A Week of Trips and Writing (with Smiles)

November 14, Monday

My favorite photo of Esme so far!

     On Monday, we tried to visit the Genyokan noon class to watch Aikido, but we forgot that it was the day after a blackbelt test, so the Dojo was closed.  Oh well, we went to Meijer thrifty acres instead to get kitty litter and contact juice.  True to her heritage, Esme did not like Meijer very much.  I've always thought it was the lighting in big box stores that makes me not want to be in there.  Maybe it's the air.  Whatever the reason, Esme agrees with us -- not a great place to hang out.  Much better to be warm and cuddly on the couch at home!

November 15, Tuesday

     On Tuesday, we took the car in to the shop to get the check engine light checked.  It turned out there was an air sensor that needed replacing, so we had time to head downtown and check things out.  I'd taken the stroller with us, but the sun was shining into Esme's eyes (and would be for six or eight blocks) so I pulled her out of the stroller and tried out the evenflo carrier.  With Esme on my chest, facing in, we were able to walk all the way downtown with no trouble.  I wanted to fill up a couple of growlers at Arbor Brewing Co. (Their Take-Away Tuesdays mean that growlers to go are half price, which means you can get 64 ounces of beer for $5.  Show me anywhere else you can get craft brewed beer for less than a buck a bottle and I'm there.), so we stopped in soon after they opened.
     Our friend, Dave, was the host at the time, and opened the door for us to make my trip in with the stroller much easier.  He also motioned us to be a little quiet, as there was a television interview going on. Renee, the co-owner, was being interviewed by Detroit's channel 4 news about their upcoming expansion to India.  (Yes, you heard that right.  Our locally produced beer, with locally sourced food, is opening a branch in Bangalor, India.  I gathered from the interview that the only real change to anything on the menu will be changing the name of their flagship IPA from Sacred Cow -- not likely to be a popular name for a beer in India -- to Raging Elephant.)  As I sat and had a beer and a bowl of soup and wrote 1500 words on my NaNoWriMo novel, Esme slept.  In fact, she slept just about the entire time she was in the carrier on my chest.  (And I found out later that I made the six o'clock news:  they filmed my beer being poured, carried, and delivered to me, and apparently cut the shot as I was picking it up and taking a sip.  No word on whether Esme was visible in the shot.  And we don't have TV and they didn't post the video on their website, so, as far as I know, I can't go back and check.)
     We were even able to stop by the co-op on the way back to the car to grab Seventh Generation diapers -- and before you conservatives start asking why I'm buying green, crunch-granola, hippy-drippy diapers, it's because they end up being less than a quarter each.  Honestly, it's one of the first products I've seen where the 'environmentally friendly' product way undersells the competition.  And I was quite proud of myself for my multitasking at checkout.  Digging in my wallet for cash while giving the clerk my co-op member number, feeding Esme with her bottle and bagging my own stuff.  (Made me feel like one of those Hindu gods with the many arms!  Perhaps not a raging elephant, but who wants an elephant in your local co-op?)  All in all it turned out to be about a three-and-a-half hour nap for Esme, before we were back at the car, headed home with no warning lights on.

November 17, Thursday

     On Thursday morning, after our mid-morning feeding, we headed out to Trader Joe's to pick up a few groceries.  (For those of you who live where there is no Trader Joe's, I'm sorry.)  I was worried a little about Esme's reaction to Meijer on Monday, so I was prepared to zip out of there with the bare necessities, if necessary, but, like her parents, Esme had no trouble with TJ's.  As we went in, there was another dad with his two or three year old daughter who was not happy about going shopping, and made it very clear to anyone within a five hundred yard radius that she really, REALLY didn't want to sit in the little chair in the cart.  I tried to get away from them quickly so Esme wouldn't get upset, but she didn't seem to mind the noise -- and I think she might have enjoyed the attention each aisle as we would pass them, or they us, and the little girl would say, with greater happiness each time, "Baby!"  Nice to know Esme's a good influence on other kids.  May it always be so.
     We were also approached by a TJ's employee who confided in me that she was pregnant and so had to talk to just about every person with a baby who came into the store.  And by a retired teacher who told me that "all children are gifted until they're eight."  When I told her I was a fourth grade teacher (I have a few 8 year olds at the beginning of the year, but mostly my students have been 9 and 10), she simply said, "Then you know what I mean," and walked off.  No, ma'am, I'm not sure that I do, but thanks for agreeing that my baby is gifted.  (I still believe all children are gifted, though I don't necessarily appreciate all gifts, and I have found myself wishing I could re-gift some of them at times.)

November 18, Friday

     Friday ended up being a writing day for me.  Esme and I set up shop on the couch and I tore through over 1600 words in the morning, another 1500 in the afternoon, yet another 1600 in the evening, and, with Tina's prodding, made one final push to snag the extra few hundred words I needed to clear 5,000 words for the day, and fully catch up to the 30,000 words I was supposed to have written by this day in NaNoWriMo.  My novel is fleshing itself out quite well.  I have to say though, I never know what's going to happen when I sit down.  I simply start writing and learn about my characters and the situations they find themselves in and how they deal with those.  It's just like reading a book, except I'm the one writing it.  I do have some pretty clear ideas about general upcoming situations, but I have no idea what's specifically going to happen, how they're going to survive without getting caught, and if their overall plan is going to work out for them.  I guess I'll have to keep writing...

November 19, Saturday

     Tina took Esme to Whole Foods on Saturday afternoon to get ingredients for an incredible Southwestern Soup (Moosewood Celebrates, if you want the recipe), and she did fine there, too.  I didn't go with them, so I don't have stories to tell about it.  Sorry.


November 20, Sunday

     And, finally, today Esme went with Tina to visit the prenatal yoga class at A2 Yoga.  They attended regularly while Tina was pregnant, but this was their first time back with Esme on the outside.  They were apparently well received, though Esme did have a moment's scare when the previous class let out and a bunch of energized yogis came funneling out of the studio door right towards them.

     So that makes a big box store, four different grocery stores, a yoga studio and (almost) an Aikido dojo, a car repair shop, and a bar.  You wouldn't know it by reading this post, but she still sleeps most of the time and rarely leaves the house.

     This coming week we're looking forward to our two month doctor's appointment on Tuesday, a family visit on Thursday (and we're going to leave the Thanksgiving cooking to the fabulous restaurant where Tina and I were engaged two-and-a-half years ago, The Quarter Bistro), and picking up Esme's first Christmas tree on Friday.  Plus, added bonus, Tina has the whole week off!  It's going to be family week at the Davis'.