From Somewhere in the Garden State

Bad, bad morning.

Bad, bad fight with a greyhound employee.

Long story. Not worth telling.

But I'm on a bus now, two hours and much frustration later, and the driver is my new hero. Somewhere on the Jersey Turnpike a large truck jackknifed (what does that MEAN?) and he did some research and drove us through the back roads of central jersey to get us beyond the miles, and I mean miles, of backed-up turnpike traffic.

We love him.

I finished A TRIBE APART (see sidebar) which ended with a sudden dash of tragedy. It's a good book - a journalist from the DC area went into the schools in Reston, Virginia for several years, following eight students ranging from 6th to 9th grade at the start. I decided to read it as some sort of late in the game research for LUNCH. Not that LUNCH is a piece that really requires "research", seeing as we all experienced eighth grade at some point, but it was interesting to examine the emotional and social journeys of these young people, research or no. Somewhat shocking, at times, and when I was reading it while still with my parents I made sure to remind them how lucky they were to have such "good kids".

They then reminded me that these "good kids" were now thirty-one year-olds both living at their parents' house, and I shut up.

I'm staying in Park Slope for the next couple days. The beautiful, radiant Park Slope.

I just started BLINDNESS. It's the first book for the book club that Hpmelon has gotten rolling. Very exciting. I've never belonged to a book club before. It feels refreshingly.... normal.

And I just watched the episode where Felicity loses her virginity to random art guy who she doesn't really know. In his defense however, he is awfully cute and he sends her flowers the next day. Maybe he deserves more of a chance.