First Among Sequels

Doogie got his license last week, and it's taken some getting used to. It's a whole new level of parenting allowing my child to leave the house under his own power and trusting that he will return in the same condition in which he left. We hadn't actually allowed him to do any more driving until last night. Mom, Jeff, and I went to Shawano to shop for our camping trip. Jesse was still in Green Bay. Molly was home taking care of Mia. Someone needed to take Jake to his Boy Scouts meeting, so Mom asked nonchalantly if Doogie could drive him. I stuttered and sputtered at first, but couldn't come up with any reason to say no.

He, of course, got Jake there with no trouble, and even picked me up later. I hadn't ridden with him in some time and was pleasantly surprised to find that my heart never jumped into my throat, not even once. Those two trips have loosed the bonds on my letting him drive. I have a ton of errands to run today, but I'm hurting, so Doogie offered to do them for me. Suddenly this burden and fear has become a blessing. I can stay home and rest, and he can take care of them for me. We both win, because he gets more driving time and some independence. I know this is just one more step leading me on the path to letting him go next year to college. Oh, my heart's in my throat now. Guess I'm not quite there yet!

Thursday Next: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde: This author has created his own subgenre of books within the satire genre. They poke fun at modern culture, politics, and anyone who takes anything too seriously, while encouraging a deep love for reading, especially the classics. This is not the book to start reading the Thursday Next series. Stop, put this one down, and pick up The Eyre Affair before proceding further. If you are caught up, this is another rip-roaring ride. Thursday is hiding her work for Spec-Ops and Jurisfiction from her husband Landen by working for Acme Carpets. But her true love has always been living on the edge. So between capturing lower level demons, smuggling cheese, and training her doubles as cadets for Jurisfiction, Thursday's plate is inordinately full. This book is full of snappy dialogue and references to all sorts of literature from obscure poetry to English classics. I read this book when it first came out in hardcover, and rereading it was just as enjoyable, especially looking for clues I missed the first time through. Fforde is in my humble opinion, a genius.

I've started writing out my lists for getting ready to go camping. As soon as the two older kids heard the word "lists", they both immediately fled the room and pretended not to hear me anymore.