April 19, 1992

A mediocre opening for a forgettable film

I figure I'll have most of the day to myself, not expecting JoAnna and the boys until after 5.  For most of the morning, I type up notes from 1990 and find them disappointingly trite, although I know there are some juicy tidbits to come.  While fixing chicken wings, I sip a very tasty Bloody Mary. It's a lowkey -- there's that word again -- afternoon.  Although the temperature is in the 60s, the intermittent rain keeps me inside.  It's a bit of an adjustment once my family returns home.  The solitude is shattered.  I soon find that I'm repeating myself whenever I talk to Andy.

March 16, 1992

TIME

Andy is still determined to give his dad as much grief as possible.  To get him out the door and into the car, I have to prod him every inch of the way.  I yell, I threaten, I growl.  Not until we walk into daycare is he his sweet little self again.  I don't feel I'm starting the day on the right emotional note, but the day goes well.  Eve seems to enjoy her first day as Middleton's new children's librarian. I spend most of the afternoon and early evening working on my Nuts and Bolts notes.  With JoAnna at a meeting, I make some chicken wings, using a secret ingredient -- crushed corn flakes -- in the breading.

Wednesday, January 1, 1992

No hangover, fortunately.  I did drink a lot of the bubbly last night.

It's a lowkey day.  Channel scanning during the late morning, I get hooked on a movie about a dad searching for his kidnapped baby.  JoAnna and Andy go to see Fieval Goes West during the afternoon.  Eddie's been too prone to fussy spells lately.  I do some taping and fix barbecued chicken wings.  By early evening, JoAnna's not feeling too well.  I give both boys a bath.  Eddie gets such a look of panic on his face when I rinse his hair.  I stretch out on the couch in the TV room while Andy is sitting at his desk and doze off once or twice.

August 3, 1991

I discover ants in the cupboard.  Lot of ants.  The little critters found the uncapped honey jar.  At least one had drowned in its pursuit of pleasure, but the others scatter in all directions when they encounter the exterminator.  I kill dozens of the intruders, clear out the boxes and other containers, and apply an extra-lethal dose of Raid.  As a result of this household battle, I get to work just before the library opens.  When I'm not answering reference questions, I work on the report for the board and my notes for next year's library building project workshop.

I spent the evening as a slave to my boom box, finishing the 1966 series, and then doing some fill-in taping.  About 11 o'clock, I prepare a cookie sheet full of corn meal-coated chicken wings. I wolf them down even though they are incredibly bland.  A side of ranch for dipping purposes does little to improve the taste.