My sister came home this morning very EARLY, and of course she called me. To be honest, she didn’t call until 8:41, but it’s Sunday morning and I was still asleep. She called to remind me to pick up our mother at the airport. Like I was going to forget.

I was almost late, though. I busted out my brand new ladder and cleaned the gutters. Gutters get filled with the worst sort of muck: leaves, mud, and the grit from roofing shingles. My new shiny ladder is now covered in the stuff. I was hoping I could leave it pristine as a symbol of my commitment. I had to go to a suburban Costco to get it and the parking lot was so full that I parked diagonally across in the farthest corner, and I still had to wait for someone to leave before I could park. I braved all sorts of suburban shopping traffic, almost hitting a car that swerved into the turn lane I was in, and then when I rushed back to the gym I found that Dave the Trainer and I had screwed up our schedules and he was busy with another client.

But in any case, my mom is back, and she’s yelling at my dad now. I don’t have to do it any more.