You see? This is what happens when you fall asleep at 8PM. You wake at 2AM and sit on the front porch, listening to the crickets and wondering if any cars will pass your house in the middle of the night. None do, so you grow fascinated with how long it’ll take for even one car to pass. You’re surprised that some of the people leaving the downtown bars aren’t using your street to avoid the cops on the main roads but you can’t remember if the bars close at 2 or 3 so you think maybe in another half hour or so some cars will pass. You can’t hear any in the distance. In fact all you can hear are the ceiling fan, the crickets, and Stars of the Lid, but the Stars of the Lid is playing in your head. You’re considering getting the mp3 player and listening to Stars of the Lid for real but you’re not sure if that’s necessary since they’re already playing in your head.

You see? Stay up later next time.

Yesterday was Sunday. Right? These long weekends screw me up. What did we do? I don’t remember most of the morning. Near ten or so we drove north to Sheboygan to check out a surfing competition. The boys ate apples in the van. When we found the surfing beach we saw a few forlorn surfers in the parking lot, with their boards attached to the roofs of their cars, but apparently the waves necessary for surfing were not present so the powers that be cancelled the competition. We played on the near-deserted beach for an hour or so. N built a dam between the rocks and T and I played catch in the water where he could leap after the ball and get as wet as can be. S vacillated between the two activities. We arrived home near noon. M left for the supermarket so I lifted while watching the Brewers game. CC was robbed, I tell you, of that no hitter. Ok, I could see how it could go either way. I’ll try to be fair. After lifting I showered and drove into work. M’s new teacher schedule has put me way behind as far as planning is concerned so I needed a couple hours to catch up. I think I’m ok for this week. When I arrived home I inhaled quesadillas (bad for me) and we took the kids to the coffee shop and gelato place (T and S Italian sodas, N gelato). I fell asleep by eight reading the Dalai Lama while the boys read Calvin and Hobbes.

A few bullet points:

1) Have I mentioned how much I loved “In the Realms of the Unreal”? God, that story is amazing. I can relate some to the idea of wanting to stay inside your room and create your own world. And that guy worked at the hospital where I was born!
2) I’m about 150 pages, maybe more, into “Bridge of Sighs”. I don’t know. It’s both like other Russo books (e.g. small town on the edge of disaster setting) and different (maybe a little more clichéd). We’ll see.
3) M’s family is pissing me off with this Bahamas talk. No go. No go.
4) I have good kids. They’re turning out well. I would love to be able to have long discussions with them about, for example, why kicking the driver’s seat in the van is a bad idea but sometimes I have to say “STOP KICKING THE DRIVER’S SEAT.” I hate the fact that threats work but they do. But the kids are still turning out ok. I’m hoping to transition to fewer threats and more reflection as they get older. Wish me luck.
5) I can’t work out. It’s not attitudinal. I would love to work out. But my legs hurt. I’m not kidding. They hurt badly. Today I’m taking off.

More later. Good morning.