On the Fly

After dropping off The Child at school and having a quick cup of coffee in the teacher's lounge, because I can do that sort of thing, I had to drop a costume off at a friend's house and then go to the drugstore to get candy for the carnival plus our motherlode for Halloween proper. I also found wigs for both The Child and I, which were on sale, so you gotta love that. Then it was off to my regular Friday morning coffee klatch where we talked about how one woman's daughter just started her period and politics, because we're versatile like that and as we were leaving I made the proprietors and customers laugh with a little rant about how Mike McGavick's campaign signs are a serious threat to the safety of vehicles pulling out of the parking lots along Westlake, which I realize doesn't sound the least bit funny and it was a total "you had to be there" sort of thing but one of the customers that was laughing was our County Executive which gave me a smidge of a thrill because, if nothing else, it was one of those, blue city-blue county-blue state sort of moments.

Then I started up to Trader Joe's only to remember that the local NPR affiliate was going to be running an interview with Barack "The Next President of the United States" Obama and I really wanted to hear it so instead of quickly getting my shopping done or waiting to listen to it on my computer later I just drove around town until it was over. This was neither an effective use of time or resources but sometimes I just don't care about things like that. Not when Mr. Obama has the floor. Just saying.

So I get my handful of groceries and lay in a supply of cheap wine and get back home to a very lonely and grateful dog only to have a comrade from The Board (there I go again with the frakking archetypes) who desperately wants me to come up to school to help her put wristbands on kids (entry for the carnival, don't you know) but I couldn't because I have to leave in about 10 minutes to get The Neighbor, whose daughter has her car, and bring her home for a meeting with her contractor (which I'm attending because I'm sort of her deputy project manager) plus I have to remember to give her the tape from last week's "Battlestar Galactica" because she's all caught up except for that and then I have to take her back to work so I can go to school and help with set up.

Did I mention that I picked up an eye patch for our principal? I did.

Another mom is picking up The Child because that mom is going to be a fortune teller tonight and she has recruited The Child to be her little gypsy helper so she's taking her home to put together her costume and I'll still be at school helping out but I'll eventually need to get The Child and go home so I can don my costume (and, btw, I've decided to go with the banshee concept for tonight but be a school girl on Tuesday, which will be funny because I'm going into Maria's but other people are going to be wearing costumes, too; unless they were lying about that to see who was lame enough to show up in costume. Oh, wait. I'm working for Democrats).

Meanwhile, our dishwasher is misbehaving (stupid ol' thing) and in the midst of all the busy-ness and excitement about tonight (I do enjoy dressing up and scaring little kids) all I can really think about is getting back home in time for "BSG".

I have 3 minutes to take a breath. This is me, taking a breath.