"Fun"

There was a GNO scheduled yesterday. It sounded fun.

I was an evite "maybe." However, after a fussing/screaming marathon provided by my children during the last few daylight hours, I realized that, while the "night out" was right, it would be better to decline the "s."

So, after putting Damon to bed, I left, with Steven's blessing, to go do something. By myself.

And while this may not astound anyone, I am now indisputably a Boring Mom. Because here is where I went:

1. Goodwill, to look for a stand for my new globe (fruitless)

2. Lowes, to return screw plugs that didn't fit the new bunkbeds

3. Kohl's, to look for 12M terry cloth pajamas for Damon (fruitless)

4. Culvers, to get a Turtle sundae for me (yummy)

5. HEB (grocery store), to get bananas and avocados for Damon, and look at their current $1 jewelry to see if they had anything good for Princess Carmen (fruitful, but jewelryless)

The best part was probably Culvers - it was neat to sit there BY MYSELF, without talking to anyone. I just sat and enjoyed my sundae and watched people. The busboy was perfect - a sweet, gangling teenager with a dorky hat on sandy, shaggy hair and a winsome smile showing his braces-clad teeth, working his geeky little heart out. I just wanted to give him a hug and say, "What a good boy you are. Hang in there. Don't lose the drive and optimism you have right now. Don't try to acquire the arrogance and bravado that girls think they like. Keep being you. Trust me - some day, you will make some woman very, very happy."

So, it was a good Girl Night Out after all.

Forgive me, Mr. Mitchell

Ah, the folly of youth. I just started re-reading Great Expectations (I love, love, love my Kindle). WHY, oh why did I not appreciate the genius of Charles Dickens before? Even as a high school freshman, one would think I could enjoy the comedic value in these gems:

Pip's guilt as he goes to feed an escaped convict:

and his fictional description of his play date at Miss Havisham's:

I love Joe the blacksmith, and can identify so well with Pip's description of his childhood perceptions and feelings. It's just masterful. Such a far cry from the junk reading I download from the Kindle top 100 free list (some time I'll have to blog about my exposure to Christian romance novels - also comedic gems, in a much less intended way).