What the hell is going on with all the kids dragging rolling backpacks to school? It’s bad enough many of them have huge backpacks (which are mostly empty judging by the way they swing around) but an incredible number seem to have rolling backpacks.
I just finished reading Circle of Enemies by Harry Connolly last night. I first heard of his work when he was the guest blogger on Charles Stross’ Web site. Stross writes the excellent Laundry series and also the Merchant Prince series, both of which I’ve enjoyed tremendously. So when he recommended Connolly’s work, I took the plunge and downloaded it to my iPad.
Connolly tells compelling stories while giving readers a small glimpse into the world he’s crafted. My only complaint is they’re a quick read. So waiting for the next book will be challenging.
Circle of Enemies, by Harry Connolly
This morning Molly returned to Kindergarten. The rule is kids have to be fever free for 24 hours before they can go back. She woke yesterday without a fever and drove Anna nuts all day long. I was delighted to be able to walk to school with my sweetie again.
Plague Victim
by Jeff Watkins on
Poor Molly brought back some sort of plague from the wilds of Seattle. Yesterday, she woke around 7:30 (about an hour later than usual) and declared she was still tired. After drinking some juice and visiting the bathroom, she went back to bed and slept until almost 10. When she finally woke, she complained of a headache; we found she was running a temperature of 101°F. Worrisome, but not an emergency. So we rested about the house most of the day.
This morning, Molly woke me around 6am to let me know she had a headache again. I gave her an Advil and some Benedryl before checking her temperature: 102.5°F. Worrisome enough to pay a visit to the Urgent Care clinic up in Mountain View. No strep throat, thank goodness. But she won’t be able to go to school tomorrow.
I wish there were something I could do, but at least she’s sleeping now.
A Crumpet for Breakfast
by Jeff Watkins on
Anna and Molly returned last night from their overnight trip to Seattle. They went up to attend the preschool graduation ceremony for the school Molly attended until we moved down to California. In addition to visiting with Molly’s old chums from preschool, they also stopped at my favourite place to have breakfast: The Crumpet Shop.
When we lived in Seattle, Molly and I would go to The Crumpet Shop every morning for breakfast. Molly would usually have a crumpet cut in quarters with a side of jam to dip in (shown in the photo above) and often she’d have a hot cocoa. In addition to a crumpet with jam, I’d have cup after cup of delicious tea. We’d often read a comic book together before heading down to the Pike Market Preschool.
I think of all the things we left behind in Seattle, I miss The Crumpet Shop the most. It was my spot. Whenever I played hooky from work, I would invariably wind up there. Sometimes I’d read; sometimes I’d work on my `puter; and sometimes I’d just chat with Nancy, Rob, Sarah or one of the friendly customers. I even had my own spot in the shop: at the far end of the counter near the back door. It was perfect, I was out of the way, but close enough to the center of things to chat with whomever was behind the counter when things slowed down.
This morning, I enjoyed one of the crumpets Anna and Molly brought back from their trip. It was a tiny reminder of home and everything I miss. California’s nice, but someday we’ll move back to Seattle. We’ll move back home.