The Burrow

Amster and I took the boys to see Jaws this weekend. The show was supposed to be outside, but the weather people frightened the movie people into moving everything into The Loft 's main theater. With The Wonderfuls in tow, we dined al fresco over pizza and beer (okay, I was the only one with a beer....) on the patio, then made our way past the concession stand and settled in on the aisle. I still need to sit on the aisle; burying myself in the middle of the middle hasn't been an option since public spaces became scary places.  But cuddled next to Mr. 10, a willing recipient of my hugs and rubs and squeezes and other forms of love and terror, eased the bitch  back into her corner. Anyway, I convinced myself, a little bit of fear was an appropriate accompaniment to Jaws. " Listen to the music,"  was my answer each time Mr. 10 worried that something was going to happen. I'd forgotten how long it took before Bruce, the mechanical shark, ...

I am many things to many people. Mom. Friend. Hiking Buddy. Babysitter. Weighlifting Partner. Wife. Recently, though, I seem to have added another title - Reliable Informant. There were inklings of my new status while I lived in Marin. Around election time, people would begin to ask me " Who should I vote for?" Not "For whom are you voting?" Nope, they were asking me for the name they'd put on their ballot. We've all done it. Does your neighbor work in the courthouse? I bet you've asked her for recommendations on judges and district attorneys before you made your decision. I looked at my questioners in the same light. They knew I attended School Board meetings even before I was elected to serve. Closeness to the operation in question seems to be the go-to point when information can't be found elsewhere, I guess. And so often, especially on small local boards, the ability to get along with one another is the difference between success and or dissensi...