Monday, February 17, 1992

TIME

The main focus this week is to find daycare alternatives for Andy and Eddie.  Kids Play is shutting down at the end of next week.  If nothing else, this unfortunate event forces us to consider local options and will give us the opportunity to put the boys with children they'll likely be going to school with.  

At the library, I find it hard to work up any enthusiasm.  I notice the carpeting in the area of the stairs seems to be in need of a serious vacuuming and lately Don has been cleaning the building. What happenin' here?  

I pick up the boys, get their supper ready.  

March 7, 1991

I meet with Don in the morning to negotiate an extension of the cleaning service.  He's not even gonna raise the price.  Area Leaders is mostly a futurescape discussion.  I leave early as I have an appointment with Techline for a measuring and estimate of the current project.  While Barb is taking a walk, I play with Eddie and then reorganize my closet and drawer space.  Then I peel some potatoes and put them on the stove to boil.

February 27, 1991

The Finance & Governance subcommittee meeting, scheduled for a full morning and afternoon of torture in Middleton's conference room, lasted less than 90 minutes, to everyone's surprise.  Some of us were expecting a contentious day with Peter Niemi, but since our last meeting, the Madison Public Library board has seen the light.  Suddenly, I have a freed-up day, but I'm not in the mood for work.

The library bandit was apprehended earlier in the day, just after midnight, to be exact.  Turns out to be just the person I would have fingered, Don's son-in-law, a surly, swaggering son of a bitch.  Considering I saw him only once, that's a pretty strong opinion.  I keep wondering if my feelings were based on latent racism or if I simply had an encounter with a walking, walking, make that mumbling, stereotype.

February 15, 1991

Jo leaves early for Milwaukee.  I volunteer to drive Andy to daycare.  An overnight snowfall leaves Madison streets in very poor condition and prevents me from getting to work on time.  As soon as I walk into the library, I see Sharon storming toward the exit, pushing the vacuum cleaner with a ferocious determination.  For the second time in two weeks, we have no cleaning service.  When I call Don Gibson, a recording tells me that the number has been disconnected.  Figuring that I dialed a wrong number, I try again.  Same result.  I call an operator and she informs me that the disconnection is due to lack of payment.  I then shift into crisis mode, talking to Joel and Hank about the library's options and am a bit put out when they put a resolution of the problem entirely in my hands.  It's a relief to find Don at home and a bigger one to learn that my crisis is news to him.

It's a long day.  I'm so tired that all I care about is going home and sacking out on the couch.  I'm in bed before nine.

February 11, 1991

I have the morning off since Liz and I have switched evenings due to the board meeting  tomorrow.  When I'm not with Andy, I spend time at my desk continuing the seemingly endless notebook reorganization project.

During the afternoon, I meet with Chuck Foulk, a Middleton police detective.  We decided to "bait" the cash drawer with an electronic device.  After closing, Dave Kromm takes so much time setting up and testing the device, I find myself glancing at the front door every ten seconds.  Don Gibson shows up before the coast is clear.  I wonder what is going through his mind.  Just as I'm ready to leave, I hear a knock on the front door.  It's Greg, Dave's partner.  He left a photocopy of the baited dollar bills behind.  Is this the Keystone Kops or what?