You know what the coolest thing about working in a library is? When you need to go to the bathroom, there’s always a good book handy.

Yum Yum is this ice cream and hot dog joint in Greensboro. I grew up snacking there. In fact, most of Greensboro grew up snacking there; I think the place opened in 1906. Since it’s also located pretty much in the middle of UNCG, it draws a large and loyal crowd of varying ages.

Lately, my schedule has taken me there in the late afternoon, when the crowd tends to be older.  I was watching a couple this afternoon, a man of about 70, and his wife or girlfriend, who looked older but was probably about the same age. She looked very much like the stereotypical retired librarian, rather plain and shy and conservatively-dressed. I got the feeling she didn’t smile very often, and that she felt a little embarrassed about it any time she did. I got the impression that she didn’t get an awful lot of joy out of life anymore, but that going to Yum Yum and having a hot dog and a Cheerwine, followed by some ice cream, was probably one of the few things that completely filled her with happiness, even if only briefly.

I rather liked her, and I felt strangely protective of her, too. It struck me that if anyone were to do anything to cast any sort of shadow over her happy moment, I might have to hurt him. She deserved to enjoy every minute of her outing, and nothing was allowed to ruin it for her.

I’m not sure why I felt so attached to this woman. Maybe she made me think of my own mother, who really doesn’t resemble her in any way, but who seems increasingly sad and depressed herself lately. I wonder where or how (or if) she finds her own happy moments these days. I took her to Yum Yum one night a few weeks back, hoping I could help her find one.

I also wonder if I’ll be the same way later in life — if I’ll get to some dark point where my final days seem much closer than they do right now, and where I can’t find much to look forward to or get excited about myself. I really hope that if I do, Mark will occasionally take me out to Yum Yum and feed me ice cream and hot dogs. It makes the prospect of aging a lot less scary.

That’s me, sometime in late 1986. The hair was a bit fluffy, but I think the jeans gave me very good butt.

This one definitely gets the “coolest abandoned house we saw in a microscopic North Carolina town this weekend” award. I crave it. It’s sagging in many of the same places I am, so I feel a certain kinship. Mark was home for the weekend, which is an increasingly rare treat these days. Until you don’t have the opportunity to do it on a regular basis, you forget how nice it is just to sit around watching TV and sitting on the living room floor playing with your toys with the boy you love. This nightmare commute is going to have to end soon, because I won’t be able to stand to seeing him (or me) so miserable for very much longer. More random Monday stuff:

• Notice that the old journal entries are migrated into WordPress as far back as August 2002 now. I haven’t worked on this project for a week or so because life has been so hectic, but I envision a few free minutes on Tuesday in which I might tackle some of the older stuff.
• Spent a few hours in Asheville on Saturday. I was sort of surprised when Mark suggested it, seeing as how he’s not a fan of the place. Maybe he wanted to give it a second chance. If so, it didn’t work. He’s right, though. It’s a pretty place and all, but it’s annoying as hell.
• Sorry. We might have stopped by, but we thought you were still hurricane-watching in Houston.
• Just out of curiosity, has anyone out there used iWork? Any thoughts on the spreadsheet application?
• Off to one of my five jobs now. And that means off to Greensboro for the second time today.