cimorene

driving here en caravan with my mom was a nightmare. the wee old car that i'm getting to keep has no cd player and the wheelchair van has to be kept extremely warm, because daddy's injury makes him sensitive to cold. it was easier for her to stay awake in the cooler car, but she was alone in it--no one to talk to her and keep her awake. and i really thought she was going to die. the skylark's steering's touchy at best and she was swerving all over the place. we only made it about four hours out of six, although it took us way more than six because we had to keep stopping for her to nap. we stopped earlier than our hotel reservation at two a.m. and she didn't get to bed until five. the last leg of the trip--through the flat, featureless, and invisible [b/c in the dark] plains of west texas--was a different sort of nightmare, as i was leading and she kept losing speed from, say, 70 to 50 mph all at once and falling behind.

sunday morning they left and i had a mild anxiety spell--shivers, upset stomach, panicky thoughts. i woke up on monday all better and have learnt the way to the grocery store and barnes & noble, and how to walk to two separate playa lakes (aka dirty, medium-sized ponds surrounded by parks). this is all i really need to know.

and i'm not going to have to look for a job--the big fish in supermarket chains around here, United, is trying to recruit my uncle Taum away from the natural foods distributor he works for, and his contact's willing to give me a job at a local store. i'm rooting for the large and posh one down the street, but i may have to compromise.