details.

I'm an assistant nursery school teacher. Marc's mother owns the school, so I'm less an "employee," more a "recipient of piteous compliments." Today we learned the letter C, as in cat, cookie, and Kate. Well, we had to unlearn 'em that last one, but it sounds so much like cake, they were pretty resolved (in fact I am now known selectively as "Miss Cake..."). We also learned about autumn, the time of year when the leaves change color and fall off of the trees, when little kids go back to school, and when, according to Joey, "the whole family goes to the thing and then they throw the thing at the thing and then they win! ...Is it time to paint now?" This, of course, causes an eruption of declarations like, "My family goes to the church, and then we put the dog in its cage!" And: "Miss Kate! Miss Kate! I have a dog and it peed on the floor!"

I can't think of a better way to spend twelve hours a week.

Tonight I'm meeting Marc and Tony at the Y to see Paul Auster, my favorite writer. I read his most recent offering, The Book of Illusions, while we were in Puerto Rico. It's about a man who spends his time trying to distract himself from unfortunate events passed by becoming completely absorbed in the life and films of a silent films actor who vanished decades earlier. Auster's written several haunting novels featuring New York City prominently, and I've thoroughly enjoyed everything I've read by him. I'm pretty excited and I'm wondering if it's uncouth to carry three novels with me for him to sign...