Hey Jakey,

Get outta my way! I'm drivin' hee-ah! Yeah, Momma was ignoring traffic this morning and taking pictures of herself on the 395. Note my 1992-era plaid/corduroy combination for the day. Perfect for chilly Tahoe mornings.

Here's my modus operandi this week. Well, for two days out of the week, anyway.

* Attend morning meeting off-site
* At close of 3-hour meeting, excuse self with "Gotta get back to the office!"
* Go to Starbux, consume iced vente decaf soy mocha
* Drive to Horizon Casino
* Drop a ten-spot in the quarter slots
* Go to movie
* Consume medium popcorn, large diet pepsi (extra ice)
* Get home by 4pm

Yesterday after the meeting in South Lake, I did all these things and felt not one whit of guilt. Watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I liked it. Not what I expected, it was more of an intense courtroom drama than a fright-fest. Nice.

Anyway, productive meeting with P. I think I will like working with him. Who woulda thunk it, Jake... Several years ago, your daddy and I were tourists here, thinking how wonderful it would be to be locals. What a fantasy-come-true that would be. Wondering how in the world could I get a job with the local paper, doing anything at all, paste-up, proofreading, whatever. Here I am now, pal-ing around with the publisher and discussing strategies for the current re-vamp of the company's internet presence.

I should've worked for P from the beginning. He told me all sorts of wonderful stories about how happy he and his employees are with each other down there on the South Shore. About buying tires for one of his employees because she slid all over the road in the winter. How he always asked them, how can I make this a better workplace for all of you.

He asked me about you, how old you are, how he had heard that you weren't well last week, and if you were all better now. He told me that working with him, he would expect me to NOT be at work if you were sick, or if I had a parent-teacher meeting, or I had to see you in a school play. That he would NOT want me to drive to the Lake in really bad weather. He said that he likes to hire family people in his office, and that family always comes first.

While he was saying all this, I think my lower lip trembled a little bit, and I did flat-out ask him why in the world I haven't been working with HIM these last five years. While I've been toiling away on the North Shore, happiness might have been had somewhere on the South Shore. That's all I've ever wanted out of a boss, Jakey.

And oh yeah! I'm gettin' a laptop! Imagine that... blogging in traffic. Or blogging at the park. Or blogging while lying in bed. Fffffffffwwwwww....

By the way, your daddy and P have the same cardiologist. P had a heart attack a few months ago, just like your daddy! So we talked about heart conditions for a long time, also. Fun fact that I learned yesterday: your daddy's cardiologist is the sister of Rulon Gardner. Remember him? The large, winsome, gold-medal winnin' Olympic wrestler who so famously left his shoes in the ring last summer, announcing his retirement. Interesting! Here he is, in all his penile glory:



So, on the calendar so far for this weekend: you and daddy and I are going to the pumpkin patch at the Corley Ranch on Saturday, then you and C and I are going to the Tahoe City Harvest Festival on Sunday. Apparently, the bathroom is going to clean itself, and the dirty laundry will miraculously disappear, replaced by clean, folded, fresh-smelling clothing and bedding! Whoo-hoooo! Lucky me! Love you!