- Still sore from the field hockey game, and definitely not looking forward to sitting in a plane for three hours on my way to Florida for a meeting. Nothing like sitting in an airplane seat to stiffen the old muscles. Perhaps I shall take advantage of those airport beeping trolley carts that whisk you past the passengers whose thighs don't feel like they're screaming, "Bring on the Ben Gay! "

- Last night I re-discovered onion rings. After picking my son up from skateboarding lessons, and being a lazy mother who couldn't think of anything to make for dinner except Sloppy Joes (only there are no hamburger buns in the house, so that idea was out), I took the kids to Burger King. A stray onion ring made its way into my son's fries - at first he thought it was a cool round French fry, until his sister told him it was an onion ring and he offered it to me. Man, it was yummy.

- Is it just me, or when you watch the commercials for that new movie The Guardian, do you get the feeling someone went to a studio and said, "I have a great idea for a movie - it's part Top Gun, part Perfect Storm." I just don't get it.

- I set the Love Bug game record on Sunday while driving to CT. 14 Love Bugs. However, after thinking about it, I decided that a four hour ride should be considered the "long distance" category, while trips around town should be "short distance." Being in the car for four hours, I just felt like I had an unfair advantage. We also decided that anyone who makes a false Love Bug spotting should be penalized by not being allowed to call the next one. This game is becoming quite elaborate and is consuming a lot of family time, not to mention scaring the crap out of my husband when three people scream "Love Bug!"at the top of their lungs while he's concentrating on the traffic.

- Connect Four has also become a competitive sport in our house, with taunting and mind games allowed (perhaps even encouraged to psyche out the competition). I lost six straight games last night to my six year old, who promptly stood up and taunted me with a lovely, "So long, sucker," before going upstairs to gloat to his sister. Note to self: must practice while home to avoid humiliation and trash talk from child.

I'm walking funny today. Every muscle in my body hurts. This must be what it feels like to get old. Or just close to 40.

I joined a women's field hockey league and we had our first game on Sunday night (we won 16-5, have amazing offense - I play defense). The game was 50 minutes long and I managed to play the entire time because we didn't have any subs. It was great getting all sweaty and running around smacking at a ball, and I was thinking, "This isn't so bad, I'm in pretty decent shape after all." Monday morning I stepped out of bed and realized that there are actual muscles in my ass (who would have guessed) and they were screaming what the hell did you do to us?

Now, two days later, I'm walking like a cowboy from an old Western movie - sort of wobbling side to side as if the six weeks I spent riding a horse through mountainous terrain has taken its toll on my hind quarters. Unfortunately sitting isn't any more enjoyable that walking because eventually I have to get up. And that's when I finally see the reason old people buy those hydraulic chairs that lift you up to a standing position. Am hoping this starts to feel better before I bend over to pick up my shoes and topple over in a mess of achy legs and sore back - there's nobody here during the day to hear me when I cry out, "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!"