New Year's Day

I ended up getting home at 11:30 on New Year's Eve. By the time Drew and I caught up on various subjects (he finally found a rheumatologist for Rachel, yay!), it was 1 a.m. I was feeling pretty awful -- nauseous for some reason and my stomach hurt -- and so I went to bed.

I woke up with a headache at 8:30 this morning, then got up and took some Tylenol, then went back to sleep...until 10:30! I still felt awful, though; almost as if I'd had a hangover. Even though I didn't touch a drop of alcohol last night. In fact, the only thing I had that was even slightly out of the ordinary were three small pieces of Ghirardelli chocolate. The crumminess lasted well into the morning after breakfast. Rachel read on her bed while Drew put together her bookcase from IKEA -- it's a beautiful tall white bookcase and it looks GREAT in her room. I was going to insist that she start on her thank-you notes for her gifts, but she pointed out that she wanted to do something fun with Mommy "because you're going to work today." True enough. So, after I took a long, hot shower and dressed extra warmly (it is in the high 30s today), she got out the kids' Monopoly game and we played one round. I had really wanted to walk to the Metro station, both for the exercise and because I thought it might do me good, nausea-wise, but how could I turn down a chance to spend time with Rachel? I ended up driving to the station and, luckily, hopped a spanking new Silver line train. It was so pretty and clean, and practically empty! Great way to start the new year.

Rachel remarks:

At breakfast Drew and I were discussing what the sentence should be for former Va. Gov. Robert McDonnell, convicted of corruption. I pointed out that in The Post's story today, McDonnell said he apologized for what he'd done but doesn't seem to grasp that he committed a crime, which is why, he said, he didn't plead guilty -- because he's not guilty -- except that a jury found that he was.

Drew made some remark about how judges don't like that.

"You'd make a really good judge, Mom," Rachel said.
"I've often thought that I'd like to be a lawyer," I replied.
"No, your editing is better," she said. "Besides, if you were a lawyer, you wouldn't be working for the most biggest newspaper in the country!"