I've been trying to post an update, but my Internet connection at home has been spotty all week. And although there are things I would rather talk about right now, I am compelled to simply proclaim, in case anyone was wondering about my official position on the subject, that poison ivy is the devil. Please excuse me while I douse myself with gasoline and set myself on fire to distract me from the itchy sensation that has gotten remarkably worse since I realized that these patches — formerly small, mosquito bite-sized areas — are, in fact, the result of a brush with some evil beast of the plant world. And it would have been nicer had I realized this before I went to sleep last night and, apparently, rubbed some infected portion of my hand or arm against my face. But, such is life!