"Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These"

The Other Day, around 4:20 A.M. Dale and I were frightenly awakened by the crash of branches, thud, and then death wailing from some stoned jerk trying to climb to the second floor deck of my neighbor's house.

"AAAH!! Oh my God! I broke both my ankles! I've shattered them!"

"I'm calling for help!" I yell out my bedroom screened window.

"No! Don't call! Oh my God I've never felt such pain! Can I have some water?"

I think to myself, he climbed high enough up the tree then fell far enough to hurt himself bad enough that he cannot run away, and he wants me to bring him a glass of water. No thanks. I'll let the professionals with guns handle this situation. They do, and eventually "Greg" is taken away on a gurney, leaving nothing but his socks and an empty cigarette pack.



I finally fall back to sleep and awaken again 15 minutes before I am supposed to be at work in a crisply ironed shirt and tie. I go for the sexy "bed head" open collar with 5 o'clock shadow look to mixed reviews. All are happy that I had already scheduled to leave for the day at noon.

Later that same day, Dale and I attend an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute lecture by her former mentor who directed her MA University Thesis. He spoke about what makes Samuel Johnson still so interesting and relevant after 300 years. Dale invited 3 of her former students to attend and then we took them all out for a late lunch at a sports bar in Clayton. The students had never been in the area and we formed a caravan leading them to lunch and then back to each respective freeway exit home. It was so much fun! The students all spoke about Dale's class and what a foundation shaking, exciting, class like none other they had ever had.

The quote of the day came from the young woman as they all were talking about how hard the class was and how much they enjoyed working that hard for Dale:

"Mrs. Ireland busted my balls in that class!"