What day is today? Tuesday? Yes. Tuesday. I’m not tired, but the clock is nearing ten, so I suppose I should either pop a melatonin or start drinking (not both, mind you). I’ve already opened a beer, so I suppose drinking will win the night. D and I were on the phone earlier, and I described melatonin as a recreational drug. Yes, that’s it for me, ladies and gentlemen, minerals that help you sleep. I love the deep, hibernation-like slumber of melatonin. I’ve slept well the last few months, big change from last year, so I don’t really need the mineral, but I wouldn’t mind popping one now and then for (lame) kicks.

Yesterday I caught “No Country For Old Men.” Whoo, that film was great. I’m a huge Cormac McCarthy fan, and my standards are high, but I can say with confidence that the Coen brothers captured the spirit of the author’s work. I loved the isolation of the wasteland and the small town streets. The set designer deserves an award, too. Great movie.

After the film I hit CVS to pick up our Christmas cards. Last night passed painlessly. I read the first forty pages or so of “Wild Sheep Chase” before falling asleep in the spare bedroom. This morning I stairmastered, showered, and wrote out a few Christmas cards before returning library books, gassing up the Saturn, and hitting Blockbuster. I rented four films (Balls of Fury, Stardust, Underdog, The Simpsons Movie). The clerks were in a bit of a huff because the computers weren’t working, but luckily I had enough cash to pay for the films because the credit card machines were down with the computers. I stopped by the post office for stamps, sent out my Christmas cards, and drove home. Today is N’s fifth birthday. M had an observation, so I gave N a choice between the zoo and a movie. He chose the zoo. I regretted mentioning the zoo at first, since we’re about thirty minutes away, and our membership had expired, but I bit the bullet because dammit, today is N’s birthday, and he should get to do what he wants sometimes. I couldn’t have made a better decision. He and I had a great time. Plus, the lady at the little hut in front of the zoo let us visit for free because I said I would renew my membership inside (which I didn’t). The zoo was pretty much deserted; we saw maybe two dozen other people in two hours. We started with the penguins and monkeys, moved to the fish/snakes, then to the small mammals, back to the polar bears and sea lions, across to the Australian house, over to the wolves, giraffes, elephants, and big cats, then finished with the birds and monkey islands. The day was bright and warm, even if snow was piled everywhere, and N practically ran from building to building. We bought two moldarama pieces, a koala and a gorilla. He and I don’t get to hang out enough. Man, today was fun.

T took his drum lesson after school. When he arrived home we did the cake and ice cream thing for N (pictures to follow). The boys and I watched The Simpsons until I decided the episode (the one in which Homer gets stuck in the cave) was too obscene for the boys. Later T, S and M drove to the high school where T sang with the older kids as part of the holiday choir concert. I guess everything went well.

Tomorrow I’m cleaning. I feel decadent, skipping work, but I work too much and too hard as it is. More later.