Today was one of the few days per month (yes, I said MONTH, people… er… person) that I have to go in to the office. It means I have to wear pants (instead of jeans, you weird people who think I work withou… oh, right) and I tend to try to look nicer by straightening out my hair and wearing make-up.

So I had to get up at the ass-crack of dawn instead of just the plumber’s crack that all women who wear low-rise jeans get whenever they sit down. That was harsh.

The rest of the day though? It was lovely.

My team and I all collaborated on several issues, and it was nice to be able to work with people who don’t feel the need to constantly one-up whatever it is that you are saying/doing. We also documented some highs/lows from the past two weeks, which is why I’m throwing around words like “collaborated” and “documented.”

We were all in funny moods today. The best was when we went to lunch together at a Mexican restaurant and M, my coworker, was talking about getting a combo. He then mentioned that he really liked that song. We were all, “What song?” M: “You remember… Combo Number 5.” He was serious.

For the rest of the day, my coworker R couldn’t look at him because if she did, she would start laughing, and then the rest of us would start laughing… and then eventually someone would snort, and that would make us start laughing again.

Also nice? Having toast with butter and honey for dinner.

It was a lovely day.

I read. I read a lot. I mean… a lot. I can’t stop myself from reading if there are words in front of me. I read for work, I read for pleasure, and I especially read because a book is about someone else’s troubles and not mine.

Lately (and by lately I mean the past few years) I’ve really worked on reading books with a strong female protagonist. Usually that means I’m reading either mysteries or fantasy/science fiction. I try my best not to read scary stuff, since I get nightmares from that. I also own a lot of children’s fiction, especially historical fiction. I have learned a lot about living in the 1850s through early 1900s. This is part of the reason that I am the Mary-pedia.

I learn from reading (verbal), and I learn from listening (aural). As an education major in college, I found that most children learn best from those two methods… but that there is a sub-set of kids who learn through body movement (kinesthetics), or music, or from visual stimulation like art.

I wonder… how will Mister Man learn the best? Will his sensory issues stop him from wanting to learn through movement, or will that be the best way for him to learn? Will he be unable to “get” art class because he spends the whole time concerned about getting messy? He loves music… is that the best way to help him remember? (I remember learning specific literature quotations while listening to music, and being able to remember them by just thinking of the song’s melody. Of course, that didn’t amuse the people who sat near me during an exam, because I would unconsciously hum!)

What do you do to escape from life for just a little while? Tim turns on the iPod and tunes out the world. He watches science programs on TV (best when they’re narrated by William Shatner). He used to just stand in the shower, but since we’re in the midst of the worst drought in recorded history… he doesn’t do that anymore! He goes on solitary walks.

Me? I read.