Jill was pretty crabby today when I got home. I think the kids were getting on her nerves. Right now she's out at the Junior Women's Drinking Club. Tonight they're drinking vodka tonics and having sardine-cream-cheese sandwiches with the crusts cut off as a snack.

Yesterday, on my way to the coffee shop, I saw an ambiguously gendered person with no arms. S/he had his/her shoes off and was smoking a cigarette with his/her toes.

My sister was visiting this weekend and we had a blast. Friday night (actually before my sister arrived) we had a cheesesteak binge. We ordered three of them, ate two, and saved one for later, which my sister did get to eat half of before she left on Sunday. In addition to the binge on beer and cheesesteaks, we went on a walking tour of constitutional walking tour of some historic sites in Philadelphia.

The tour was timed perfectly so that the kids fell asleep in their strollers after lunch and we enjoyed the walking tour without any screeching or weeping. The guide was very good and had some interesting factoids and quotes. For example, John Hancock was a rum runner and smuggler and, after the British confiscated a few of his ships, was very interested in taxation and representation. Also, a great quote from Benjamin Franklin, "Beer is proof that God exists and that He loves mankind." (I might be paraphrasing the quote)

The scores were returned on our pathology exams from last week and I scored very well. Every time I take an exam I have a score that I hope for within reason and also an unreasonable score that I dream about. My score was in the 'unreasonable desire' range. I bought one pathology textbook, and two review books, I read all three in addition to lecture attendance and reading the faculty lecture notes. so, I did work hard. Even though the pathology we covered was introductory material, I'm pleased to have started the year with some strong work.

May was a little bit naughty this morning. She put a big pile of her favorite stuffed animals and blankets (handkerchiefs, doll blankets, burp cloths, and cloth napkins) on the kitchen table and wouldn't remove them. We argued back and forth about them until I took them away and put them up on my dresser. Jill, bless her heart, read my intent correctly and kept the animals and blankets away from May all day long. I felt bad after leaving for school knowing that May would complain all day about the animals, and that Jill was stuck enforcing a punishment that I had decreed unilaterally. Still, the vengeful arm of justice must strike blindly and let those who bring toys to the breakfast table beware.

Ben is refusing to be seated in a high chair. Tonight at dinner he screamed all meal until he was freed, whereupon he promptly ran to the living room and dumped out a box of sixty-four crayons and several tubs of toys. Jill ran to the living room, feeling very distraught and discouraged, to clean up the disastrous mess. In the mean time, Benjamin returned to the table, pulled himself up onto his mom's chair, and ate his dinner (or at least the chicken flesh - which is all he eats these days anyhow).