1. I think I never meant for you to think I was so despairing yesterday. You must have caught me at a weak moment. (wink) Truth is, it's been a rough week. Let's face it. In general, I believe in the inherent humanity of our fellow humans. I really believe that good and peace and right will prevail. When my mom and her friend Mike were here we were talking about (honestly, don't ask me why, I can't even remember how we got there) how people become terrorists and it's generally because they lack hope. Really, if you don't have hope, you don't have anything. Well, I'm full of hope. I have to be. We all do. And don't get me wrong. I love April too. As my dear friend Debbie pointed out, some people special to me were born this month! But I think Eliot was onto something. Real growth hurts. It's mucky and ugly and painful, but hopefully we really grow. I'm hoping that as much as we're in a mucky part of our history right now we're growing.

2. I think I need to figure out a schedule and stick to it. We were at sixes and sevens this week. (Side note, isn't that a great phrase?) And remember that planner I got? I think it's finally time to admit that I don't love it. It's not her, it's me. I just can't use it in the way it's meant to be used or I need it to do something different or something. Part of what I love about what I do is how varied my days are, but I'm slowly being driven mad by the lack of routine. Anybody have any suggestions for me? How do you keep your days screwed straight?

3. I think this is one of the most spectacular things I've seen in a long time.

4. I think two weekends of company and one out of town (and two to three baseball games a week) are a bit much for this mama to bear right now. My house is a wreck, I have my summer/winter clothes switch-over halfway done and spread across my bedroom (nice), our dinners have been impromptu and half-assed all week, I've missed loads of your blog posts. Seriously. Fail. Is it bad that I wish it would rain all weekend so I could hunker down and clear the decks around here?

5. I think I can't decide if I should go frugal and use something from my wardrobe or get something new to an event for Neel next month. These are the things I think about in the quiet spaces of the carpool line and the orthodontist's waiting room. Theresa, can you do a "Where in the World," Lauren Has to Leave the House Edition? I think I might need one.