Today is Tuesday, but it’s Monday-like for me, since I was home sick yesterday.

You see, Sunday, my mother rode in a Dressage show. (I took many pictures. I will unload the camera later and show off the horse who is competing with me for maternal affection.) I showed up at 8:30 AM in a tank top. Yes, I had sunscreen on. I didn’t think the day would get hot as fast as it did, so my only real covering was a wool army surplus shirt, which I figured I’d be wearing for a few hours.

Nope. It was hot as all get-out, and that bad cat came off by 8:45.

So, there I am, running around, taking pictures in the sun for, oh, six hours.

Yeah, I got a wee bit pink. Nay, worse than that. I will go so far as lobster-tastic.

I’ve had worse. Oh, believe me, I’ve had worse.

But! My mom did great, even though her judge was a wee bit harsh. This woman is, as my mom puts it, “Classical.” So if you get something even a little bit wrong, that’s it. No leeway, no sugar-coating.

Still, she took home a ribbon. Fourth place in her group, I believe. And I think she was more shaky than she usually would be. Because, about an hour before her ride, she got thrown.

I didn’t even see it happen - she was riding around like everyone else, warming up. I must have been looking at another horse, or trying to take a picture of someone. I heard a thump in the direction she’d gone, but when I looked, she was standing beside Cisco. I thought she’d just dismounted for some reason.

She came back to where Greg and I were standing and said, “He doesn’t usually do that.”

Me: “Do what?”

Her: “You…didn’t see that?” Cue my mom’s “Oh shit, I shouldn’t have said that” look.

Me: “Nope. What happened?”

Turns out, someone had put up one of those little awning things, made out of blue tarp. The wind caught it just as she rode by, and the flapping made Cisco spook. She thought for a couple of seconds there she was still on - almost righted herself, then he did a little swerve thing and off she went. But she really did bounce right back up, her butt a little grass-stained, her pride a little hurt, but otherwise okay.

Go mom.

So, I ran around in the sun (for some reason, I thought there was more shade there…) and by 2:30, I was ready to go the hell home. I don’t think I realized the sad state of my shoulders until I got in the car and felt the air conditioning come on. I drank enough water to drown a small country, but I still woke up feeling bleh on Monday. I stayed home from work.

So, of course, today is Monday-like for me, and in true Monday form, the train I took into work was running late. So late, in fact, that I didn’t get to work until 9:30. I start at 8:30. At least my boss is cool with commuter troubles. She goes through it herself.

Also, your hostess was thwarted in my quest for lunchtime coffee, since I didn’t have any this morning. It’s raining pretty hard out there, and I have no umbrella.

And a white shirt.

Which means, Starbucks Mocha Frappucino from CVS. Coffee isn’t supposed to be this thick. Stupid Starbucks. Stupid rain. Stupid Tuesday that’s acting like a Monday.