Elusive

Barely 3 hours of sleep last night made for a very long day. The traffic to Sacto was horrific - apparently a lot of folks were using today as a travel day after the long weekend. It took close to TWO HOURS to go from Tracy to downtown Sacramento. I was in the room and seated just as they were starting things but I was rushing like a maniac and I hate rushing. I envisioned myself there close to an hour early for time to mingle, find my county friends, have coffee and a bagel. But no, I rushed in, grabbed the first seat I could find near a door and then snuck out periodically - to use the restroom and to get a bagel and coffee. Twice (coffee and restroom, that is). The conference was good...but long, especially on little to no sleep. Maybe I'm getting a cold? I sort of feel off - scratchy throat, head achy. And oh so tired - and yet, I came home and tried to sleep a bit and couldn't. Hopefully, tonight.

It's 80 degrees inside the house and 75 out - so we've opened up the windows and hope that will cool things down. Our latest PGE bill had our 'balanced payment' amount jumping AGAIN - it's gone up every 3 months for the last year. Kids, darn kids. They leave power on EVERYWHERE, constantly. No amount of threatening, or cajoling, or begging or pleading seems to make a bit of difference. But a FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR PER MONTH bill is not something to be ignored, people. J. went around the house and reset all the thermostats to be at 84 as the default - so it gets darn hot in here before the air kicks on. The kids have fans in their rooms and have been told to USE THEM and DO NOT sleep all bundled up in a comforter in the summer. We will not be running the air all night at a comfortable 78...we will not be running the air AT ALL after sunset. Period. And J's reset the pool filter to only run 6 hours each day instead of 8. And I run around like a maniac shutting off lights, TVs, computers, etc. that are left unattended. I know a part of the increase is just an increase in the cost of the power itself - but some of it is just us consuming more.

Labor Day weekend was the 7th anniversary of us buying the house. Our bill when we moved in was about $254 - it was December and heat (gas furnace) is a lot less expensive than air - combined with the kids being younger, with no cell phones that charge, or video games, or computers, or stereos, etc. We didn't have the pool then. In seven years, the bill has doubled - and it positively cannot double again - no way. It has to go down. I'm so determined to have it decline the next time they 'review' our account at the three month interval that I showered this morning with no lights on - just the natural light from the window. Who needs to see themselves in a mirror after only 3 hours of sleep anyway? I can wash myself without being able to see where I'm washing. My parts don't change and I know where they are. Wish everyone in the house would try that.

I will be at work tomorrow at the crack of dawn and home late. Same thing everyday this week. Have a Board Meeting next week and there's much to prepare. It will be a busy, crazy week and if I don't get some sleep soon, it's not going to be very pleasant. Seriously. Not pleasant.