And so we begin...

Or rather, so I begin. Blogathon 2006, 24 hours of blogging my little heart out in the hopes of making some money for charity, at the price of sleep. It's hard to know just exactly how to kick off this thing. It puts a hell of a lot of pressure on this morning's first post. I guess I should first note that if you donate five dollars or more, you can email me (joy@laughatlantis.com) and give me a suggestion for something to write about. It can be anything: a random word, a song lyric, a top ten list, a pet peeve, an interesting quote, anything. I will use it as inspiration to write. And come on, it's five dollars. You know you have five dollars lying around. Check your penny jar.

All right, I think I will lay out my goals for the day, just to see what I can accomplish in a 24-hour span. I want to clean my office, top to bottom. Currently I have four almost empty bookcases and perhaps two hundred books on the floor. My last reorganization attempt was somewhat of a disaster. I want to clean the spare bedroom a bit. From a convenience standpoint, the Blogathon isn't at a good time right now. My husband's friend Noel is coming from Ireland and he is staying with us for two nights. Luckily, Noel knows just how big a slob Rod is, so he probably won't be surprised by our less-than-immaculate house. Of course, Noel being here means that I will have to shower and get dressed at some point. This seems like a small point, but don't you think it would be comfier to sit around in pajamas for 24 hours? Anyway, I also want to do some laundry - okay, a LOT of laundry. And I want to pinpoint some exact things that I want to see/do while I'm in Scotland next month. (Suggestions are welcome.)

My phone has just rung. My good friends Jenney and TC were checking up on me. They - and I, for that matter - thought this thing started at eight. Chatting with them has made me send this entry six minutes late. Clearly I am destined for failure and it's all their fault.

See you in a half hour.