Taylor started with the kids today. She’ll come once a week for 6 hours. I call her the nanny because that’s what she is and that’s what she calls herself. It sounds so haughty I’m aware. “The nanny” as if I’m sipping wine on a yacht somewhere while she watches my kids. She calls herself a nanny so I call her a nanny. Well, I call her Taylor but you know what I mean. Just had to clear that up. Sometimes people call things by another name to sound fancy. Like saying “we’re taking a holiday” when actually they’re driving a u-haul to Boise. I’m not doing that. So she was here from 11–6 and I got a ton of stuff done and fit in a movie. More on that later. When I came home, she had a pizza from Pallino Pastaria (her beau works there), a coupon for free Krispy Kremes and had SEWN a rip in Hadley’s dress. Yes, the girl SEWS. Somebody pinch me. Taylor is the best. THE best. It’s an amazing feeling to leave your kids with someone and not even think about them when you’re gone knowing they are in such great hands.

So on to my day. It was magical. Didn’t do anything particularly special but it just reminded me why I am doing this in the first place. I need a break. I was so happy just being in the car alone. Some people can’t stand to be alone. I crave it. I went to a 12:10 showing of CRASH. My sister had mentioned how much she liked this movie and then when Erin was here (EKD!) she too said she loved it. I don’t even know how to describe it. It was literally intellectual yoga. It was raw, thought provoking and powerful. It reminded me of Magnolia, which I also loved, only because of the different stories woven together. This tackles racial prejudices and makes you think. The director was Paul Haggis, who also was the screenwriter for Million Dollar Baby. The cast was great: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Ryan Phillipe, Thandie Newton, Brendan Fraser (well I could have done without Encino Man but…) and Ludacris. Yes, Ludacris. He was actually really really good. I just loved it. Sandra Bullock is stellar. None of the usual cutesy crap from her. Check it out.  

In Safeway later on shopping, the lights went out. Crazy being in a huge grocery store when the lights go out. Oddly, I wasn’t scared. Yet another thing that had never happened to me before so I was enjoying the weirdness. They came back on after 30 seconds or so. Just in time for me to notice that they were out of the little tub of pre-cut onions. Yes, I am probably the only asshole on the planet who buys that tub of pre-cut onions. I just hate cutting onions. Hate it. No matter which way I cut them, I always tear uncontrollably and then can’t see and then and then…well, you get the idea. Cutting a fucking vegetable shouldn’t be a big emotional rigamarole. So I buy the tub. No tub in the store. I ask the darling 17 year old stocker kid who probably thought Dazed and Confused was “a classic”, if they have some in back. He says he’ll check and comes back to tell me they don’t have any. I accept that and go to get an onion to cut. (sigh) He then says this:

“If you give me the onion, I’ll take it in back and cut it for you. Here, let me get one for you.”

Now, I probably should have said “oh, no no no I couldn’t” but I didn’t. That sweet faced thing scurried into the back, cut my onion and came out with it in a container. It’s amazing what having boobs and smiling sweetly will do sometimes and I wasn’t even trying. I probably could have gotten Pico de fucking Gallo had I really turned on the charm.