The Porcelain Express

We are scurrying around here, getting packed for our trip to NYC. It's supposed to rain (20-30% chance) while we're there, so it's a little tough to gauge what kind of clothing to take for weather-preparedness. It's been kind've goofy weather-wise around here recently too... it's been cold, then cool, then really humid. The office must be reacting to the humidity because we all of a sudden couldn't get the bathroom door to latch all the way. You'd think it was locked, but a gentle push reveals all. One poor male patient walked in on another poor female patient, and we all had an Awkward Moment. He felt bad for her, and she felt bad for herself, so we all felt bad for him and really bad for her. So I fashioned a crude sign out of bright red paper and correction tape to hang on the door. It's pretty flashy and totally unprofessional, but we haven't had any repeats of that same Situation.

Speaking of toilets and such, Mom and Dad finally got a new one to replace the one of our childhood. Alvin helped install it when he and Doretta were here last week. This toilet is something else. It looks like a normal toilet by all appearances but when you flush it, yikes! It gives new meaning to the "here today, gone tomorrow" attitude of the Old One. When you push the lever down to flush it, it gives your hand the sensation that you broke something, for with great gusto, anything that was once there, is gone in the blink of an eye. It is taking a lot to get used to. Mom said that almost everyone who uses it for the first time comes out of the bathroom grinning like a loon because it startled them. It scared even Martin. When Madison uses it, she flushes and then runs for cover. By the time I used it for the first time, I was well-aware of its reputation, but I somehow found myself thinking of Other Things at the time of the Great Departure, and wasn't as prepared as I should've been. And sure enough, it scared me enough to make me feel quite foolish. I couldn't help but laugh silently at myself in the mirror while washing my hands. When I opened the door, however, there was Mom... waiting for her Chuckle of the Day. I was like, "What?" But she would not be fooled. She knows these things. We now have a real Porcelain Express at our house.

So anyway, I shall carry my packed things out to the door so as to be a little more ready for our early 5:00 a.m. departure. I have a Plan for Waking Up... a series of alarm clocks, complemented by going to bed sometime before midnight. I am so looking forward to the many adventures we're bound to have in the next couple days...