does the smoke alarm battery never die during the day? How does it know you are trying to sleep? I say this to explain that I have been up since 0714 because that is when I finally had had enough.

Things I've bought this weekend:

• New running shoes.
  
• A new gym bag. (Ri ruined mine soon after we moved into this house; I've been looking for a replacement ever since. Main feature that was important: cost.)
  
• Towels to go with the new decorative scheme (think seaglass) in the downstairs bathroom.
  
• Iridescent pearl nail polish for my toes. I will have pretty toes!
  

• Picture wire and hangers for the pictures that are driving the new decorative scheme.
  

• A new 9V for the above mentioned smoke detector.
  

I was standing in the check out line at the grocery store this afternoon ready to grab my bags and go when my cell phone rang. The display said, "Mom calling," so I answered it. What did she need? "How do you spell apropos?" So, for the rest of you who might be tempted to call me about spelling, look, an online dictionary!

So, we have been setting up these microcosms for over a week now, as there have been pH problems (damn microbes and their preference for neutral!) We set them up again today, adding some sodium hydroxide (problems were on the acidic side). Some of the pHs then came out too high, so I called Cool Boss into the lab to discuss the next step. He looked at the pHs, went over to the base cabinet, and grabed a bottle of pelletized sodium hydroxide. The following conversation then took place:

Watergirl: (Cool boss), what are you doing?
CB: I'm going to adjust the pH.
WG: No, really, what are you doing?
CB: Those pHs are too high. I'm going to lower them.
WG: With sodium hydroxide?
CB: (puzzled look) Sulfuric Acid?
WG: That would be better.