With apologies to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, a compilation of yesterday's events. Or, "Why didn't I blog?"
5:15 AM - Gwendolyn arises for her trip to work, a 7 AM meeting with her supervising physician, for rounds at the rehab where she's responsible for the orthopaedic patients.
5:45 AM - Giacomo arises. Makes coffee. Helps Gwendolyn get three lunches and three backpacks ready for three kids at school.
6:10 AM - Gwendolyn leaves for work, 40 minutes south in Massachusetts. She has taken with her two karate gi's and a gymnastics outfit for later. Giacomo showers, dresses, then reads. Wakes kids up to get ready for school, and writes a very brief post. He has a full day in the office scheduled, although there's a small hole in the afternoon schedule (which is important, as we'll see later).
7:00 AM - Two older girls wake up, get ready for school. We're having remodeling done at the house, and the contractor and finish carpenter arrive to start putting up moldings and doors. Discussion with carpenter over plans for this week and next, and tasks to be completed by both of us.
7:15 AM - Giacomo wakes sleeping five year old, wrestles her out of bed, and gets her dressed and ready for school.
7:40 AM - Breakfast is served for three daughters and the "master" of the house.
8:00 AM - Clean up, and kids find backpacks, lunchboxes, coats and sneakers. Head up to bus stop with dog in tow, for bus for oldest two.
8:15 AM - Bus arrives, and the oldest two children head for school. Later today one has an orthodontist appointment, at 4:00 PM and both have karate class for 'Dragons' at 5:45 PM. They're both brown belts.
8:25 AM - Giacomo takes dog to doggie day care. She could stay home, but with the work going on at the house it's better that she's away. All the workers would make her crazy. Dog is dropped off at 8:35 AM.
8:45 AM - Youngest daughter arrives at kindergarten. She has a gymnastics class at 5:15 PM later today. Giacomo heads for work, which is, fortunately as we'll see later, only 2 miles away.
8:55 AM - Giacomo arrives at office, prepares for first patient at 9:00 AM. Also fortunate today: no rounds at the hospital, and Giacomo wasn't on call last night, which can provide morning surprises.
9:00 AM to 12: 30 PM - Giacomo sees patients, scheduling four for surgery. Gwendlyn finishes her work at the rehab center, and begins trip back north. She's due to pick up youngest at 2:00 PM, then pick up older two at their school around 3 PM, to make a 30 - 40 minute trip back south for the orthodontist appointment.
1:00 PM - More patients for Giacomo, but it's a light afternoon as the time was scheduled for the office just two days earlier. There's a hole in the schedule from 2:30 to 3:30 PM. Three more surgeries scheduled.
2:05 PM - Gwendolyn calls Giacomo. Her car is having trouble, and she hit worse-than-usual traffic. Engine quits about 3/4 mile from the kindergarten, and she leaves it in a parking lot and begins walking to the school. The call is for help.
2:40 PM - Giacomo finishes with the 2:15 and 2:30 PM patients, the latter a fresh post-op and thus a quicker visit, and heads out the door. Arrives at kindergarten at 2:50 PM to pick up youngest and Gwendolyn. They head to the other school to pick up the older two, arriving at 3:10 PM.
3:15 PM - The family arrives home. Fortunately there's a third car available, and Gwendolyn and the older two daughters head south for the orthodontist, leaving the youngest with Giacomo, along with her gymnastics outfit.
3:30 PM - Giacomo arrives back at work, trailing daughter. She accompanies him to see the 3:30 PM patient, who needs xrays. Giacomo finishes dictation on the remaining undictated patients, deals with patient phone calls, prescription requests, and other paperwork on desk, and completes work on the last patient.
4:00 PM - Gwendolyn arrives at orthodontist appointment with daughters, and they leave office about 4:30 PM for trip back north. She calls AAA to arrange for car to be towed to repair shop, and meets AAA at the parking lot.
4:55 PM - Giacomo leaves office to bring 5 year old to gymnastics practice, arriving at 5:15 PM. The child changes quickly, and heads out to the floor. Giacomo texts Gwendolyn on status.
5:25 PM - The tow truck drops the disabled vehicle at the repair shop. The shop is closed, but Gwendolyn calls to leave a message that the car is there and describes the problem. They stop at McDonald's for dinner, then head for karate.
5:45 PM - Giacomo heads for doggie day care while Gwendolyn drops older two at karate. The dojo is only 3 miles from the gymnastics studio, so she heads north to be with the youngest. Gymnastics ends at 6:15 PM, karate ends at 6:35 PM.
6:10 PM - Giacomo arrives home with the dog, giving her a walk, and feeding her. He talks with the landscapers working on the patio, and surveys the work inside. Grammy calls from Connecticut. We'll be visiting her this weekend. He waits for Gwendolyn for dinner.
6: 50 PM - Gwendolyn arrives with three daughters. Middle child showers, then does homework. Oldest has some additional food, re-warmed chicken-broccoli-ziti alfredo, then she showers. Youngest child eats McDonald's cheeseburger picked up on the way home. Gwendolyn informs Giacomo she head some McDonald's earlier herself. He reheats the chicken-broccoli-ziti and eats dinner himself.
7:30 PM - Giacomo helps middle daughter with math homework, and Gwendolyn goes through winter clothes as growing girls can no longer wear many of them. Daughters read in bed. Five year old reads as well.
8:15 PM - Youngest is put to bed. At 8:30 PM older two follow.
8:45 PM - Gwendolyn showers.
9:00 PM - After brief discussion of this day's events and tomorrow's plans, Giacomo works on bills and other home projects, Gwendolyn does several loads of laundry, continues sorting old clothes, and folds laundry.
9:37 PM - First pitch of the Red Sox playoff game in Anaheim. Giacomo misses the first three innings.
10:30 PM - Giacomo heads upstairs to continue the sorting and cleaning with Gwendolyn, then at 10:45 they head to bed, wondering about the price tags of this commitment to remodel the home and the repairs on her car.
Exercise? Leisure time? Stress-free relaxation?
I think not.
