The birthday dinner did, in fact, take place and I did not have to come up with a plan myself. In fairness to my husband, he did try. We are both urbanites at heart and we still haven�t internalized that you cannot just have plans to go out when you live in the suburbs. When we were in the city, we�d leave the house when the babysitter arrived and start walking, stopping when we found someplace to eat or drink or hear music or otherwise malinger. We�d come home feeling like we�d done something. The suburbs seem to have returned us to some kind of adolescent state. I feel like I�m 18 again and I�m not old enough to go anywhere interesting so evenings out become about driving around looking and usually not finding action.

Last night, we ended up having at a restaurant in a nearby river town. Although we hadn�t been to this particular restaurant before, we have enjoyed its city cousin and this one did not disappoint. After too much food and some excellent wine and espresso, we walked around the quaint town and ogled all the Victorian and pre-Victorian mansions before strolling along the river. The stroll quickly turned into a near-jog as we realized we were being pursued by clouds of bloodthirsty mosquitoes. But we made it home relatively unscathed and a good time was had by all. Except, perhaps AJ, who apparently lost his blankie for a good part of the evening, and his babysitter, who had to help him look for it.

Today the thermometer is soaring every higher, until I have expect a cartoon explosion at its top. And the worst news is that today is supposed to have nothing on tomorrow and the next day, where triple digits are expected. Consequently, after two hours spent melting in the sweltering sun watching AJ play T-ball, we have all returned to the house where we are sifting to ever lower levels in search of comfort. By nightfall, there may be a family of grumpy people camped out on the cool cement floor in front of the air handler. But for now, we�re trying to steer clear of each other. We are hot and crabby and it is better to suffer alone.

AJ has been put to bed after a total meltdown. We are trying to prevent him from stalking The Girl Next Door, which is becoming a problem. He seems to have gone to sleep, which I hope will improve his mood later.

Aside from the withering heat, it�s been a pleasant enough day. A bouquet of flowers arrived unexpectedly earlier this afternoon, a birthday gift from my parents who are traveling. They are cheerfully blooming on the table in front of me and are improving my mood already.

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