When you see birds roosting on a branch, you know a storm is coming. When the rooster crows, it's probably sunrise. A red sky in the evening makes for an upcoming beautiful day. And if my finger starts peeling on the side where it never gets touched, rubbed or scratched, you can bet that Brian Korte is stressing out. Bigtime.

The last time I noticed my finger peeled was September 13, 2001. Watching the planes smack the towers and the smoke billow from the Pentagon over and over on TV while not knowing if it was done, who was responsible, or what was going to happen next certainly caused me a bit of stress in those days. Understandably so. Several thousand people died. And we were all there, watching the carnage. Two days later, there was the finger, subtly reminding me that no matter how cool I presented myself, I was stressing out inside.

So how's my new job going? heh. It's all in the finger.

The current battle with the Magazine (that I'm actually starting to believe might be necessary), watching my friends over in Development worry about their situations, the increased Marketing responsibilities and lengthy office hours have been quite trying on my mental health. I'm not losing my mind. I think I'm doing quite well actually. While I hate pressure, I work well under pressure. But it's taking its toll.

All I can say is that I can't wait to head out on Friday and just leave it all behind for a few days.

I am loving DIY. The DIY (Do It Yourself) channel is totally right up my alley. Last night, Dad and I discovered it as we watched a guy make a table out of exotic wood. I was captivated. And tonight after flipping through Good Eats (a boring artichoke episode) and South Park (kind of lame), I stopped in and learned about deck making. I'm currently watching a gardening show. Tonight's feature is reviving an outdoor watering hole (skimming, replanting, adding Koi fish, fountain cleaning, etc.)

Heh. This channel even breaks down their lists by things you can gather on weekdays, assuming that your major work is done on weekends. How cool. Damn. I want a house.

I thought about running tonight. And I may still go at it. It has been a steady source of destressing for me, and I really need it now. The night is getting later and I'm already getting sleepy, so maybe I'll run in the morning. I wonder what that'll do to my day. I have a lot of packing/planning/shopping/preparing to do for the camping trip tomorrow, so it'll be a full day too. Might be nice to get a big start.