Ahhhhh

End of the week. Like most of my weeks lately, it was packed with all kinds of stuff: tying up loose ends in the library all day, going to doctors and other appointments in the afternoon. I went to the new internist on Wednesday, and liked her very much, so I'm hoping that works out well.

In school, let's see. I spent two days this week completing the handbook of how everything is done in the library. I had started it two years ago or so, when I was still very unhappy here and eager to get out, but I haven't looked at much since then, since things got so much better. I had to add a lot to it, and I know that it only scratches the surface, because so much of what a librarian does -- especially when there's only one -- we carry in our heads. Even so, I'm satisfied with it, and the new librarian can call me, if s/he absolutely has to. And working on the handbook helped me put off the damn purchase orders for another day or two.

But I dug into them on Wednesday, and finished them yesterday. I was able to order all the online databases we use, plus one that used to be free to all libraries in New Jersey, but not anymore, thanks to our governor. (Did I mention that he also cut off all funding to the courier service that goes from library to library in the state, which eliminates inter-library loan as of July 1? We can still borrow from other libraries, but we have to go there to get stuff and bring it back; there's no delivery service anymore.) I ordered the newspapers, the magazines, some supplies, and videos. But no books. There's no money in the budget for books next year. I guess my replacement will have to work a way around that.

My new passion this week is smoothies, I don't know if I mentioned that the other day. I only want to make smoothies with real juice (not from concentrate) or coffee, fat-free yogurt or soymilk, fresh fruit, and ice. I'm not so much looking for recipes as I am for combinations, since I'm not adding anything else and the amounts are flexible. Let's see, this morning I had carrot juice, apple juice, a banana, some yogurt (vanilla), and some ice.  Last night, I filled two ice trays that make itty-bitty cubes with coffee, so I can use those, and tonight I'll freeze some of the juices I got (carrot, pomegranate, something else I forget.) I'm not a fan of most berries (except strawberries), but if you have any ideas, send 'em my way.

I'm pretty achy today, not sure why, although I didn't remember to put the cushion on my chair until just now, so I was sitting kind of low, so maybe that's it.

I'd like to read several more books from my library before school ends, and luckily for me, most of my work is done, and if I sit here and read, what're they going to do to me, fire me? So I think I'll do some of that here and there.

Very liberating, this retirement thing.

Let Me Tell You About My Morning

My morning really kicked off when morning kicks off, which is to say, midnight. Lost was only just over -- not getting into Lost right now -- and R had left to drive home, so of course I wanted her to text me when she got there because she was tired. This wasn't keeping me awake, though, because I already had shpilkes -- loosely translated as "ants in the pants" and wasn't even remotely tired.

Somehow lately, my metabolism does not recognize the concept of "bedtime." I was wide awake, in fact, so wide awake, that I couldn't even lie in bed. This was more than restless leg syndrome, it was restless body syndrome. I think I possibly fell asleep somewhere close to 3:00.

So naturally, my alarm didn't go off at 5:30, but I woke up on my own about five minutes later. Seriously, who needs more than two and half hours of sleep? I am the walking dead all day.

Now here's the really amusing part. Because the Hubs and I are now sharing one car, which is working out well, actually, most days he walks to and from work. What work, you're wondering? Doesn't he work at home? Well ... yes. But a friend of his in his business has been ill, so the Hubs goes to that guy's office to cover the phones and stuff, and he can still do his own work while he's there. So he walks there and back most days, I think it's about seven miles away. (Don't ask.) But he's been teaching a class two nights a week for the last six weeks, so he has to have a car at night to get there. Usually on these days, I pick him up and then he drops me off and takes the car.

But today, I have a massage at four, so I can't pick him up. Here's the plan he devised: he would leave the house at his normally obscenely early hour and walk somewhere, and then after I got to work (in the car) he would come and pick it up. That way he'd still get his walking in. (K is picking me up after school and I'll take her car to my  massage.)

So I'm on my way to school this morning; I pass the Hubs walking a few blocks away and honk and wave; he waves back. I pull into my parking space and realize that Damn, I left my lunch on the living room chair. I turn around, wave to him again and call out the window "I forgot my lunch!" and go home.

At home, I turn off the car, unlock the front door, grab my lunchbag, shut the door, get back in the car, stuff my lunch bag into my tote bag, and .... no keys. The keys are nowhere to be seen. At. All.

I'm digging through everything, but finally, just reach for the spare key and drive to school. By this time, the Hubs is standing next to my parking space wondering where the hell I have gone. I breathlessly explain it all to him, tell him where to look for my keys, and go inside, where they have to make an announcement to call a custodian to come and unlock the library for me.

The Hubs does not find my keys in the house. I text him back to check the car again, and he finds them under the passenger seat. Uh .... okay. He drops them off on his way to notwork, and there I am. It's 7:00, I'm exhausted, hot, and sweaty, and I haven't even done anything yet.

So that's my day, ladies and gentlemen. There was testing this morning, I had hall duty, and now I'm done with that FOREVAH.

A little nap during the massage would be so lovely, eh?

S.O.P.

The standard operating procedure for retirement is that when the Board of Education approves/accepts your letter of retirement, then at their next meeting, they pass a whole resolution about you and read it into the public record. Then, at the retirement dinner, the superintendent steps up and reads it aloud and gives the retiree a framed, fancy-schmancy copy of it.

Except last month, so many of us put in our letters just hours before the deadline of that night's Board meeting, there were only resolutions for those few who had notified the Board earlier, and the rest of us were just listed at the end, kind of like, Oh, and these people, too.

There must have been a Board meeting last night, because a photocopy of the resolutions that were read for me and for the middle school librarian who's also going was in my mailbox this morning. (We were on the same page, so we get to see each other's.) Interestingly, they came up with something different for each of us, which must have been a challenge for them. If they were honest, I think mine would have said something about my being a pain in the ass to the superintendent for years. If they were accurate, mine also would have mentioned my heavy involvement with activities and clubs for years.

Every time I've listened to one of these being read, I've thought, What phony bullcrap. And it still is, and I can't imagine I would hang such a thing up in my house except as a joke, but even so, I'm going to share it with you, because y'know? Phony or not, it's nice to see something nice about yourself. The fact that they spelled my name correctly twice and incorrectly three times did put a damper on it, though. (I called and told them, to make sure they don't misspell it on the framed copy.

Okay, here goes.

Resolution regarding the retirement of Mrs. --- ---, Effective June 30, 2010

WHEREAS, Mrs. --- ---, a conscientious Media Specialist in the --- --- Public Schools since 1977, has requested retirement at the end of the day on June 30, 2010, AND

WHEREAS, Mrs. --- ---, with professional skill has provided a literary spark for reading and the promotion of learning essential to each student entering the --- --- High School Library, AND

WHEREAS, Mrs. --- ---, with warmth and understanding has competently guided her young students and enabled them to meet successfully the challenges in later life, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED, that the --- --- Board of Education hereby acknowledges the accomplishments achieved by Mrs. --- --- during her tenure in --- --- and wishes for her many satisfying and rewarding years in her forthcoming retirement; AND BE IT FURTHER

RESOLVED, that the Secretary of the Board of Education be directed to spread this Resolution in full upon the Minutes, and that a copy of this Resolution be sent by the Superintendent of Schools to Mrs. --- ---.

So, is that a hoot? Doesn't it sound like it was written by Benjamin Franklin or someone else equally colonial and old and dead?

(I counted again; my name was correct the first two times and incorrect all the others, of which there were four.)


In other news, I finished a wonderful, wonderful book last night that everyone should read. It's called Asta in the Wings, and it's a first book by the author Jan Elizabeth Watson. I just loved it.

Up, Down, Like a Merry-Go-Round

So. 24 hours of Wow, that's great! and Boy, that sucks!

Starting at the start, I rushed home from school yesterday in a driving rainstorm so that K and I could go see two other apartments. One was a contender, and one was not. On the way home from the second place, we were in traffic forever -- one of the downfalls for both of yesterday's places; they're right on a busy highway -- and got a good chance to talk out the pros and cons. She made a list when we got home, because she was having a lot of trouble with the idea that one place was better in every way, but it cost more, and the main advantage of the second one was the price. Once we got home, dad was called in for a consult, and he put it in perspective, which he's good at. The price difference, he said, comes to about $4.00 a day. And so I pointed out to her that it would be way easy to make that up: stop smoking. Hah hah, a good laugh was had by all. (But she's seriously considering it.) So she picked an apartment, in fact the first one we saw, and the lease is being faxed to me as we speak.

Traffic home. Cold at home. Finished reading Rick Riordan's newest YA book The Red Pyramid, loved it. Settled down, all comfy in my blankies, to watch Lost.

At 8:45, the power winked out and then came back on. At 8:46, it went out and stayed out.

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, fine. I was already getting phone calls from the house forwarded to the cell because the internet/phone went out about six, but as long as the TV was fine, I was fine. At nine, despondent in the dark, the Sibs called me because, y'know, Dancing with the Stars was over, so what would I be doing? (I don't watch DWTS, and wouldn't you think there'd be a hundred commercials for Lost while it's on? And she knows I watch that? [sigh].) But I could talk because I couldn't watch Lost, now, could I?

After that, I wrapped myself up in the blankies and the dark and settled down to sleep, and at 9:45, the room buzzed back to life: lights went on, electronics started to hum, and of course, the end of Lost appeared on the TV. I changed the channel, turned off everything else, and drifted off to the sounds of George Lopez.

I came into school today and got a notice in my mailbox about the last chance to buy a yearbook, and I thought, hey, why not? I haven't gotten one in years, but I thought maybe I'd get people to sign it. Then, kids started bringing small groups of littler kids around, and I realized that 8th grade orientation is today. And for the first time, I didn't get up and greet all the little kids and introduce myself to them, because why bother? And then I remembered my dream.

Sometimes I have very vivid and memorable dreams. I had one last August that was about the first few weeks of school, but it was September 2010. In the dream, I was teaching freshmen, or taking ID card pictures of freshmen, and whatever I did with them, I kept thinking: I LOVE THIS CLASS! And in the dream, I realized that I would be graduating, in a sense, with them, retiring in their graduation year, 2014, and I decided that I would be there with them every step of the way. I would go to all their events, chaperone their trips, buy their t-shirts, and really get to know as many of them as I could. Cut to reality, when I decided to retire, a few weeks back, I realized that this dream was not to be (and anyway, I had already decided to go in 2013), but seeing the little 2014's today brought that all back.

I decided that stuff and sentimentality are not what I need more of. I tossed the yearbook notice; really, what do I need it for? I've asked around to see if there's a 2010 sweatshirt leftover that I can buy, but a sweatshirt is a useful item. If it's available, I'll get it, and if not, not.

Next. I was a baaaad girl. I did something I've never done before in school. Things were quiet, so I fired up Hulu and watched last night's Lost. Now I can go to lunch with my head held high and have the weekly discussion, instead of begging everyone to wait until tomorrow.

Here's what's bumming me the most so far. I had two classes scheduled this afternoon, a nice lesson that I've done before, and with good kids, and I think it will be my last classes taught here, as it's pretty late in the year for anyone to assign research projects. I was looking forward to it, and I brought in a little camcorder even, to record it. But the teacher just called and said, you know what, there's not enough time left in the year for a research project. Duh. So, no "official" last class for me. Yesterday's dull assignment with chatty kids was it, and I didn't even know it.

But dark chocolate is apparently good for fibromyalgia, which is great, because I eat dark chocolate because it's good for the heart. Go me!

Okay, going to check and see if that fax is here.

It Was Quite the Day

Yesterday was a non-stop series of getting things done (or not.) At 9;30, K and I headed west to look at an apartment for her. The manager had made it quite clear to her that if we weren't there on the dot of 10:30, he wouldn't wait for us, and if we were canceling, she had better call. We left home early, figuring we could see the area, which we did, and then we found the apartment complex but not the manager's office. She called, no answer. We finally found it, and were standing on the doorstep at 10:15. So of course, no one ever showed up, and we had already decided from the look of the place that it was a no-go anyway. We're going to see someplace else Tuesday after school, but I really do think she'll end up at the first place we saw, which was very nice.

After that, we had lunch with the bridesmaids and worked out all the details of the shower (which I'm involved in) and the bachelorette party (which I'm not involved in, tg.) And then we went to David's Bridal.

Oy, David's Bridal. When it's good, it's very, very good, and when it's bad, it's horrid. It was horrid when it came to R looking for a wedding gown, but yesterday, they rocked, good service, good selection. Both K and Wonderful Niece found great dresses and ordered them. R had joined us for this part of the day, and afterward, all of us -- that's my two girls, my niece, and 2 of R's sorority sisters who are bridesmaids -- came back to my house because SURPRISE! R's gown had been delivered on Friday. So she tried it on for all of us. It will need alterations, of course, but we all loved it. It's very, very her.

It was exhausting.

Today I woke up at 6:30 because I just couldn't sleep any more, and so I went to the supermarket, and then a massage at 11:00. The massages are helping my pain tremendously; the doctor even gave me a prescription for it, although I don't know that I can get insurance to pay for it. And even if I did, I'm sure the insurance I'm changing to in July won't. But hey, it's worth a shot.

There are 27 days left in the school year. So, for the first time ever, I have more sick days saved up than there are days of school left. (I have 28.) The other old timers who are retiring and who've never had longterm illnesses have maybe 300 sick days saved up that they've never used, more probably, like two years worth of school. But this is a personal record for me personally.

I have a recommendation to write today, a book to read, and two new Weight Watchers cookbook/magazines to go through. Guess what I'm doing first?

My Hopes Are Dashed

The Hubs says that title searching in Bergen County is the most antiquated in the state, that almost none of it is computerized, and it would involve great big heavy books and being on my feet all day.

I am crushed.

Not really.

I'm still thinking about what to do, and since I really don't want to start doing anything until January, I've got lots of time to think. I would be very happy to work retail in some places, but it's the being on my feet all day that worries me. So, working on it.

Tomorrow is the Sibs' birthday, and I have to drop by her place and drop some things off anyway, I think I'll bring some cupcakes, or maybe get a couple of lovely little cakes at Whole Foods. I'm going to put six candles in one, and two in the other. Heh heh.

This evening, K and I are looking at the first possibility of an apartment for her. It would be nice if her sister's wedding mojo works for her in the apartment hunt; R and the SnL (and I, when I've been involved), have so far found the first or second place or person we looked at for anything wedding-involved was the right one. This goes for the place, the photographer, the DJ, the officiant, and .... I don't know what else there is. They've got their invitations picked out from a catalog and just have to order them. I bought one of the dresses I fell in love with online. So it would be nice if we didn't have to see dozens of apartments, just a few. (Also nice if K doesn't drive me to distraction on Saturday, when we go Maid-of-Honor dress shopping, but previous prom dress experiences with her are making me fear the worst.)

On another subject entirely, I spoke with my Colorado cousin the other day, and we're starting to talk about what this year's Cousins Trip will be. The crazy thing is that my flaky cousin, the one who's never had a real, full-time job, is the only one who'll still be working, so we have to plan around her schedule! (Of course, if she'd had regular jobs all her life, she could be retired now too, like the rest of us.) Anyway, the only idea we have of a particular place is possibly San Diego, although that may not work out. We're thinking December or January, when it sure would be nice to go someplace warm. (The flaky one lives in Oregon, so we're all in relatively wintry climes.)

Ah, well. That's something yet to think about.

Did I Write Yesterday?

Am I still me? What day is this? Tune in next week for more ....

I just don't seem to get much time to sit still. And I still haven't done my purchase orders. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, maybe. But I've gotten so much else done, at school and at home! And doctors, always more doctors. Today it's the opthalmologist. And a day off tomorrow, from the doctors at least, but K and I have a 5:00 appointment to go look at an apartment for her.

The countdown stands at 28.

Earlier today, for no reason that I can imagine, the perfect after-retirement job came to me. Now, this is something that probably nobody has heard of, even though it's done every day all over the country. And it's been done a lot by the Hubs and R; he did it part-time when he was in law school, and she worked summers doing it while she was in college. It's actually the field that the Hubs is a specialist in, although what I want to do is the menial end of the work.

I want to be a title searcher.

Here's what that is. When you buy a house, one of the things someone needs to do for you is make sure that the people who are selling it to you have the right to sell it: that they legally own it, there are no liens on the property, and so on. Someone -- many someones, actually -- sit in the county court house deed vault and look all of this up. (This is the way it's done in New Jersey; it varies state to state.) And then, the results of the search are sent to a title insurance company, which produces an insurance policy that says the search showed everything was clear, and if it turns out not to be, they will pay your claim. And then you buy the house, and at your closing, you are also paying some small fee -- less than a thousand dollars here, I think -- for that title insurance.

Now, what the Hubs does is that he knows the legal ins and outs of title law, the fine points, the distinctions. In the past, he's also written up the policies for the insurance company. But the scut work here is sitting in the vault and looking up the information. When the Hubs did it, all the information was in the great big deed books. I wouldn't be able to do that; they're too heavy for me to move. When R did it -- say eight years ago -- she sometimes had to go into the big books, but it was mostly computerized by then, although she still had to go to the vault to work. Now? I'm thinking I could sit at a computer in a vault all day and do research on this stuff, go home without a second thought, and even collect a paycheck at the end of the week. Don't need benefits, and I could probably do it part time. And the Hubs could hook me up with someone who would teach me and whom  I would then work for. That's how he learned, and that's how R learned.

This may be a good thing. I just need to do it in Bergen County (where I live) and go to the court house in Hackensack, instead of in Passaic County (where the Hubs has his contacts) and I'd have to go to the court house in Paterson, which is not a nice place, or a safe place. Hmmm.

I am potentially excited at this thought. I shall share it with the Hubs this evening and see what he thinks.

Ok. Must. Do. Purchase orders. Tomorrow.

In School

30 days to go.

I'm starting to think about projects that I hadn't started yet because I had years to get to them yet. Not. Ah well.

I'm actually very caught up on things at the moment. I'm hoping to get my purchase orders in tomorrow, and then there's really not much left. My job was posted today, as in, put on a flyer that went around to all the schools (along with a few other open jobs), and in The New York Times yesterday. I really do need to talk to my principal by the end of the week and remind him that I already know the perfect candidate (and she's already sent in her resume and letter to him) and then we'll see how that goes.

I've been thinking a lot today about what other kind of work I can do come January. (I'm hoping not to do anything before then except marry off a kid and travel a tiny bit.) I guess it would be nice if I could still teach somehow; I was thinking of trying to tutor, perhaps home-schooled kids. Is that too specific? Apparently, from what I've read, the first thing I need to do is a market study and prepare a business plan. That is so not me. Perhaps I best put more thought into this.

Dentist after school today, and then, I guess, no more dental insurance. Need to put some thought into that as well.

Very tired today. My new sleep pattern is that I fall asleep fine, but I wake up very early. Today I was able to sleep until 5:00. That's not enough. So I'm dragging a little now. K and I need to go out for dinner either tonight or tomorrow at the restaurant we're thinking of having R's shower in, to see if it's good for that. At the moment, I'm thinking tomorrow. The kid had the day off today, so maybe she put some kind of dinner together. That would be nice.

Look at What I Got for Mother's Day

It's a PIE.


-- Post From My iPhone

Hi.

It's Saturday, about eight o'clock. I woke up too early again today for some reason, and I'm just about crashing now. I did lots and lots of stuff today, including the waxing, which was not bad at all, owing to there being not much left to yank out. I did a little of this, a little of that. I tidied up, I put clothes in bags to give away and made lists of what there was, since you have to do that now for taxes. I filled out all the forms for the retirement health care plan, although I can't mail them until the end of the week at the earliest.

My only goal for the evening is to stay awake long enough to go to sleep.

Oh, here's an odd moment from my day. I went to the public library and got a card. I have an old card, but I didn't think it was still valid. I'm guessing I haven't been there in ten or fifteen years. There's never been a need, since I had my own library to choose from, but not for much longer. It was a funny little thing, but it felt so strange. I guess I should at least make a list of book in my library that I want to read but don't have time to get to, so I can read them later.

Our original plans for tomorrow were to go to R's future in-laws for Mother's Day, but that fell through, so the kids will all just be here and hang out, and then I'll get some nice deli sandwiches for dinner. I have no interest in being anywhere near a restaurant tomorrow, or a crowd. What we've got planned now is just my speed. The SnL suggested that we can watch Futurama DVDs and play Wii Beatles Rock band, and you know? That sounds exactly right.

Happy Mother's Day to you all!

A Minute's Peace

Ahhh. It is completely still in the library for the first time in weeks. (There's a class in the adjacent computer lab, and I can see them moving around through the window, but the door is closed.) It's the last period of the day, and I'm all alone, except for the one teacher who comes in last period every day, puts his feet up, and reads the newspaper.

Ahhh.

If my head were clearer, I'd catch up on all kinds of stuff, but I went to the drama club's play last night -- it was FABULOUS -- and I didn't get home until nearly 11:00 and then I had stuff to do, so today I'm just tired from getting to sleep too late. And I'm kind of hungry, since I'm on a liquid diet today; the colonoscopy prep starts at 4:00 this afternoon. Oh. Yay. The good news is that by this time tomorrow, I will have had some nice anesthesia, a nice nap, and will have watched several nice TV shows. I think the only shows I saw live this week were Lost and the Big Bang Theory. Everything else is recorded for my post-procedure enjoyment.

Even though my desk here in the library looks pretty much the same, I have very little personal stuff still in it. A little while ago, I took my printer down to the car, a printer that I brought in from home and kept on my desk for times when the big laser printers die, as they do. Last night at the play, I opened my program and saw that there was a lovely thank you and farewell to the retirees, by name. At one time, you know, I thought I'd want to retire somewhat anonymously, just give notice after school ended in June and not be back in September. I'm very, very glad I didn't do that. (Joan, the Colleague, essentially did that, but she didn't come back after Christmas break.) For one thing, hearing people say good bye and thank you and such is helping me internalize that this is all real. For another, this whole thing is just an incredible ego boost. And still, I think, mostly not quite real.

Still Running, Still in the Same Place

I feel like I've been running -- fast -- on a giant hamster wheel for about the last two weeks, which coincides with the governor's stated goal of making all the old teachers in the state retire by changing the conditions of our pensions unless we do. It's only two weeks, hard to believe. The only reason I haven't been updating as much as I'd like is that I just haven't had the time. I'm doing something -- usually more than one something -- every minute at school, and even at home. With any luck, tomorrow I will fax in the final documents they need to let me retire, and the school system will send in its share by Friday, and then I'm on my way. Oh wait, someone gave me the whole set of papers I'll need to apply for my new health insurance today, so I guess that'll keep me occupied for awhile.

Here's hoping that I'll get some time for a real update over the weekend. Until then, tonight's the school play, Macbeth, which I'm going to with the Colleague/aka Joan, and Friday is Happy Colonoscopy Day, so that's 8:30 to the doc's, along with my escort The Hubs/aka John, and then the rest of the day to sleep it off. And maybe put away some of the junk I've got in the living room, or maybe just watching more episodes of Season 1 of Fringe.

I'll be seeing you.

I Am the Energizer Bunny

I woke up this morning at 3:30 and never got back to sleep. But I stopped even trying around 4:15 and got out of bed, got dressed. I paid some bills, I read my journals and made my book order. I had two bottles of Starbucks Vanilla Frappucino Lite, which I love, and I figured, Hey, it's Lite! But I forgot that they also have caffeine, which I otherwise never have. So.

After I finished the book order, I took every single thing out of my closet, sorted, put stuff aside to donate, and put everything back exactly where it should go. I made a list of a few things I would need at the Container Store to finish the job. I looked at the clock. It was 6:30.

I never stopped all day long, and I never got tired. I was happy as a clam, going here, doing this, doing that. I'm on a mission to stop using paper towels, so I went through all the dishtowels I have and designated some to be rags, and took out some other towels I had bought once but never used and put them aside to use with food. My kitchen is tidy.

It was just a crazy day. I did everything I needed to do, and probably everything I needed to do for the next three weeks. I got new Crocs flip-flops. I returned stuff to Old Navy. I may finally have found the color nail polish I've been looking for for years.

I'm not even tired yet. It was hot today, high eighties, I think, and too hot to go to bed yet, if that makes sense. It's May 1st. I'm not turning the air conditioning on, not yet. I may be old fashioned, but I like to think that there's more than a two week stretch of time between heating season and air conditioning season. I get two low utility bills a year, generally in May and October and I'd like to keep it that way.

Mmmmm. Maybe I'm a bit more tired than I thought. I'm reminding myself of one of my all-time favorite children's stories, "The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle, And Who Was In It" by Carl Sandburg. At the end of the procession came the Sleepyheads, and their eyes were half-closed, or maybe a little more than half, and their heads were slimpsing down ... I used to know the whole story from memory; I had to learn it because whenever I would be called upon to tell a story, that's the one I used, but in more recent years, I switched to "The Journey" from Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel, because it's shorter and easier to remember, and also sweet. After all these years, I can do Where the Wild Things Are by heart, too.

How did I end up here? Tomorrow at the ILs for the birthday party. On the Garden State Parkway ... again.