March 26, 1992

The TV show that ruled its Thursday evening time slot for 8 years.

At first, I plan to work with Eve in the evening, but with school out and business at that time of day on the slow side, I decide that the following week will be better for reference instruction.  With Liz working all day and practicum student Bev at the reference desk all day, I'm able to spend the day working as as library administrator exclusively.  No wonder I feel curiously unproductive.

Andy is at home spending the day with Kelly.  Instead of taking a long afternoon break to eat lunch at Pasqual's and go shopping for clothes, I walk to what used to be Arneson's and chow down on a 1/3-pound cheeseburger and a mega-plate of done-to-perfection onion rings.  After work, I first stop at the house and then Andy and I drive to Steppingstone to pick up MundoPie.

March 25, 1992

JoAnna enjoyed watching this show.

Wrapping myself around a cliche, I feel as though the world has been lifted from my shoulders.  My summary comment to anyone who dared to listen:  "This commitment had been looming very large during the past two months."  As a result of its unqualified success, I feel a carryover exhilaration from yesterday and have a little difficulty focusing on any tasks today.

 Andy spends the day at Eddie's daycare, and again he's Mr. Sociable.  After a day and a half, he seems to like this place better than Little Red, which, to me, is cause for some slight concern.  I really think that Andy misses the presence of his little brother during the day.  At Kids Play, he obviously enjoyed the occasional contact with Eddie.

March 24, 1992

The New Yorker

However, staying asleep remains a major challenge.  In some ways, I'm more concerned about the second day's performance, since these are the notes I've barely had a chance to review, but after day one I have a much increased faith in my ability to ad lib effectively.  And fortunately, it turns out to be a well-placed one.

Lunchtime today is a bit more hectic.  Kim Olson is babysitting Andy in the morning, but I need to get him to Steppingstone for afternoon supervision.  Showing an extraordinary adaptability, he is actually very excited about getting into this new experience.  We arrive at naptime, and by the time I leave, a very aggressive young girl named Missy to share Andy's cot.  Suddenly I have no concerns about how he will adjust to his new surroundings.

At the end of the two-day workshop, I am basking in the glow of extremely positive remarks from many of the participants.  I just can't believe how well the workshop turned out.  What would have happened if I'd given it a major major effort?

Before picking up the boys, I stop at University Bookstore to look for something that will help me reattached the muffler to the bottom of the car.  The last time I took the Nissan in for a tune-up, Jeff told me about this likelihood.

Wednesday, March 4, 1992

I cruise through the day, taking a little side trip thru the first two sections of my Nuts and Bolts notes and relieving the anxiety of being insufficiently prepared for March 23 and 24.  I still need to spend a lot of time meditating, becoming more familiar with the main points of each of my five or six sections.  I may be doing some major cramming that last weekend.

After work I pick up the boys at daycare.  Today is the first chance that Andy has to see Eddie's new place.  He doesn't seem overly impressed, and the more I see of this Steppingstone location, the less impressed I become.  After turning onto Vernon Road, I realize that I've forgotten Eddie's coat so we circle back.  After supper, Eddie goes to bed early and Andy and I watch Dick Van Dyke on Nick at Nite.

Thursday, February 20, 1992

Ross Perot announces his run for the Presidency

Shortly after my arrival at the library, I get a call from JoAnna.  "Can you visit a daycare this afternoon at 4?"  She's got a lead on a place for Eddie.  It's not the most convenient location -- just off the Beltline-Verona Road interchange -- but after this stressful week, we need to quickly investigate any leads that materialize.  The daycare -- one of three Steppingstone locations on Madison's West Side -- is a beehive of activity.  For the number of kids present, it at first seems to be a very small location, but that's because a visiting puppet show troupe is taking up a sizable chunk of the room.  Jill, the center director, puts me at ease immediately.  After a brief tour, I write out a check to reserve for Eddie.  JoAnna and I wanted to be able to place the boys in the same center, but that's just not possible in today's childcare environment.