What is going on?

Not to alarm anyone, but I would just like to announce that today I: 1) did not go to Target and 2) also practiced my clarinet!!! I have no idea what happened to me today. At the risk of downplaying my personal achievements, however, I have to clarify that I did write out a list of things that I do need to purchase at Target and will probably buy said things tomorrow.

1. light bulbs
2. St. Ives apricot scrub
3. shower curtain liner
4. grill lighter
5. no more Kleenex since I now have an abundance of tissues... yay!
6. cat toy or (if I'm feeling extra generous) laser pointer with which to entertain Scott's cat, Bela. Bela and I hang out all day and have a contest over who is more lazy and bored/boring. I feel like he should have more physical activity in his day to day routine ... and then I can live vicariously through him. ...Do they sell laser pointers at Target? Hmm...

Also, as an added clarification, my clarinet and I were forced into having a reunion today because my Tokyo-bound (whee!) clarinet quartet had a rehearsal tonight. And thank God we did, because it actually was a relief to be playing that damned devil stick again. I must say, I did not sound half as bad as I anticipated, what with my little...hiatus. I am going back to Zonda reeds for a while, I think. But I'm upgrading to a #4 strength rather than #3.5. My Vandorens just don't work as well with my recent ligature change. I broke my metal Vandoren Optimum ligature and am now playing on the leather Optimum. The leather is a bit darker and feels not quite as responsive, but a better choice for somebody like me who tends to drop their ligature several times during the course of a week. (And let me apologize now for that brief moment of "shop talk." I hate myself.) Anyway, I think the different choice of reeds helped in my lessened degree of suckiness. I did, however, only last about 15 minutes before my chops were dead... Agh.

I have this cough that won't go away. What if I have consumption? Is that possible? Am I in Victorian-era England? That would not be cool. I've been popping allergy pills like a crazy person, but since I ran out of my beloved Allegra, I have been taking the Wal-mart brand allergy pills, which I am convinced are just tiny sugar pills because this cough is indestructible. I am way annoyed. I have also tried taking some cold medication, but that doesn't seem to be helping things either. I feel like if I can just get this disgusting phlegm out of my body, my recovery will come about very quickly. I, however, am a very proper and lady-like young woman - a delicate flower, you might say - and do not know how to hock a lugie. I sometimes (when there are no other humans around me, of course) attempt to, and I just end up looking and sounding like Bela when he's vomiting up his hairballs. It is not attractive. And on that delightful note...

ps. I apologize to my mother, who is probably way disgusted that I brought up the subject of my mucus in today's post. Sorry! :)