7/27/07 Closed street

Today the city closed our street to all traffic, to repave a street that I thought was just fine already. This morning, that meant walking all three kids to the car parked around the corner, to take Julian to his last day of day camp. Fortunately, I had some help from our next-door neighbor with ultra-putzy Julian. Mo Jing swept right in, took Julian's hand, and with his usual excellent cheer and constant laughter, brought him along. I always appreciate the help!


Once we were at the Y, I figured I might as well stay and get in a short stretch and workout, since Katrina wouldn't need a nap for over an hour. But then I realized, there was an aerobics class -- yes, an old-fashioned high-impact, no-equipment aerobics class -- starting. Cool, I haven't done one of those in ages! I figured it'd be easy, given all the running I've been doing, but I was in for a surprise. Aerobics and dance, I quickly remembered, are much burstier sorts of activities. I can jog to the Farm at Rancho San Antonio now without really getting out of breath, but that's a very even sort of exertion. Jumping, turning, kicking....I was surprised how out of condition I am for that sort of movement. Another reminder that no matter how deep I step into the world of athletics, in my heart, if not my body, I'm still a dancer-type.

Katrina had a fine time at the Y Childwatch. I snuck this photo in of her playing on a pillow before she saw me, at which point she started to cry immediately. I wasn't buying that though! The lady playing with Katrina paid her a now-common compliment on the beautiful reddish shade of her hair.

When we got back from the second trip to the Y to pick up Julian, the paving construction on our street was still in progress. A worker told us they were taking a break, then at 2:00, the roller would be out, then after that, the sander truck. Gabriel watched the clock carefully inside, and then was outside at 2:00 on the dot, and Julian joined him, to supervise from the porch.

Well, it turned out that the roller had started before 2:00, and the sander was now halfway done. When the sanding truck was finished, the workers started putting away the cones, and then the same worker we'd talked to was walking along the street, reviewing the results.

Gabriel went up to the worker and informed him that the roller was supposed to start at 2:00! Then Gabriel pointed out that the sand truck had missed a strip in front of our house: "There's still some black here." Incredibly, the worker said, "yeah, they didn't do that quite right," and a few minutes later, someone was there with a shovel, tossing sand onto the black strip. Gabriel appeared satisfied with this, and the worker seemed to accept with good cheer that he was being overseen by a 5-year-old.

I guess the City of Sunnyvale had better make sure they are ON TIME and do the job EXACTLY RIGHT, 'cause Gabriel's on the job!

7/27/07