So to return to my story. I had just finished my second first day of class, when my wife called and said there was 6 cords of wood in the driveway, our heat for the winter. I came home to a driveway piled 5 feet deep in lovely ash and hemlock blocks and chunks. My three children(21 year old son, the girl with the bright green hair, and the purple hair boy of the morning) on top with Sam, the 18 year old friend of my daughter’s who lives with us, on top tossing wood into the garage. I got to work hauling totes of wood on a hand truck to back porch. Mary went out for pizza and soda and Matt, 240 lbs of 18 year old mania, showed up. He joined in then Jackson, my daughter’s boyfriend, rode up on his bike. Much talking and a little work happened after that. But many hands made the work somewhat shorter. We worked to the music of Tool and Jackson’s resonant voice free assiciating in monologue. Finally at about 7:30, we stopped with the job 3/4 done.

Matt left, but 2 of my daughter’s friends arrived to watch a movie, “Zoolander“. I don’t know which was sillier the conversation or the movie. Zoolander is perhaps the silliest movie ever made. Ben Stiller‘s walk off against Owen Wilson was one of the stupidest things I have ever seen, but it made me laugh. And the brainwashing sequence with Will Ferrell as the evil fashion designer just about killed me. The conversation in the room full of teenagers was a close second in goofyness. I can’t remember much of it, but I know you can’t write material like this. Five 16 to 18 year olds on one couch equals zany conversation.

The two girls finally took Jackson home and left his bike on my porch, and peace reigned once again. I went downstairs and started writing the first part of this piece, and now twenty four hours later, the wood is all where it won’t get rained on and my house is quiet and calm. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain. I think I will stay home and watch it.