May 20, 1992

Considering how much I'm cutting into library time with personal business -- taking care of a sick Eddie last week for example -- I'm surprised I can find time to continue weeding the fiction.  I do find time to review the long range plan, where I feel that changes can be kept to a minimum (i.e., I can save myself some work here) and the overdues section of the circulation policy.  Now if I could just find time to revise my basic reference syllabus and start coming up with a structure for the children's reference workshop.

I get a lot of exercise today since my threat to have nothing to do with getting the van tun ed up proves to be nothing but hot air.  Big surprise.  I'm first in the service line at Russ Darrow.  I walk home without stopping for breakfast at IHOP or Denny's, not wanting to risk a violent case of IBS along Gammon Road.  A minimal staffing level at the library forces me to postpone a planned return walk after lunch to the late afternoon.  I pick up the boys, Eddie first.  When JoAnna returns home, the boys and I are playing on the hammock.

May 18, 1992

Already a short week is looking much shorter, with a scheduled Friday departure date to Pennsylvania. The trip is threatening to cut into my work time in a big way.

During the morning, I'm preoccupied with the tentatively schedule visit from the appliance repairman.  When the previous stated time frame of 9-11 passes, I call to see if there might be a problem.  He arrives when I'm home for lunch.

After picking up the boys at their respective daycares, I begin the.....

May 19, 1992

I'm a few minutes late for the LINK meeting, and this time they start without me.  Pinpricks to my ego.  The meeting lasts 90 minutes, which turns out pot luck luncheon into a brunch.  Even though I have come empty-handed, I have no qualms about digging in -- and there is plenty of food to eat.

I take the scenic route from Oregon to Middleton, stopping at Shopko for a mini shopping spree, my purchases....

May 16, 1992

#10 on the Billboard Hot 100

"I've got blisters on my fingers," the result of a morning of roto-tilling.  JoAnna expects the blades to cut through the earth like butter; she can't understand why I'm standing still.  Once she takes a turn, she quickly learns.  After lunch -- leftover pizza -- we begin to plant annuals.

"You really like doing this, don't you?" JoAnna comments again this year.

Well, yeah, I think.

May 15, 1992

1 was enough.

Immediately upon waking, Eddie is calm, then boom!  He shifts gears into a fussy period wherein I imagine myself staying home for a fourth day in a row -- not completely averse to the idea -- watching a couple episodes of Perry Mason.  Eddie eventually settles down enough so that daycare and a return to a normal schedule seems like an option.  Walking into the library, I feel as though I've entered a twilight zone.  My productivity is below average, not helped by the fact that I leave at 3:30.  But it's for a good purpose.  JoAnna and I visit the credit union to see about getting a second mortgage.

May 14, 1992

#4 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending 5/16/92

Eddie's still feverish, and I'm still embracing unexpected days off from work, although today was a day away from the library anyway.

"Aren't you going to get in trouble?" JoAnna asks me.

No, but then if this keeps up, people might realize how dispensable library directors can be.

Eddie sleeps from 8 to 12.  I check in on him every 15 minutes, fearing the worst each time I enter his bedroom.  I can't believe he can sleep for so long.

I enjoy an inactive morning, watching two episodes of Perry Mason sandwiching a Joan Rivers sleazefest about alternative sex practices.  After 40 minutes of her show, I feel as though I need a shower.

May 13, 1992

Eddie is still running a temperature:  101.  It is an improvement  though.  Having nothing pressing on my schedule, I again volunteer to stay home from work.  One might think I'm getting tired of my job -- or at least yearning for a change in my work life -- and one might be partially right.  I schedule an 11 o'clock appointment with Dr. Ellis.   Eddie sacks out from 8:30 to 10:00 and is in a great mood during his entire visit to the clinic.  The diagnosis   yet another ear infection, not to mention a raw throat, though I don't ask what that means specifically.

May 11, 1992

TIME

The alarm is set to go off at 5 since JoAnna has a breakfast meeting in Milwaukee.  My morning gets off to an unusual start.  Andy's shoes -- his only pair -- are nowhere to be found.  I figure I must have left them in the van last night.  We get Eddie to daycare and then the two of us eventually make our way to Kohl's, where I buy new shoes, socks, and a "dressing mat" for Andy and two pairs of jean shorts and a case of blank cassette tapes for me.  At work my biggest accomplishment is finalizing arrangements for an Education Section program at the WLA conference. 

May 4, 1992

I don't walk into the day with a spring in my step. but neither do I cower in a corner.  I call Jane Robbins and she helps me think through the fall conference program with Margaret Myers.  Now to locate two other panelists.  The Dane County Reimbursement Committee meets for a couple of hours during the afternoon, and my fear about undue tinkering with the cross-municipal use element of the formula prove to be unfounded.  If the county approves this formula, Middleton will receive nearly $200,000 next year.

Supper is supposed to be a break from the library.  I plan to return to check on the Mary Higgins Clark program.

May 2, 1992

The weekend's top-grossing new release. Finished in 4th place overall. Gone, forgotten.



I work.  Kelly babysits.  It's a slow Saturday, certainly not much to do in the way of reference, but time passes quickly since there are plenty of other tasks to tackle.  JoAnna's back from Oshkosh once I return home.  I play a little baseball with Andy, his favorite activity of late.  Eddie wanders around the back yard, swinging the yellow wiffle bat, getting into his patented crouch, making me laugh hysterically.  JoAnna and I don't make love.  I thought it would be a natural thing for us to do after her absence, but she's tired, and I'm feeling rather blah myself.

April 30, 1992

Today I think about tomorrow, taking a day off work and getting into some long overdue yardwork. I also think about leaving work early, but CDs in delivery keep me in my office until after 5.  On the way home, I stop at the Bruce Company in preparation for tomorrow's chores.

I'm fascinated by the news coverage of L.A. burning that Andy and I watched during the evening.  Naturally, he doesn't have a clue.

April 25, 1992

Wasn't the election a couple of weeks ago?  Sure it was, but it feels like a campaign weekend with JoAnna out of the family picture, Daddy and the boys doing their male-bonding thing.  The weather is unseasonably cool, the sky the grayest of gray.  The family goes out to dinner together at Red Lobster.  The boys are on their best behavior.  I order a dinner that comes with shrimp, crab legs, and scallops.  I find it to be an uninspired preparation and way overpriced.

April 24, 1992

A mediocre opening weekend

The WAPL conference is very successful and well-attended.  The final is 257.  I make it to only one program.  Otherwise, I spend most of my time talking with Dale Bartkowiak and Mike Cross. Throughout the day, I think ahead to next year's conference and how it will be mounted.  I leave the Dells at 2:40, an hour before the actual conclusion of the conference, so I can take a leisurely approach to picking up the boys.  In other words, I have time to cash my check at the credit union and pick up some reading matter at Pic-a Book.

April 16, 1992

Never on the Nelson/Richard TV viewing schedule

JoAnna calls me at the library during the day to inform me of the latest version of her weekend plans.  She's thinking about leaving tonight.  I'm not expecting this scenario and hesitate momentarily.

"Then you'll have tomorrow completely to yourself.  You can sleep in, you won't have to worry about the boys waking you up early."

Returning home from work, I soon find that JoAnna has started to pack.  I inspect Andy's suitcase and discover that he's ready for another excursion to Disney World.

"You have too many shorts and tank tops here, Andy," I comment.  "It could be summer in the rest of the state, but chances are it will still be closer to winter in Two Rivers."

April 12, 1992

At least the sun is shining, but it's still cold, cold, cold for mid-April.  Andy is intent on playing tennis in the driveway, but I'm not in much of a mood to be outside.  Andy and JoAnna go to see Ferngully during the early afternoon.   While JoAnna naps, I finish up dinner preparations

April 10, 1992

Friday's top box-office draw.

I thought I might have a little preparation time at the library, preparation for what I don't know. Maybe I just wanted time for a cup of coffee and some time to clear the clutter off the top of my desk.  The main focus of the workday is the WLA board meeting.  The COLAND certification issue is controversial and potentially divisive.  These academic librarians, especially a major ditzmacher from Milwaukee just don't have a clue.  My motion to endorse the concept is the only one that flies.

On the way back to Middleton, I stop at State Street and do some shopping:  CDs, reading matter, and a burrito as big as my head.  Once I get home JoAnna's in a lazy mood.

April 9, 1992

On the Thursday night TV schedule, a big favorite of Jo's in reruns

On page 2 of the Middleton Times-Tribune is an article under the headline "Richard Questions Damon's Campaign Tactics".  Dennis writes an extremely fair article, giving JoAnna's legitimate complaints priority and saving Don's babbling, indefensible defense for the last third of the article.  "Let her file it," he snarls when Dennis asks him to comment about JoAnna's threat to file a complaint to the election board.  "I don't give a shit," is what's left unsaid.  This from a guy who says that Middleton doesn't need an ethics code.

Late afternoon, JoAnna calls me to ask if I want to go to Dave C's fundraiser.  I say no, you go, and I'll pick up the kids.  I fix pork chops, potatoes, and two other vegetables for dessert.

April 8, 1992

TIME

I'm on cloud nine throughout the day.  We don't get to bed until after one on election night and my Mexican jumping-bean brain cells keep me from experiencing a restful sleep.  I awake sometime after three, toss and turn, and try to eliminate thought of Don somehow sabotaging the election. By midafternoon, I'm dragging a little bit.  JoAnna's back to her usual work schedule, which today means that she has a meeting in Milwaukee that will keep her out past ten.  I'm crashed out by the time she returns.  Maybe Andy is too, or maybe he's tubin' out.

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 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.