t minus 2 days...

Ok, I'm a little calmer, but not much. I called Becky and vented a bit about all I have to do and she assured me it will be ok. She also said, "if things start to go crazy, call me and I'll come scoop you up and bring you to my house." That's a nice back up plan. It's always good to have one of those. I'm sure it won't result in that...but a good friend makes sure you know that there is always an out.

Today I went to the bank to cancel my card and get a new one. FRAUD ALERT. Yep, we've been hacked and some gamer is using my card to buy their shit. Annoying. I miss Atari games. Just a side note there.

Speaking of technology, I hate that Zoë won't have the things I grew up with. Atari was so cool, now it looks ridiculous. We own a record player, so she'll at least know what one is. She won't know or understand a Walkman. She'll want an ipodish something...and I'm sure mine will look ancient by the time she wants one. She won't understand video tapes or cassette tapes. She won't get to record the top 10 with the intros. She won't send as many letters--though I'm determined that she get a pen pal--not an email pal. Will she be creative with her time? Will she have any patience? I know I struggle with this. I can't keep her from the outside world or keep her from experiencing the new waves of technology, but I worry about her brain cells being matured by having to figure stuff out for herself.

In St. John, growing up was all about imagination. We had to figure out how to spend our time. We didn't have a mall or a movie theatre. We played outside and rode our bikes everywhere. I love those times. Rochester isn't going to have that freedom. I hate that for her. St. John is small and there's "nothing to do there" but it's a great place to grow up because you have to use as much imagination as you can to FIND the fun. Plus, it's safe. You can be out until the whistle blows and come home without worry. You can ride your bike everywhere and not worry about being taken. You can go get an ice cream cone on a summer night. You can swim and watch baseball...or go play on the swings at any age. You can spend your nights talking with your friends...walking around and really bond. In big cities, I think this can get lost with the phones, texting and such.

But, then...I'm talking about the 90s and before. Who knows what it's like now. I'll report back.