I seem to be full of idiotic exploits this week. Today�s installment in the Chronicle of Harriet�s Stupidity involves a minor but rather painful injury. Yesterday was the coldest May 3 on record in the history of Chicago. In an attempt to save my recently potted containers of flowers, I hauled everything in a couple of days ago in order to save my begonias from frost. My shower was looking like a rather bedraggled flower shop, however, and there was hardly room to maneuver without spraying hot water and shampoo all over the flowers, which I doubt is much of an improvement over the frost. So, encouraged by the obviously improved temperature and the gleaming sunshine, I hauled all the plants out onto the bedroom deck to await further dispersal. Unfortunately for me, I decided I didn�t need to move the lounge chairs in order to do so. On the last trip with an armload of ceramics, I caught my foot on the base of a chair and was flung headlong. I narrowly averted sailing over the balcony but managed to give my hamstring such a wrench that I am currently reduced to hopping up and down stairs on one foot, which seems to be entertaining the rest of the family. AJ, in a touching show of empathy, has been hopping with me.

I seem to be morphing into Homer Simpson. Perhaps this afternoon I�ll join a rock band and will entertain the crowd by taking cannonballs in the gut. Then again, maybe I�ll just lie on the sofa, drink beer and belch. Hmmm. What to do�

To answer saucy99�s question today about the significance of one�s username, Harriet the Spy was a favorite childhood book and favorite childhood heroine for her independence of mind and action and her writerly inclinations. I�ve been using harri3tspy, or some variation thereof, as a username for years, long before I decided to plunge into online journaling. But since much of the book centers on Harriet�s journal-keeping (and the importance and dangers thereof), it seemed exceptionally appropriate for such a venture. Harriet is my alter ego, my child self. Also, she has really cool glasses to which I aspire.

Now that I�ve used the word �thereof� twice in one paragraph, I suppose I should return to the scene of the crime and dispose of the pile of mud and smashed ceramics. D�oh!

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