Diving into the car pool

I've completed the transformation from night shift to the day side at work. I've become normal.

After 17 years of working nights and weekends, I am no longer scheduled to work Saturdays! What will I do? I'm a Monday through Friday guy.

With this transformation, I've immediately become more conservative, cut my hair and wear a suit. Well, not really. I have started sharing a ride to work with my wife, though.

It's nice to ride together (though I'm a terrible passenger in bad weather!). Once we drop off the kids, we have some time to chat before Jayne drops me at work. Then, she picks me up on the way home and we get to talk some more.

How wonderfully normal!

I figure I lost most of my social contacts and friends not because I'm a real bastard, but because we could never get together when they had days off -- the weekends. Now I'm ready to rock. Is anybody home?

In other news

Back in the real world, though. ...

-- We had a scary day back on Feb. 29. At about 3 a.m., Jayne heard a thud. She ran downstairs and found her mom on the floor. Jayne got me and we helped her mom up -- luckily no broken bones, but some nasty bruises -- and Jayne got her to the doctor later that day.

Seems she blacked out on her way into the bathroom and fell. The doctor thinks it was a combination of low blood pressure and a sinus infection.

-- Alyssa has an ear infection. Luckily, the big chain stores around here don't charge for amoxicillin. Really. Free prescription medicine. Viva the revolution.

-- I had to take the Kia in for brake work today. Lots on bumping and grinding, and not the good kind. I pick it up Thursday. I expected a much more expensive bill, remembering the same work on the Corisca that topped $400. The Kia came to about $260.

-- Coincidentally, we got our tax refunds back today. Timing is everything.

Thought: It's almost bike riding season!