Susan Senator

What is going on right now:
1) Thinking about 9/11 and one of the best books written on the topic, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Saffron Foeur. I can’t believe that really happened. And they took off from here. God help us all.

2) Reading Getting Rid of Matthew, by Jane Fallon. So-so so far.

3 Glowing from the way my class went today. Such earnest, hard-working students, bright and friendly. I brought them Dunkin’ Munchkins for the midpoint break (why not? class is right during lunch and I’ll just bet a bunch of them haven’t eaten a thing, and this way I get more out of them.) I can’t believe how much I love teaching essay-writing. It is something I know intuitively and can do in my sleep; but teaching it, explicitly breaking down the components, is new, challenging, and exciting.

4) Finished interviewing another autism parent, and got a lot of good material. It is very hard asking the questions I need to ask because they don’t really know me, and may find it hard to talk about difficult emotional things (unlike some people!)

5) I just adore the turquoise blue lace top I bought this summer at Karol Richardson in Orleans, and it was the perfect temperature today to wear it.

6) I had to walk to school to pick up Benj because Ned took my car (I really enjoyed it, because I ran into all sorts of school friends of mine who usually walk to school. I drive, because I’m a Primadonna). The Squirtle is officially in extremis, nearly dead. He has 148,000 miles on him, a cat-shaped mark on the passenger door (from you-know-who) and now is growling because his muffler is falling off. But he’s not scary, because: he’s only a Squirtle 1994 Civic! So — Ned is buying a new car tonight! A Civic Hybrid. As he put it, “I want to be the change I want to see in the world.” My sweet, idealistic darling.

7) I am surviving a detoxification. Very little caffeine, no sugar, only a tiny bit of of Splenda. I actually feel good!

8) Ben is happy most of the time, knock on wood infinitely

9) I made a new calendar for Nat so that he would never be confused again about where he sleeps and when.

10) It is my former therapist’s birthday, which gives me something good to remember about 9/11. She pretty much saved my life; I started seeing her when Nat was 2, so… I called her today to tell her I loved her, and thanks.