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.  

Wednesday, December 4, 1991

Wednesday morning I drive Andy to daycare after a quick visit to the library and then return indirectly to investigate a possible problem with the cleaning service.  First of all, Ileen mentions that they arrived about the same time she did, and secondly, the man with Ting looks a little bit like David Farrington, the guy who was nabbed earlier this year for ripping the library off.  And what about that cleaning service contract, which is due to expire at the end of the year?  I drop the issue and meet with Donovan Kramer as planned, though later than originally scheduled, to review our planning notes for our spring workshop.  After cruising through the afternoon, I pick up Andy and enjoy my first evening off this week.  When JoAnna returns home, she offers Andy the opportunity to sleep in our bed, which he quickly accepts.  I sleep in the boys' room with an already sleeping Eddie.

June 11, 1991

I'm up at 5.  When I stop at the library to pick up the boxes of books, I'm surprised to find all of the lights on and even more surprised to find a young black man asleep on the floor in the staff lounge.  I turn off the lights in the public area of the library and surprise the hell out of Lorenzo, who appears to be just starting his cleaning duties -- surprise, surprise, surprise -- but I don't ask the reason why.

I take the Interstate to Janesville and then drive east to Elkhorn through Delavan, a community with a real Norman Rockwell look and feel to it.  Arriving an hour early, I have plenty of time to walk around and look for place to buy a newspaper and a restaurant.  I sit with it over a cup of coffee.

The workshop goes well, but I occasionally feel lost and a little too obviously disorganized without my transparencies.  I have no screen to use.  For me, the 2 1/2 hour workshop passes quickly.  \

I have lunch with Peggy Schaffer and the director of the Elkhorn library, whose names escapes me and whose size rivals Mama Cass.   The restaurant we select is housed in an old hotel building. It's a Chinese establishment, and I find the food -- I order the broccoli with scallops -- much too salty for my taste.  Before leaving, Peggy asks me if I'd be interested in doing a workshop on children's reference this fall.  But of course!

I take an alternative -- U.S. 12 -- back to Madison.  By the time I drop off the books, I have to pick up Andy at daycare.

The board meeting goes very well.  I receive very positive responses and constructive suggestions to the draft of the long-range plan.  We meet for 2 1/2 hours.

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.