Jenn came up from LA this weekend and stayed Saturday night with us. It's always incredibly fun when we're around Jenn, talking shop and eating good food and talking some more... Even our cats -- our cats which run and hide when someone comes over and pooed near the head of our last overnight guests -- love Jenn. Marzi flirted with her and wanted her to keep petting her fluffy self and Zanzi curled up in Jenn's lap when she sat at my computer! That's how cool Jenn is.

Today I took Holly and Susan and Jenn to the Blackberry Bistro for lunch, where they pep talked me about the wedding, which was good. The guest list gives me nightmares, because there is no way we can invite everyone we'd like to. Sigh.

Anyway, I had a lovely weekend, despite the fact that I got slowly sicker over the course of it. I thought it hit a low point after brunch today, with my sore throat, cough, aches, general misery. But tonight, after dropping Jenn off at the BART station, I was sitting, watching Malcom in the Middle and minding my own business when I lost my voice. Completely. Gone. I can whisper, cough, clear my throat (all of which I shouldn't do, apparently) but I cannot speak in a normal voice. It's just not there.

This is so weird. I don't think I've ever lost my voice this utterly completely before. I keep thinking I must be faking it, but I can't even scream when I try to. Not that I should be trying to.

You don't realize how much we speak until you can't. Tim doesn't understand sign language (not that mine is very good, but I do know the alphabet and could spell things). He's already teasing me, pretending to misunderstand things. This sucks.

I don't feel good, but I may have to go to work tomorrow anyway. But I can't answer phones, which is a big part of my job. I'm hoping they'll offer to send me home w/out me having to go to the doctor and pay $30 just for a note. (The Kaiser handbook says not to see a doctor about this until 3 weeks have passed or I have a fever, and we lost the thermometer.)

Anyway, just wanted to say hi, here where I can, and to let y'all know it's really freakin' weird to be forced mute.

Ta!