Okay, enough about the wildfires. Though many are still burning, there's only so much I can report on it. And it's Halloween, so distractions are in order.

But this is not the Halloween I intended. Yesterday it happened. A 4 second lapse of concentration added a full day of work and hundreds of miles to the odometer on the truck, and so today will be spent rectifying the error. It happens every now and then: a bad cut. I make thousands of cuts, day in, day out, so sooner or later it all catches up with me. Unfortunately it's all aluminum -shaped, formed, and (mostly) pre-cut at the factory. I can't just pull out another piece of wood, so I have to drive hundreds of miles out to BFAfghanistan to get a replacement part. It doesn't help that the job site is in BFChulaVista, in the opposite direction. Turns out there were a few other parts missing, so whatever. Went with the original manufacturer this time, too. Doesn't seem to matter. Blame the witches.

Let's just hope that a 4 second lapse of concentration some day won't relieve me of my left thumb. (At least not before I get disability insurance.)

This is all unfortunate, too, as I was really looking forward to carving pumpkins and seeing the Little Ditchman running around all day in her award-winning costume display. I'll make it in time for tonight's little party, assuming the demons on my shoulder don't leap off and confound the flow of my work day. Everyone's invited over tonight! This means you! Especially if you are MALE, as this will be another hen fest of dynamic proportions. My costume was going to be The Last Man In The World, but on second thought...

Anyway, Happy Halloween. This is a great American holiday. Dress like an idiot and they give you candy. How can you beat that?