Free Space

That's what I have - free space.

Sam gave William a free lift ticket, good any week day for Northstar. One of his good friends was allowed to ditch school (let's call it a field trip, shall we), so Jeff took them up for a day of snowboarding bliss. William has spent most of the last week checking on conditions, weather, and snow pack reports at the website. He's probably singularly responsible for half their site hits in the last few days. He's mostly psyched over the opportunity to play in their snowboarder's park which includes all sorts of rails, jumps and pipes, including.... drum roll please.... a Super Pipe, like the one in the Olympics. Go to the Super Pipe webcam, you might actually see William on it, although all the little figures look the same to me.

They left this morning and I've had the house to myself. (if we don't count the dogs and cats and dust bunnies) Not just the house, but everything in it. I can control the music selections, food choices, coffee pot, temperature of the wood stove, lights, t.v. remote, order of activities.... I am almost giddy at the freedom.

Of course I jumped out of bed and indulged in all my wildest fantasies, right? Okay, sure. Let's pretend. No, I jumped out of bed and raced through as many tasks as possible - showering, cat clean up, vacuum, loaded the dishwasher, load of laundry going, a few phone calls, made a fresh french press full of coffee, turned on the computer. It might seem like a waste of FREE space, but honestly, I got more done in the first 45 minutes of the day then I usually do in the first three hours when everyone is home. Now, if I do nothing else, I'll feel guilt free using the rest of the day as mine.

Lately William and Jeff have monopolized the music selections in the house. I put on something new a while ago, selected somewhat randomly, Ani DeFranco - Imperfectly. But then I forgot to find another CD and the player switched it over to Jeff's CD's, still in the other slots. Norah Jones - Come Away with Me , then Tom Petty - Wildflower, and now it's playing Kate Rusby - Sleepless. Lovely, but it's making me too relaxed. Downright sleepy. I want to spend the day doing something other then napping, so......

Okay, that's better. I've filled the five slots with Josh Joplin Group - The Future That Was, Badly Drawn Boy - Have You Fed the Fish?, R.E.M. - The Best of, Tori Amos - Boys for Pele, and Dave Matthews Band - Everday. That should do it. What are you all listening to today?

Rosie is mucho unhappido about her boy and papa being gone. She's been whining at me all day. She doesn't want to be held. She doesn't want me to throw her doggie toys. She doesn't want to play with the cats. No, she just lays on the back of the couch, looking out the front window, and alternately barking at people who have the audacity to walk down HER street, and whining at me that there's no one out there and she's bored. She's driving me nuts. There's really no such thing as pure Free Space, is there. I would probably hate it anyway.

Now, let's see, they'll probably get cold enough to call it a day around 4-ish, then fast food, gas, two hours to drive home. That's about 4 hours, maybe 5. I gotta get off this contraption and go do something fun with what ME time I've got left.