I should not be watching all this Jim Henson stuff at work. He died shortly after my Mom so they are connected in my brain. This is not helped by the fact that she loved watching SS with me and, well into college, would wander up to me and say things like "Pssst, wanna buy a five?"

And I'll tell you something about me and TV as a kid: I *know* I watched the Muppet Show, every Sunday at 7:00, but I can't remember anything specific from it. At all. Y'all keep naming these bits, and they sound vaguely familiar, but not enough for me to really remember them.

Tep is me. I'm always amazed at how well people remember things they watched at that age. They are familiar when I see them but I can't recall many specifics cold.

Although, in Goblin Valley (Utah) last week, a father kept calling for his kid, and the three of us simultaneously started calling out "Bobby! Cindy!" Good times.

OMG, you guys-- serious shivers down my back moment.

Literally just now, I got an email about the new Muppet Whatnot Workshop at FAO Schwarz.

I just realized why I'm so whiny about wanting tonight off--it's been almost three weeks since I've had a day with no job in it, and I don't have another scheduled until November 13th. I've had a few 3-4 hour workdays mixed in there, but no "I'm completely off" days.

I'm just not used to this schedule, so I'm being bitchy.

Timelies all!

When my folks were visiting this summer we took them to the Jim Henson exhibit at the Smithsonian. Very neat.

I just realized why I'm so whiny about wanting tonight off--it's been almost three weeks since I've had a day with no job in it, and I don't have another scheduled until November 13th. I've had a few 3-4 hour workdays mixed in there, but no "I'm completely off" days.

That sounds terrible. I get bummed out when I work every weekday in a month! Much less the weekends.

You don't sound bitchy to me. Not even close--with that schedule, I'd be cranky and whiny to the quazillionth degree.

Me, too. But as I've gotten older, I've needed a whole lot more Down Time in general.

Damn, Trudy, you shared an elevator with Belafonte? And managed to speak in comprehensible words? That is so much more than I ever could have done.

ION, a commentary on Al-Qaeda's endorsement of John McCain that is so very lovely (and thoroughly Buffistaesque) that I just want to read it over and over and over. Preferably out loud.

I think when I go into the bookstore tonight, I'm going to see if I can get someone to cover my Saturday shift. We've got a few new hires who could probably use some more practice on the register, and we've had a good week for membership card sales, so they really don't need me there to get our quota of cards. I'll see who I can rustle up to fill in.

But as I've gotten older, I've needed a whole lot more Down Time in general.

This is me. I had five years of working only one job which I got really spoiled by, so when I started at B&N 15 months ago, it took a bit to adjust.

Picking up the third job at the law firm was a mistake, I now think, and one I probably should take care of ASAP. I think I'll talk to the lawyer on Sunday about having him start looking for a replacement for me. I hate doing this after only one month, but best to do it now and give him as long as he needs to get someone else.

As promised, the details of my trip, or "How I Spent My October Vacation":

Day 1. Las Vegas: Crazy ass suite at Mandalay Bay overlooking the Strip. Confirmation #1 that, while very nice, money spent on accommodations that one spends so little time in are so not worth it to me. Decide to blow a whole $20 playing roulette. Win $70 bucks on the first spin of the wheel. Play for awhile and manage to walk away still up $30.

Days 2-3. Zion: Favorite park. Lots of variety. Great places to eat in Springdale. Confirmation #1 that I am, indeed, afraid of heights. At least when stability is an issue. I learn this when I make the mistake of looking down on the way up to Angel’s Landing.

Day 4. Bryce Canyon: Its beauty is somewhat marred by the fact that it is f*cking freezing. Wake up to take pictures at sunrise and almost 1 hour later can no longer operate my camera due to my fingers being about to fall off. Also, confirmation #2 that I am, indeed, afraid of heights, as the gusty winds force me to sit down in the middle of a viewpoint thinking that I may be blown over the precipice at any moment. Craxy.

Days 5-6. Boulder: The surprise of the trip. I wish we had factored in more time for both Grand Staircase-Escalante and Capitol Reef. Must go back. If you are anywhere nearby, run, don’t walk, to the Boulder Mountain Lodge and its restaurant, Hell’s Backbone Grill.

Goblin Valley: Another pleasant surprise. Crazy, random, mushroom-like stone shapes in a valley between Capital Reef and Moab. Like wandering onto the cheap set of an early Star Trek episode. The kids there are clearly delighted, running around all these bizarre shapes.

Days 7-8. Arches: Beautiful, but hiking fatigue has set in. Too many tourists. Too many kids that are clearly bored out of their minds with all the walking. I can’t imagine what this is like in the summer. Also, confirmation #2 that, while very nice, money spent on accommodations that one spends so little time in are not worth it. Despite superior lodgings at the ultra swanky Sorrel River Ranch and Spa (Sparky, I thought of you), this is the least favorite spot of all three of us.

Day 9. Monument Valley: After leaving my friends in Moab to drive the car back to Vegas, I make this stop alone in homage to my late father, a big fan of Westerns. I thank my lucky stars that I decide not to drive myself, as the road (and dust) is probably worse than that on the worst African safari ever. Run out of film at the end of the tour just at sunset. Decide to wait to buy more until I’m on the road. Kick myself when I realize that the view of the Valley from my room at sunrise is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

Day 10. Grand Canyon: A bit of a disappointment after all I’ve seen. The scale is amazing, but it’s not nearly as pretty. I again wake up to hike down into the canyon and get sunrise shots. Not cold, but I am so intent on setting up a shot that I don’t notice that a Bighorn sheep has come up behind me and is about to knock my tripod over the cliff. Incredible.

Last Meal: Pine Country Restaurant, Williams, AZ. What can I say but: Try. The. Pie.