I'm exhausted right now, and I've only been awake for 4 hours. The problem is the 2 hours I stood inside the Social Security Administration building (and I mean stood) felt like an entire day inside a middle school classroom. For one thing, every time an employee called for a number, you would hear a beep followed by the number. Considering the amount of time we were all spending there, you would think people would listen intently in the hope their number would be next. Instead, the conversations grew louder so they could be heard over the interrupting employee. This is not unlike students at the end of the day who miss out on their bus change because they were too busy talking over the announcement. Another favorite moment today was when the security guard announced that anyone parked behind the building without a permit would be towed. People started throwing questions and complaints at him. "But I parked on the side of the building!" "Is it okay if I parked ou...

Today we had one of those glorious Florida summer afternoons filled with lots of booming thunder and rain that forms sheets so thick you can't see through them. I drove in it on my way to a movie theater. Learning to drive in this kind of weather made driving in ice and snow a piece of cake. The movie was a blast and my friend was the perfect companion for this girls night out. On the way back my husband and I were talking on the phone about the upcoming move. He's feeling apprehensive about our growing to-do list. We've divided up our worrying responsibilities well--I take care of fretting that our coughs might be signs of tuberculosis and he takes over for me about how we're going to get "it" all done. My well-rehearsed response is, "We just have to take it one piece at a time." And for the record, I really do believe that line. I wish he would, too. We hung up with mounting tension, and I reached to take sip of my chai tea. At that moment, the lid...