe it's already here. Am so excited and so very proud of my kids. Who would have thought that the last 12 years with Collin would have gone so fast? Am proud of Collin for the things he is....sweet, funny, caring.... Am not so proud of waking up at 6:00 (thanks for sleeping in there, Griff!!) to get my lazy ass out of bed at 6:30 to be in time to take pictures. Only for him to give attitude. So here is the only picture I really got of him. "Jeez!" was the word when I told him to get a picture outside. So I sent him on his merry way. Can't be perfect, eh? There is so much about him that I love, so am holding onto that. The twins were so excited that they were giving him hugs good-bye. Thought that was very sweet.













.....and here is the Gruesome Twosome. Who knew, five and a half years ago, that we would be standing here today? If I were to tear up about any of it (which I didn't until this very minute), it would be that we weren't sure that they'd even survive (though we had the blind hope that they would), let alone come so very far. Kids born as early as these two generally have many more complications with life than what we've been given. Yet here we are, ready for Kindergarten. A little scared (Erin) and way excited and confident (Griffin), but we're here. I couldn't be happier. Was a little unnerved because I couldn't give them the happy day that I gave Collin (aside from the crazy start of waking up ten minutes before school was to start...boy is that a crazy memory to share if I've not already!) his first day of KG. I dropped him off at school and then picked him up after his half day and took him to the Children's Museum. Totally focused on him that day. Couldn't give that to the twins, but I think we'll all manage. Oy, the Momma Guilt! Which is ok, really, when I think about the other inequities of raising these three hooligans. It really is a wash, no?


....Hope that everyone else is having a good start to school! Hang in there for the SAHM's that are feeling the first effects of Empty Nest Syndrome!

Man....

...it's amazing what a year will do. I can't get over it. This is the twins' first day of preschool. Tomorrow, we'll have pictures from their first day of Kindergarten. It's not that I'm sad that my babies are growing up. I love that they're growing up, for it's one adventure after another. But man. Could time slow down just a little? It's times like these that make me feel my life is passing me by.

...watch this space for big kid pics tomorrow!

Last Day....

....before the madness of getting everyone ready and out the door begins. I do so love only having to take care of myself in the morning....not that I work that hard at getting myself ready in the morning.

....tomorrow should be fun for the kids. Judy's watching them, and has a whole fun day slated for them.....movie at a theater! Bounce House! Playing Outside if They Drive Her Crazy! Am aiming to get their little butts in bed at a decent time so that the last part doesn't happen. But the other stuff is really on tap for tomorrow. Fun for them. And a blessing for me.

....I ate Skyline with Aaron and the kids today. Kind of a final hurrah to the summer, when they'd come every so often to eat lunch with me. Griffin saw me and he said "Oh, Mommy, we've been looking out for you all day!" I asked "Have you now?" Collin said "Nope. Sorry." Meanie. He's a sassy one, that boy.

....The only other thing to note is that I spent (too much) time last night creating a mix CD for Greg (Katie's husband....he requested to be brought up to speed on current music, as he'd no clue as to half of the artist I've been listening to are....boy is he in for it!) and a "Fight Songs" CD for myself. Both provide a sick and twisted view into my musical psyche as of late.

I Never Noticed This Before....

...so there has always been talk in the mothers-of-micropreemies world that our girls have skinny butts. The shorts you see here were bought probably three or four years ago at Big Dogs (which is a mainstay at most outlet stores here in Indiana). The size on these bad boys? 12-18 mos. Hence the "Not Quite Housebroken" pocket. And I just noticed this yesterday.....

Lack Of Motivation Abounds....

...photo courtesy of Matt....

....am in a funk today where I'm not motivated to do ANYTHING. We have been so lazy today. I did manage to score some school supplies that still needed to be bought. But there is still so much that needs to be done. That's not currently being done because I just can't be arsed to do it. Part of it has to do with the fact that the twins are tired. And when they're tired, they whine. And when they whine, my blood pressure increases ten-fold.

...R.I.P., Bernie Mac.

....Go USA!

Funny....

....so Aaron slept out in the back yard in our camper...along with Griffin, Collin, and the men of a family of friends. Good times. And I got the bed to myself. Best night's sleep in a long time, despite the fact that I woke up before six. But it was solid, good sleep. Love it!


....my boss came back from a month-long trip away. The first thing he said was "You've lost weight again, haven't you?" The next thing he said was "Where did you get that bruise on your arm?" (Like he really needed to ask... he knows that it's from sparring. Though this one is particularly funny looking, as it's a perfect circle. Thanks, Melissa!) So we talk about karate and he keeps making fun of me, saying that he could still kick my ass. Simply because he's a man and taller and bigger. Forgetting that I'm likely to be quicker than he is. But anyway. So he said, "I might believe you if you could kick my head that you might beat me." So... I kicked at his head. I wish that I felt more confident in my kick. Because it's high. I just have visions of me getting taken down on my ass on a gym floor during a tournament. So that makes me a bit scared. At any rate, I believe that he's getting the idea that I'm not just blowing smoke up his ass about the karate thing. If I were a man, I'd so be beating my chest right now.


....after I kicked at his head, he told me that I needed to find a nice, calm, lady-like sport. HA!

Woot!

....I get to sleep by myself in my bed tonight! Yay!

Fixing Pictures....

....So my friend Judy has speculated on whether a new camera is in order or good photo editing software. I don't typically play around with my photos that much. But have seen what others have done with just a nudge here or there. So I've played a bit with my pictures in the past week. Actually, I've played with two pictures. The one of Griffin and the one you see here. I thought maybe you'd like to see the before and after. The one right here is the before. And the one below is the after. Kind of nice how lightening the picture a jacking with the color can make it just a little better. This is certainly no award-winning photo, but I like how it turned out. And hey... the subject matter is good! *winks*




.......so last night we went out to dinner, since we were down a kid. A lady at the table next to us asked me if Erin and I had to work hard to look so much alike. And for the longest time, I didn't see it. But more and more, the poor girl is starting to look like a way cuter version of me. I think it's the glasses. We're due for some new ones. She insists that we get the same frames again. Very cute.




....am feeling worse for wear today, as I went out last night. The wounds of a hangover are totally self-inflicted. But it was good to go out, as have not been out in several weeks.

Just another day....

.....not much going on, really. Collin and I went to black belt class (got to bow on...which was cool, since I'm NOT a black belt yet) and then sparring class (first one of the fall!). He didn't really give us any drills or instruction, but it was fun to get back at it. My friend Melissa and I wound up clashing pretty badly...I had a goose-egg on my arm and she had one on her shin. Is the price you pay for hitting and kicking your friends for fun and exercise.

....I went to Half-Price books yesterday and bought a book on photography composition. We'll see if I can get better with my photos. You gotta love having a digital camera. There's no muss or fuss on how many photos you take, because you don't have to print them all. But am having trouble choosing the photos that I take. So I will have to figure something out with that regard. Not every photo should even stay on your computer. But, if you're a pack-rat like me, you know that it's really hard to throw anything away. Anyway. I'll be playing more and more with my camera. And will post the fruits of my efforts.

A Year Ago.....

....all I can say is...WOW! I am helplessly addicted to putting pictures up now, in case you hadn't noticed. And it's amazing to me just how fast the kids are growing. Collin has slowed down a bit. But the twins? YIKES! I keep teasing all of them to quit growing up so quickly. And it's seriously in jest. Am excited to watch my kids grow into what they'll eventually become. But man. Does time fly so quickly.

....not much going on Chez Byers. We're doing more of the same. Collin and I had class last night. And we'll have class again tonight. Sparring's back! Am hoping for a good crowd so that I can get some practice in....and a good workout!

....we're getting everyone ready to go back to school. Sunday we went to Shoe Hell (Shoe Carnival) and bought the twins the until-now-elusive Skechers shoes that they've been jammering for. When talking about what to do for dinner, Griffin said he wanted to eat someplace nice so that he could wear his new shoes. Collin's feet are getting to the point where they're the same size as Aaron's. And because he shares genes with both his mother AND his father, he's going to have bigger feet than Aaron. And Aaron just needs to move past that. He will likely be taller than Aaron, too, according to the pediatrician. There is always hope for Griffin to be his size. *winks*

Monday Morning Blah....

....there's nothing wrong. I just don't want to work. So how 'bout a picture of one of the cute lunatics in my life?

Owww....

(another cute pic from vaca, btw...)

...so yesterday I went to Matt and Nay's house to help with mulch. And had a blast. There is something very liberating about being able to do things like play with shovels, pitch forks, etc. We moved LOTS of mulch. It was Nay, one of Nay's neighbors (also a girl), and me. And later on, my brother. Then we drank, ate, and made merry. And this morning.... am feeling the effects of my age. Am tired and a bit sore today. Am not as cool as I thought. *grins* But Matt and Nay always seem to do nice thinngs for us, so it was nice to return the favor. And it was a lot of fun! Of course, now my secret is soooo out. Aaron knows I can and am willing to do yardwork. So I might have to start doing it around here.....

Feeling Like.....

.... ass. A duck's ass to be more specific. I took this picture in Katie's neighborhood. But now? Am going to eat dinner. And then I'm going to turn in early. Because I feel like shit today, folks!

.....hope that any of you who still come 'round (yet rarely comment.....ahem) are faring better this muggy Friday evening!