Today I picked up the children and headed to Target because we were out of some necessary items: grocery bags, dishwasher soap, lotion with which to slather our terribly dry Minnesota skin.

By the time we got there, it was 5:00, so I just bought us dinner at the Target Cafe. That's a little gross, but Dan had already told me he'd be pulling an all-nighter at the office. What he said was he'd be home in time to drive Mac to school.

Now, the kids are finally asleep, the house is a disaster, and I collected another set of essays to grade today. So, let's review the current contents of my in-box: 24 more "short" stories, 56 McCarthy compare/contrast essays, and 50 essays about human nature as revealed in The Crucible.

I might as well give up now.

Seriously.

Message to all the parents who so kindly suggested I give more immediate and personalized feedback on their kids' essays: SHUT UP! REALLY! SHUT UP!!!! And also, back off.