May 1, 1992

Great day.  It's almost as though I were single, but of course, if I were single, I wouldn't be contemplating yard work.  I'd've fired up a mega-doobie and baked my bare back in the hot sun as I pedaled around Madison and environs.  After dropping off the boys at daycare, I drive to the credit union and cash a check that is half what I expected.  I stop at Mickie's Dairy Bar for breakfast, parking the car within view of Larry and Martha's.  I think about going to visit, but my stomach leads me elsewhere.  As I'm sitting at the counter, I imagine what a sense of deja vu this place must have for UW grads (and dropouts from my era).  Remodeling and renovations have been kept to a minimum.  So anyway the rest of the morning and afternoon is spent planting peas, lettuces, spinach, and radishes.  I pick up the boys and stop at McDonald's to get them supper.  As soon as we get back to the house, I make a path between the picnic table and the boom box trying to retape tunes from the British Invasion era.

Wednesday, January 15, 1992

I laze around this afternoon, not getting much done as I drift into a deep reverie listening to Getz-Gilberto and reading the liner notes from Del Shannon's greatest hits CD.   One of the last paragraphs hits me full in the face.  I'd forgotten that he committed suicide 2 years ago.  While taping selected songs off the disk, I am especially impressed with "Stranger in Town".  It practically screams for a movie treatment, even in 1992.

This morning I took Eddie to the doctor and -- guess what?! -- he didn't have chickenpox.  Dr. Ellis is quite sure how to diagnose the rash.  It could be a viral infection, an allergy.  Even though Eddie now has the green light to go back to daycare, I decide to stay home.

Friday, January 10, 1992

I meet with Donovan at his office in the morning.  With 2 1/2 months to go until our workshop, it appears to be in good shape as far as preparations are concerned.  We review our notes for each of the dozen or so sections of our 2-day presentation.

During the return trip to Middleton, I'm tempted to make a stop at Half Price Books.  I resist; I still have enough music to tape without adding to it.

The afternoon at the library is relatively quiet.

The family goes to Pizza Hut for supper.

Saturday, January 4, 1992

I wake up to Eddie's cooing.  Such a sweetheart.  JoAnna's caught some kind of bug, so she's out of commission for most of the day.  I spend much of my time doing chores:  laundry, washing the bathroom walls, cleaning the bathroom heater, reorganizing one of the kitchen cabinets, washing the kitchen floor.    Throughout this energy spurt, I tape -- or should I say retape -- a variety of 70s tunes.

By the end of the day I have added to my discarded pile of albums.  After telling Andy about the Three Bears for the numero bazillioneth time, I crash out with him.  JoAnna, obviously feeling alone and neglected, comes into the boys' room to rouse me out of my slumber.

Monday, December 23, 1991

I count the days off.  One, two, three, four.  Yesterday marked the halfway point of my Christmas vacation.  I wonder if there is anything I can do to put on the brakes, make the minutes pass like hours?

By early afternoon, I wonder if I would have been better off working.  Except for an hour watching Perry Mason, I'm on my feet doing chores or keeping up with the boys.  Oh, and of course there is much taping of old tunes, an effort, actually, to reduce the size of my record collection.  At 3, I'm more than ready for a martini, which puts me in a fine mood for making a spaghetti dinner.  Andy has a haircut appointment with Pat at 4:30 and that's the time we arrive.  Andy is a well-behaved customer, and Eddie's a little angel sitting on my lap.  JoAnna's home when we get back.  It's another evening of TV, read.

Sunday, December 22, 1991

I finish up my Christmas shopping, my top priority for the day.  At first, I encourage Andy to accompany me, but after he declines the invitation for the third time, I get the message and realize I'll be much more productive on a solo search.

I hit the mall first.  Looking for a sweater for JoAnna, I focus on the big stores:  Sears (a soft pink turtleneck is a possibility), Penney's (the perfect choice, a lamb's wool in purple is not available in her size), Prange's (everything is marked down drastically, but the selection -- some of it seconds, I suspect -- is paltry, and the Boston Store (na-da).  I find a great crew knit (purple) on sale at Eddie Bauer.  Next top:  the Going Places bookstore, but they don't open til one.  I have an hour to kill.  At Hilldale, I find a navy blue blazer on sale.  Sold.  Mission accomplished.  Forget the map.

During the afternoon, I continue taping tunes and JoAnna finishes her Christmas baking.  I made chicken for supper and then we all veg out.  JoAnna and I snuggle, progress to some heavy petting, and then experiences a rockets-red glare orgasm.

Sunday, December 15, 1991

How wonderful to wake up on a weekend morning without Barb's family-circle intrusions, her constant presence.  She spent 11 months with us and never ventured anywhere -- outside of Walgreen's and West Towne -- by herself.  Never checked out State Street, never re-explored Oshkosh.  What is wrong with her?  Why is she so inward?  Where did she obtain this fear of life?

I take the boys grocery shopping so JoAnna can take a shower and work on her fundraising letter.  The day is very lowkey.  I do some chores, tape some music, watch a little TV.  Mostly, though, I play with the boys.

Eddie starts daycare tomorrow.  I almost want to accompany JoAnna to see how he will adjust but that is making a big production of a simple step forward in life.

November 26, 1991

Country taping and the drive to Kohl's to buy more blank tapes and Land's End to see if any of the merchandise screams "wife's birthday present.  An Indian knit sweater takes up the chant, but at $84 I decide to think about it.  Then I spot the tattersall shirt of my dreams and continue to keep a clamp on my wallet.

I have little ambition today.  My biggest accomplishment is use to a clipboard to organize all of my upcoming meeting agendas and reports and other various enclosures.

The evening is slow but not too slow.  Chris Robbins actually sits at a table for 2 hours and concentrates on his homework.  Before going to bed, I sit at my desk and drink a martini while going through the newspapers.

November 12, 1991

I'm up early enough to be on time for a 9:30 meeting but the chance to squeeze in a little taping keeps me tethered to my home workspace until 9.  And from here to Monona through the Isthmus is not a quick cruise.  The meeting lasts a lot longer than expected, until 12:05 actually.  Most of us have depressing stories to tell.  Pat Erickson actually has to cut $10,000 from Stoughton's library budget.  All that testifyin' adds to the length of the meeting.  So instead of driving to Middleton via Half Price Books, I take a direct route.  With Liz taking the day off, I put in some overtime.  The board meeting goes extremely well.

November 7, 1991

I go to work at the regular time.  I need to finish preparing the board packet.  I do take the afternoon off, though, and spend the time taping music and weeding my files.

JoAnna returns my call at 4:30 and informs me that I won't have to pick up Andy.  Inexplicably, I react very negatively to the supper question even though I have a clear idea what's on the menu.

After 4/5s of a hectic week, I let two martinis do an incredibly relaxing job on me.  But according to JoAnna, I get too loose, and I must have been because I can't figure out what I did that was so disruptive.   Not that I was blasted or anything.

After supper, I give Andy a bath, watch a little TV, and read the introduction to Rivethead.  The fact that my eyes have trouble focusing on the page is a clear indication that I am not my usual self.

November 2, 1991

Shouldn't we wash the sheets today?" I asked JoAnna as we're about the make the bed.

"No, let's wait til tomorrow," she responds suggestively.

While she goes shopping and while she and Andy are at David's birthday party, I watch Eddie and do some more taping.  Today I concentrate on the early to mid seventies.

At 3, JoAnna and I attend the wedding of two people I barely know.  The reception is at the Holiday Inn Middleton, and we basically just make an appearance   JoAnna suggests we go out to dinner, a late celebration of my birthday actually.  We splurge and enjoy and superb meal at Peppino's, our first visit there in 5 years.

And it's a good thing we didn't change the sheets.  We experience a mutually satisfying romp.

October 29, 1991

LINK is one big happy family now that Pete Hamon has volunteered to be Sugar Daddy, at least for 1992.  Jo Zipsie is euphoric and even Peter Niemi speaks in favor of cooperation.

I take an extended afternoon break -- more taping and notebook reorganization -- and return to work the info desk.  The teen queens are no-shows, but Chris Robbins, Brian Long, and John Chancy form a goofy trio that keeps the periphery of my vision occupied.

October 4, 1991

Workshop preparation is delayed until the early afternoon.  I spend the morning with the latest issues of Booklist and Library Journal.  I drive to West Towne during my lunch break, chowing down in the food court and then looking for tunes from 1963 at a nearby music store.

JoAnna has a meeting in Green Bay tomorrow, so she's spending the night in Two Rivers.  As soon as we get home, Andy watches cartoons.  Once the Brewers game is on, I turn down the sound and do some taping.  We watch the first inning of the Dodgers-Giants game and then turn off the TV.  I fall asleep wondering if a 3-0 Giant lead will hold over the next 8 innings.

September 14, 1991

Andy's not interested in going to the library with me.  He's not fully awake by the time I leave and would rather watch TV anyway.  I set up for the bake sale at the book sale.  Very little business while I'm there.

Back home I watch the boys and tape Beatles tunes while JoAnna does chores.  Larry and Martha visit us during the afternoon to escape the hoopla and noise of the Badgers' first home game of the season

August 27, 1991

Staff meeting at 8. We have only routine business to discuss. In fact, we're done at quarter to nine, which gives the circ desk staff opportunity to start their meeting earlier.  I work a split day -- taping tunes, watering the garden, doing a couple loads laundry -- in between.

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.

July 26, 1991

JoAnna takes only one day off this week -- yesterday.  I go back to what I did on Monday, taping tunes from 1968, and make a concerted effort to reach December.  JoAnna takes the afternoon off, and we shop for carpeting for our old and new bedrooms.  We check out Sears, Carpetland, and Coyle but make no purchase decision.

Andy's in a strange mood when we pick him up at Kid's Play.  Some offhanded remark he makes to David has his little friend almost in tears.  I take the boys to JoAnna's softball game, though we spend most of our time at the playground.  After the game, it's too late for Eddie to go out, but the rest of us spend a couple of hours at the Club eating Mooseburgers and playing volleyball.  

July 22, 1991

The heat wave continues into my first official day of vacation.  Already I've having mixed feelings. Shouldn't I have more exciting things to do planned?  I settle for a domestic approach to life.  I take Eddie to the doctor to have his ears checked.  The infection is gone but a little fluid remains.  The plumber arrives during the early afternoon to fix the bathroom faucet, after a year of drips.  It's too hot and I'm too lazy for a bike ride so I go shopping instead.  I find some frames for my magazine advertisements.  Until JoAnna and Andy get home, I continue my 1968 taping.  We go out to Pizza Hut for supper.  Cool weather arrives during the night.

May 7, 1991

I think I'm going to get some work done before the Advisory Committee meeting, but JoAnna calls to inform me she forgot her purpose and -- naturally, there's a second part -- to ask if I'll drop it off at the office.  So I make a big loop through Madison on my way to Lodi.  The meeting is eventful.  I return to Middleton just in time for the volunteer luncheon.  When asked, I deliver some off-the-cuffs remarks about the first year in the library that are smoothly delivered and apparently well-received.  During the afternoon, I drop off my 50-page syllabus to Kathleen Weibel's office, stopping at Prangeway on the way back to Middleton to look for specific songs from 1969 for my latest taping project.  The evening is middling.  I talk with Jim Wexler after the council meeting.  The parking lot change order was approved -- that's the good news -- but the bad blood between Julia and the "chamber" wing of the Council could place the library in a precarious position at budget time.  

May 1, 1991

I decide to meet with the Timeline Planning Subcommittee of the Automation Task Force after originally planning to skip it.  We have a very productive session and I'll be on top of things next Thursday.  As quasi-Chair, I need to be fully informed about all developments.   After the meeting, I stop at the Sugar Shack to look for albums or tapes with selected songs from 1969.  My taping project is on hold until I can find "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" by the Bob Seger System.  Score!  I stay at the library until 8, organizing the boxes of books I'll be using for tomorrow's workshop.