bananas

I'm taking the afternoon off to allow a particularly nasty spider bite on my toe to get some air.  There IS an upside to necrotic lesions!  I'm assured that there are no brown recluse spiders in New York, and that it is most likely the result of a yellow sac spider mistaking my footwear for living quarters and defending itself against my invading toe.  I think I'm going to live, but uncomfortably.  Which is more than I can say for the spider, probably. 

In the meantime there is an ever-growing pile of recently-removed overgrowth from around the pool house property that is not being turned to much-needed mulch by my awesome new chipper.. 

.. and there are boxes upon boxes of unassembled IKEA furniture giving me nightmares and cold sweats as the self-imposed deadline of August 1st looms ever nearer.  I intend to tackle the madness this week while Tristan attends a camp at Olana, historic home and studio of Frederic Edwin Church.  He'll be spared the screaming and swearing that will inevitably accompany the furniture assemblage.  Although he'd probably have better luck interpreting the "instructions" than I will. 

Tristan's birthday is coming up, and we're heading back to Iowa the week of the 27th for a few days to celebrate with friends there before coming back here to throw a party at the pool house on School House on August 1st.  I had hoped to sneak away for a couple days the next weekend to catch Faith No More in Montreal, but certain events have unfolded that may preclude that from actually happening.  We are definitely going Switzerland, France and Holland towards the end of August, though.  And moving out of this apartment as soon as possible. 

In summation, things are completely bananas!!  I'm leaving out oodles just to stop everyone worrying in earnest about my mental health.  Because I'm fine!!  Really!!  (Though feel free to send money… and booze, so I don't have to spend the money on booze.)  Forget it, I'm okay (really). 

Here are some photos of Tristan at CAMP OMI, which he attended the past two weeks..

He's a happy camper.  He's also playing guitar and whooping my ass at chess since learning to do so at the Hudson Opera House last month.  He's impervious to the bananas, thankfully.  And he requests Minecraft-themed LEGOs for his birthday, much to my disgust.