Things are looking up

(OMG- This was written on Saturday & I seriously thought I had published, but evidently it was just saved!)

Ahhh! Another 3-day weekend & few commitments; sometimes it is good to be me

I had to go into work for a couple of hours today to take care of some filing & records storage, however I was done & home by noon. The guys have taken my car for the afternoon, so I “have” to stay around the house- oh, darn! My book & knitting are calling to me, but they will have to wait for a bit while I gab with my friends.

Chris has taken Sam out for some driving practice; he will be completing Driver’s Ed in 2 weeks, & then will be enrolling in a driving school for the behind the wheel portion (required by the State of California.) Today’s adventure is part of a new program in our area; it all came about after a tragedy that occurred one year ago tomorrow. I’ve written about the accident that killed a local teen & the community support that has flowed around the boy who was driving; I also mentioned how Ken Ucci, father of the boy who died, started a chapter of “Get Real Behind the Wheel”, a safe teen-driving program. Over the past few months, there have been several educational events at schools, community outreach, & fundraising events (at the West High homecoming game, “Get Real” presented the school with a new scoreboard in the gym, as a memorial to Mike, a basketball player), all culminating in a partnership with Altamont Motorsports Park, located 5 miles west of Tracy. Twice a month, the track opens up to local teens & their parents, so they can practice driving under several controlled conditions (the grand opening charged parents, but now each event is free). Nothing fully takes that niggling of fear away when I think about Sam driving alone, but I know we have done all we can to help him be prepared.

Tomorrow is “Date Day”; Chris & I have tickets to see Chris Botti in concert at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in San Francisco. I got the tickets when I renewed my PBS membership (last year I got tickets to see “Celtic Women”, & the year before, we saw Benice in Oakland), & since the concert doesn’t start until 9:00 pm, we’re going to make an afternoon out of it. If the weather cooperates, I’m going to take Chris on his very first cable-car ride- the man was born in the Bay Area, & has never ridden on one- & if it’s stormy (which looks pretty likely), we’ll head to one of the museums. Dinner will be whatever appeals at the time & then off to listen to some seriously talented lips! Because we probably won’t be home before 1:00 am, we’re both taking a vacation day on Monday- you know, the old folks don’t bounce back too quickly anymore

Well, I’m off to my book (Emma by Jane Austen &/or Rilla of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery), my cuppa (Citron Green from Adagio), & some cranberry scones; yes, it is pretty good to be me today