In about an hour I'm going to drop the kids off at a neighbor/friend's house. Last Saturday morning she said to me, "Let me watch your kids sometime this week, as a birthday present. You're with them all day, all the time. You should go have some time to yourself and have fun."

I know some kind people.

I think I'm going to take a new Moleskine and go to a coffee shop I used to frequent Back in the Day, way before Avadore was born. There used to be a guy there who made the most amazing mochas. He, and the coffee shop, were the initial inspiration for "El Remedio". So I'm going to go there and drink something yummy and write on the Pearl story.

Good laws. Someone gives me some time off and I go to a coffee shop to write. Second string: either the univeristy (where I have an alumni card) or the public library. Third string: a movie.

Definitely the coffee shop.

A few weeks ago, my birthday present from my parents arrived. I am so excited to open it; Dad picked it out and it's some sort of clothing. I'm guessing it's something pretty innocuous because everytime I see my dad I'm either smaller (post-pregnancy) or larger (during pregnancy). And after it came he was asking what my shoe size is.

My dad has the most excellent taste in clothing. Really. He's amazing. I always loved it when he bought me clothes becaues I knew they would be stylish, fun, maybe a bit funky (this was the '80's and '90's), and look great. Always.

While I was dressing this morning I put on my skinny black jeans (woo!) and suddenly had a flash of a shirt he bought me back in the way early '90's that I loved. It was a long, long green silk shirt with circles in a different weave. It was a great shirt. I loved it. I wore it all the time with my favorite black jeans. It's funny the things that our minds occasionally flash on.

I remember my friends, other people at school and (when I was with him on his shopping trips) the ladies who waited on us often said, "I wish my dad would take me shopping like this."

Dad hasn't been able to do such a thing for a very long time due to his health. The package is from Lands End, so he went catalog shopping. It's not the way he used to do it, but my goodness, it's so good knowing he's started to get back to some of these things after over a decade.

Here's hoping.