8:57 AM W 8-1-01                                       $1100 net

I still feel discombobulated a week after our stay at the hospital. It seems like there is less time than ever, and this is during summer school.  I get up, go to work, come home and try to get things done, help with the baby, pay the bills, put up blinds—whatever, back to work, come home, got sleep, and do it all over again the next day. I’ve got to quit one of these jobs, but how? How can we afford it? As it is now, we barely get through the month. I’ve got to get Jim finished. Certainly, that can win some breathing room. Ugh. I typed fifteen minutes before work last night. There are eight Hernandezes in my class. Most of my students are Salvadoran, a few are from Mexico, and one is Korean. Martin brought me another loaf of gourmet bread. We watched “The Cameraman” in bed last night. Rochelle fell right to sleep. It wasn’t quite the revelation it was when I saw it frying at the Silent Movie Theater on Buster’s hundredth birthday, but it was still a joy. The baby’s teeth are bothering her, I guess. She has been crabby the last couple of mornings. We give her baby aspirin and Orajel and ice cubes and try to distract her from her discomfort. Maybe her guts still bug her after being tangled. I had a hard time getting out of bed wanting a few moments of wakeful reflection. I skipped my shower. Just brushed my teeth, washed my face, and dressed. Rochelle made me a turkey sandwich to bring to school. I drove here. Ate the sandwich already. Am drinking coffee and writing while the kids do an exercise on using adjectives and adverbs to build interesting sentences. Tomorrow, I’ve got to take the car in for an oil change before school starts. I’ll have to leave bright and early. I’ve got to mail Jim to Mac. I guess I’ll have to call Idaho to see what his new cell number is. I’ve got to go to the hardware store and get screws for the cabinet latches and rechargeable batteries. I’ve got to get two eight-by-ten frames and a gallon of milk from Sav-On. I’ve got to call the Museum of Natural History about that field trip for my night school class. I have to pick up my pants from the dry cleaners that my wife dropped off about a month ago. I’ve got to write a third-person page for Jim. Read some more of that Guide to Literary Agents. We have to get a wedding present for Tim and Sarai and birthday cards for my sisters. I have to call Slim Phantom.  I’ve got a doctor’s appointment on Friday. The 35er pre-nuptial party that night. The wedding the next day. On Tuesday, Rochelle and the baby go to Idaho for nine days. I have to write five pages for Jim. I’ve got to close up this gash.