I need to get a full length mirror! I didn't really open my eyes and look at myself until I got to work and I'm not wearing brown pants with a black shirt and brown trim, they're burgundy pants. HA! I've never worn one shoe each from different pairs of shoes yet. Yesterday, I kept thinking I needed a bit of peace in the chaos, but in retrospect, it's probably a good chuckle that I needed.

This spring we hired a temp to get us through budget time; a wonderful lady with a cherubic face, an arrow smile and an absolutely adorable personality. At the same time that was going on, we were also looking for an asst for the new "prestigious endowed chair" (their words) to be here in July. He ended up being the sort of chap sought after, a well established, very serious, smart guy. I worried about the person they'd pick as his asst since the last few shouldn't have made the cut; he would've been high and dry. Instead, they hired angel lady at the end of her temp period as a full time permanent asst to the chair, and my one and only counterpart on this floor. I was well pleased they'd picked someone I knew would do a great job and I liked. Everyone else who works up here is an M.D. or Ph.D. and do so much serious science, they rarely take a break. It's their personality and I totally admire it, but it ain't me. At any rate, Rita and I rounded opposite corners headed to the restroom the other day and I asked her if she wanted to race, jokingly. She gladly complied and we hit the door like a couple of giggling school girls. About that time Dr. M came upon us. His look was quite priceless and he innocently asked what we were doing. We acted silly indignant and said "Racing for the bathroom, can't you tell?". His M.D.-Australian side sorta frowned (probably in puzzlement), but he soon got the gist of our silliness. Every time I think on it, it's keeping me grounded. Sometimes you just gotta have a bit of fluff with the severity of life.

LF isn't so L any more, he's getting taller by the second and he must be eating bamboo because he's shooting up. He's really flourishing in first grade, even though it's only been two days. Normally, he'd be panicking and scrambling, but it's astonishingly smooth. Since he has the same teacher full time he had last year during naptime, and all his classmates are the same, and it's the same school... we're not having to do that adjusting thing. It's so wonderful to get a break from it and he can focus on just working. It's gonna be a great year. He had to pick 3-5 things to reflect what is important to him, a sort of show and tell. He picked his bear I gave him, a carabiner, a book, and a transformer. I thought it fit him well; his soft side, his active side, his introspective side and his playful side. I hope it's well received by the class, these things can be so crucial at tender ages.

E is breaking his cycle of quitting a job because he-has-to-be-good-at-everything-but-he-can't-get-the-last-thing-right. I still have to talk him down from the ledge, but he's listening this time, first time in years. I think he saw how hard it was for me from months 6-12 and how I stuck it out until we all got on the same footing and now I'm ecstatic about my job. Nice to be a good example for someone I care about so much.

Life is good.