It started out with me reading stories in bed with P at 5:50. We let daddy sleep in and went outside to visit the garden and our favorite tree. After going on a walk, we headed to the Farmer’s Market. I bought SIX (!) types of basil and drank two fresh juices (carrot, apple, lemon and ginger) two plates of veggie sushi, a bite of a cinnamon roll and a chocolate, cherry jam and fresh whipped cream crepe. I am telling you, all of it seriously good. Can someone get me in touch with the young woman who is doing the sushi?

P played long and hard. I lounged on a blanket, visiting or staring at the sky. It was such a pleasure to not get caught up with who or what was going on. We came home and the three of us spent some family time. I made phone calls for help with my knitting and for babysitting. Both calls returned immediately with yeses.

Will and I had a lovely dinner and a movie. We walked to the car holding hands.

Nothing special. I felt normal. Ahh to feel normal. Ahh to feel at total ease with my “normal” day.

My wife Dawn has been visiting and talking about this tree painting she saw a couple months ago at an Art Walk. I didn’t like it the first time she showed it to me. And honestly that may have been partly due to the fact that I have never before been able to get over my own sticker shock to become an art buyer/collector.

After a couple visits the tree painting started growing on me. I came home today to find it in my living room:

After putting our daughter to bed we sat and stared at it for awhile. I finally stopped seeing dollar signs and was able to enjoy it with her. I like the visual balance between the branches and clouds, and the roots and stones.

Hi, my name is Will, I’m 38, and this is my first art purchase . . . the kind you hang on a wall.

Yesterday, for our wedding anniversary, my wife gave me a clean car. While I was at work she had my yellow VW detailed. It was a nice surprise to get into my car and find it spotless and shiny.

I’m not an easy person to buy gifts for - I’m extremely picky about what I buy and every purchase I make goes through my own mysterious utilitarian evaluation. So she avoided that whole mine field by re-giving me something I already love and utilize regularly - my car.

Today is starting out well! My favorite little toy of late, a Skype enabled Polycom Communicator, broke the other day - no more worky.

I called this morning to go through the typically long and painful RMA process. After navigating the extensive phone tree, I got a live body to talk to and after explaining that the Polycom Communicator no worky, I was put on hold. Ugh. Here we go. Queue Casio generated corporate beat.

After being on hold for a mere five minutes (maybe less) I was informed that no one was available to process the charges for overnighting a new phone to me. The woman I was speaking with felt bad for putting me on hold (queue alternate universe) and decided to overnight a new phone to me free of charge.

Wow, I wish more companies operated like this!

Update:  I’m on a roll today.  I called Etrade, in order to resolve an ongoing issue with a debit card that has been no worky for over three months now, and after about ten minutes on hold I am finally getting a new one overnighted to me.

Hmmm, who else do I need to call?