Monday Erratica

1. I saw Mary Chapin Carpenter (or her doppelganger) in Barnes and Noble today! I was right behind her in line and didn't realize it until I was leaving. She gave me a suspicious look. I wonder if she remembers our Whole Foods "encounter."

2. It's a four day weekend for Comet and that means Mama Gusta and Gameguy providing the entertainment. Actually, he's into playing his own version of this game where you build towers, so he has been keeping himself busy. He's in a grouchy/whiny phase and I'm going with "he's working through a developmental milestone" so I don't lose my already tenuous grip.

3. We are considering buying a minivan. We looked at two. On the one hand is the luxury model that practically drives itself AND HAS HEATED SEATS (the cup holder of the middle-aged set--it also has seventeen cup holders or something like that). On the other is a more (very) spartan vehicle that has less mileage, is a year "younger" and many thousands lower in price. It has less of everything in fact. AND THE SEATS AREN'T HEATED. So to be indulgent or sensible? My mind says go for the value but my ass says, "What about MY needs!"

4. We have a babysitter for a couple of hours tonight. A lovely girl who has very little time to babysit. Where have all the babysitters gone? (Long time passing...) Back in my day, people gave the babysitter a dollar an hour and girls were clambering for the opportunity. Most girls. I was the kid who would rather read a book than earn money and had absolutely no love for or understanding of children. I would have made a good security guard.

5. Our house looks like a bomb exploded because we are trying to finally open all of our boxes and get on with our lives. It's always messiest before the dawn.

6. I saw "Sherlock Holmes" recently. It was good, but I could never quite let go of the fact that I paid $9.50 for my ticket. Rent the DVD.