March 18, 1991

The focus today is completing the transfer of the bedroom/TV room.  I take the afternoon off so as to get a head start but Eddie's demands for attention keeps me from making much progress.

March 15, 1991

With Liz working during the afternoon to make up for hours she missed on Wednesday, I take advantage of a perfect opportunity to get a head start on the weekend.  My first errand after leaving is to deliver Kitty to the Humane Society   I place her in an empty Leinenkugel case, the bottom lined with newspapers, and drive with the music turned up loud and the window rolled down to cover the sound of her pitiful meowing.  I don't let it get to me because my thoughts are focused on a home where hairballs will no longer make a regular appearance in the living room, and cat hair will no longer be found everywhere.  After this mission of selfishness, I drive to the credit union to cash Jo's and my checks and then bop along State Street for awhile, dropping some cash at Pic-a-Book, Exclusive, and the B Side before chowing down on a gyro with fries at Zorba's.  (The Parthenon's reconstruction is a couple of weeks from completion.)  Later in the afternoon, I take Eddie to see Dr. Ellis.  The diagnosis:  a minor ear infection.  Back home, I continue to tidy up the new bedroom suite while taping CDs.  I even paint the cold side of the door between the hallway and garage.  While JoAnna eats yogurt and watches TV, Andy, Barb, and I travel to Cub Foods for what turns out to be a minor shopping trip.

March 10, 1991

Yesterday Andy and Barb and I drove to Shopko together.  I bought a gallon of champagne (white) semi-gloss paint, 2-inch-wide masking tape, and two gallons of windshield washer fluid.  I spent the morning on two project, one obvious (painting the bedroom), one not so (taping the Hot Dogs on the flip side of the Boxtops. Even though I spill most of the paint onto the plastic covering, I am still able to finish the job in slightly more than an hour.  The rest of the day is spent rearranging furniture at JoAnna's insistence.  For an hour or so, I'm a snarling maniac, increasingly unsure about the wisdom of the project.  Once we finish, though, our new bedroom looks great.

March 9, 1991

JoAnna makes pancakes for breakfast and continues to lobby for a furniture rearrangement.  Sometimes I think she just wants to limit the traffic flow in the house so as to avoid prolonged contact with Barb.  Not a bad idea, if I may say so myself.

After a visit to Techline, where we decide that $578 is within our budget, JoAnna drops me off at the library where I await a group tour from Waupaca.  A former student of mine at Oshkosh is among the group.  Naturally, I can't remember his name.

Back home, JoAnna suggests we paint the bedroom, but all I can do is growl at her.  Later on, I agree it's the perfect Sunday project.  A slow night, TV-style, follows.

March 8, 1991

It's the end of the work week.  I feel as though I need an extension.  Most of my time at the information desk is spent revising notes for the next ETN session, ignoring such tasks as preparing an annual report and preparing evaluation reports for the library's four other full-time employees.  Hey, folks, I need more offdesk time; the library needs more staff.

JoAnna talks about supper-to-go in the morning before we leave for work, but when I return home she's preparing a tuna noodle casserole.  Explaining that she's already had tuna for lunch, Barb asks for a ride to Crandall's.

"Cant's she drive there herself?" JoAnna inquires.

With a touch of exasperation, I'm ready with excuses -- she's just getting used to driving again, she's not familiar with Madison -- but they remain unexpressed.  JoAnna continues to push for the bedroom-family room flip-flop.

March 3, 1991

At first I think about staying home, sitting at my desk, reorganizing my personal materials.  But I crave a change of scenery, so I decide it'll be a family road trip to Milwaukee.  A sunny day is enough to give me the fever.  Listening to 50s and 60s Atlantic soul, JoAnna and I discuss our plans to flip-flop rooms.  We even decide to eliminate the pantry.  Less than 10 miles from our destination, I'm ready to make an 180 turn, race back to Middleton, and begin moving furniture.  It's only a fleeting thought.

Once I drop off JoAnna and Andy at the Bradley Center, I drive to a parking ramp just south of Grand Avenue and meander my way to the third or fourth elevation until I find a satisfactory writing place.  I change Eddie's diaper and then carry the fussy guy to the Spiesgarten, or whatever it is the food court is called.  I find a rest room, fill a plastic bottle with water and three measured scoops of formula to the six-ounce line, and find a seat with a dizzying view of the main level 60 feet below.  Once Eddie drinks his fill, he scopes out his unfamiliar surroundings with the most endearing set of bugeyes.  I strap on the chest carrier -- it obviously has a more descriptive name -- and circle the food court, stopping at Orange Julius to satisfy my thirst.  At this point, I begin to lose my enthusiasm for the day's developments.  Walking along level 3, I feel as though Eddie isn't enjoying our time together.  We return to the van, and I struggle to get him back into his car seat.  I suppose there were any number of more constructive ways to spend the afternoon out.  I decide to see what the planned city of Greendale looks like.  I drive west on Greenfield Avenue through West Allis, realizing the closer I get to I-894, the farther away from my intended destination I am.  I eventually discover a most interesting and unique community -- gotta read that book -- and even check out the new public library, all the time listening to the Bucks game on the radio to time my trip.  I return downtown with slightly more than a minute of game time left, find a parking place across the street from the Bradley Center, and scan the crowd for a familiar mother-and-son combo.  Earlier we had made arrangements to reconnoiter at Turner's.  When Eddie and I enter this place, I'm assaulted with a bass beat that would singe the hair off anyone unfamiliar with Stray Dog.  (Hey, Eddie's my son.)  I lose it anyway.  Andy's bouncing off any available surface, and JoAnna has obviously been pushed to the limit.  Surprisingly, the drive home is relaxing; our boys sleep peacefully while we listen to my Motown pick hits.

Once we get home, it's renovation time.  I remove the pantry cupboard and reorganize the kitchen cupboards.  JoAnna takes care of the utility room.  We are serious about regaining some privacy in our lives.

March 2, 1991

JoAnna has a meeting that takes up the morning and a part of the afternoon.  I fill in for Liz at the information desk for 2 hours, reviewing my ETN notes when I'm not helping patrons.

Otherwise I spent a lot of time reorganizing my correspondence and other writings.

JoAnna suggests we make the family room our bedroom and the bedroom into a TV/play room.  Initially, I'm lukewarm to the idea.

The major event of the day:  a call from Paul Stearns.