Ulysses

After my exhausting week of training (and shopping) I needed a couple of days to recover. Thank goodness I had the whole weekend at home. My flight out of Atlanta was delayed as well; more weather. My original flight was supposed to leave at 6pm, but the plane didn't lift-off until 10pm. I saw the most fantastic and enormous black thunderstorm to the west of our plane as we flew over North Carolina. Flashes of lightning and all. There was a surprising lack of turbulence and except for the time I kept my eye on the storm I slept.

It was too late to take public transportation when we landed. And then my driver got a ticket, which added another 30 minutes to the ride home. I still gave him a nice tip. He's going to need it to pay that ticket.

The next day I was managing to sleep in, but the pest control guy called at 10--it's our monthly visit. I got some pants on and let him in. I tidied up a bit while he did his thing. After he left, I sat around watching golf for the next couple of hours. I know, I know, but I couldn't help it. I don't care for golf or have any desire to play it, but the "best boyfriend ever" (old Seattle boyfriend) played a little and like to watch. I watched with him and I was surprised how much I liked it. It's soothing, calming. I don't watch regularly, but I remember the names of the players who I saw with him: Nick Faldo, Fred Couples, Greg Norman. It's cool to see all those guys playing after all these years (and playing well) in the British Open. I fell asleep watching.

The phone woke me. It was TR (work friend) calling to see if I could babysit and if I wanted to go to the pool with him and the kids (four year old twins and a three year old). I said yes to both. His wife was working, which meant there was a spot in the car for me (and another pair of eyes to watch the three kids was probably not such a bad thing either). I imagined lying by the pool and getting a slight sunburn. A good thing. When I hopped in the car the girls told me they had fed my cat and played with her while I was gone (they had, under Daddy's supervision). I thanked them.

The pool was closed due to thunder and the chance of lightning. We went to a marina instead and the kids survived, though there was a little bit of crying. "Daddy, it's not going to rain! I want to go swimming!" After the marina, TR took me home to rest.

I babysat that night and did a fabulous job if I may say so myself. We watched a (parent approved) video and then I let the kids entertain me for about half and hour. They sang and danced. Grown-ups were not allowed to participate. After the show I got them into a bath, pjs, and bed. One girl reminded me that they needed to brush teeth but broke down sobbing when I put the toothpaste on the brush for her and ran into her room. "You have to brush your teeth in the bathroom. As soon as you're finished, you can come back in here." She cried, "I'm not tired!" and flung herself face down on her bed. I laughed and carried her limp body into the bathroom where she did brush her teeth, on her own, just fine. I read them a couple of books and they were all asleep by 8:30pm.

Mrs. TR provided leftovers, homemade ice cream and cherry pie for dinner. She is a good cook and it was great to have a homey meal my first night back without having to lift a finger. I put on The Aviator, which they had conveniently rented, and pigged out. Mr. & Mrs. TR got home around 9:30 and we finished watching the movie together. (The Aviator is pretty to look at, but kind of a bummer. And Kate Beckinsdale is no Ava Gardner.) They like it when I babysit. It's nice when we all get to hang out too.

Today's 3pm softball game was canceled due to the rain yesterday. But couldn't it have been canceled due to the heat advisory today? I don't know what the schedulers were thinking.

I made it in good time to book group this morning to discuss the book I will never finish: Ulysses. The other two attendees had read the entire thing, but only one of them liked it. The two of us who didn't like it couldn't quite see the point. It's a book that is all technique, almost no plot and very little character development. It's very hard to tell what is going on--it's like watching the events happen through a thick fog. If anyone has read it and has any deeper insight, I'd be interested to hear it.

I'm going to try and finish it, but it will take a while. I'm only 240 pages in and the damn thing is 760 pages long. Can I do it? Yes I can! It's one of those books I want to have read but I don't actually want to read. It's like taking on a second job. One job at a time is what I say. If my postings are a little more incoherent and infrequent, just blame it on James Joyce.

Grateful for: babysitting.