I am 85% destressed from my last assignment. I haven't touched my Rescue Remedy in five days. Over the previous four weeks I went through one-and-a-half pastille tins. It's interesting that my new/old team is comfortable discussing the housing bubble/bust and the interim contract team was acting like it was contained only to California, Nevada, Florida and Arizona, and then only to subprime. I think my new/old team didn't take out any 0% down mortgages in the past six years.

This month sees some new expenses: passport and birth certificates, appraisal. My optometrist is threatening to bill me for $215, because the insurance isn't automatically "oh we'll pay that!"

I'm probably just antsy because I need to make some dietary and food budget changes/choices immediately. Or feeling broke because of the utilities and larger mortgage payment, and the 15% pretax 401(k). Or maybe it's because we still spend more than the median Seattleite household earns. Must be the DSL and food out and the cell phones and accelerated mortgage. I tell you it is not the utilities, nor our clothing.

Lylic, the copy of Slott's Retirement Time Bomb book I borrowed from my local library had dozens of pages missing, despite it being in the library's possession for three months. I e-mailed Slott at irahelp.com to see if I can get some word-processed missing pages.

I'm trying to plan our meals a few days ahead: I'm sprouting some barley for a casserole, and either going to make beet kvass or beet soup.

Discovered Trader Joe's for bread, bananas, and dairy!

Net worth up $8512 from last month, despite the house. Up a staggering $70K from last year at this time. And from January 1 of this year, down $5800.

Got Co-op America's Guide to Socially Responsible Investments, including listings of community development banks and progressive/green-friendly advisers.

The kombucha (sweet and effervescent and no doubt full of nutritious enzymes) that is Lux Living Frugalis asked me if I have a regular paying writing gig. Yes and no. I am a paid writer, with an office to go to. I do not ghostwrite for M.P. Dunleavey, although I think I could pinch hit if need be. I know how to reach her MSN editor, anyway. When I write, I write out of a sense of lack and for catharsis. I thought about applying to the open call for an SA blogger, but by that time I suspected my contract would be renewed, and that meant little time to do much else. Also holding me back were the facts that I don't plan my meals very well, nor do I clip coupons, keep a price book, or spend three hours of "free time" each day planning in advance how to save money. I think I am too subversive and panicky to be a readable SA blogger. Excellent writing from me means the worry ferrets got loose and are harum-scarum in the cerebellum. Please send chocolate.