After working on my quals rewrite an awful lot this weekend, including staying up very late last night and setting my alarm for 5am, I awoke with a strange ache in my left arm at about 4:30. It affected my arm from wrist to shoulder. I couldn't figure it out. Did I sleep on it weird? How about weirdly? No position seemed to relieve the pain. Did I overmouse? Seemed likely, and as I settled on the pre-dawn couch to begin working again, it made sense. I took some Advil and tried to find a more neutral position.

As the sky lightened, I began to hear birds outside my kitchen window stirring and cheeping for their breakfast, including the bluejays with their pterodactyl squawk. I refilled the feeder and whistled for the squirrels--both the jays and the squirrels know that's the food call. As soon as I whipped that first peanut out there across the parking lot, I realized what was the matter with my arm.

I splurged on an extra bag of peanuts recently because I had been out of them for a few days. As I sat and wrote in my livingroom all day yesterday, I took frequent breaks to entertain myself by throwing peanuts to the jays and squirrels. I throw them pretty hard, because I want them to reach the other side of the parking lot. But I usually don't throw nearly half a bag of peanuts in one day.

So, yes, I actually hurt myself feeding squirrels!


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Don't forget, women readers, that tomorrow (October 19) is Women's Buycott Day (at least in the U.S.). Just delay one little day to get groceries/bookshelf/art supplies/software/Amazon purchase, etc. (See Google for details, of course.)

If women shut their purses and didn't shop for a day, would the economy suffer? The idea gets tested on Oct. 19 by 85 Broads, a networking group founded in 1999 by Janet Hanson, who worked for Goldman Sachs-headquartered at 85 Broad St.

[So] on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19th, we invite you to leave your checkbook and credit cards at home as a symbolic gesture that we no longer "buy" the glacial pace of change for working women in America. Instead of shopping, go for a walk in the park, write a letter to a friend, enjoy a museum, or help someone in need.