In my defense, this one was way overdue – five weeks.  After finishing the book, I must’ve dropped it.  I found it under the bed, beginning to collect dust bunnies.  Fine: $13.21.

I felt good about returning it and good about paying the fine.  I felt closure.  I felt I had owned my mistake, looked it in the face, and made things right.

The rest of the day kicked ass, too:

I returned a DVD of The Exorcist to the video store.  Having seen it for the first time when I was 14, I decided it was time to expose my own 14 year old to this masterpiece of dread and horror.  (and btw, am I the only one out there who thinks the scenes of Linda Blair undergoing a painful spinal tap are just as scary – especially for her poor, helpless mother- as her head spinning around?)

I replaced the burnt out brake light in my wife’s car.

Well, more accurately, I had someone replace the burnt out brake light in my wife’s car – I’m about as handy as Niles Crane.

I bought my favorite color thumbtacks – clear – to put up flyers at the Ruby Room.

My dad sent my son Gabriel a birthday card from Spain.  On the cover was a cute drawing of a teddy bear and the words, “Muchas Sorpresas.”  Gabriel asked me what Sorpresas meant, but I didn’t know.  My guess was “surprises,” and it turns out I was right.

But I didn’t tell him that, and instead had him look it up on an old paperback Spanish/English dictionary we had lying around.

Our cat Spunky’s nametag had somehow come off her collar.  I went to Petco where they have those vending machines that make up new ones.  I chose a pink heart-shaped one which had the word “Diva” on one side.  On the other side I embossed her name and our phone number.

Why I picked something so frilly I don’t know.  I felt like Paris Hilton’s closeted uncle.

The half Panini I saved from lunch the other day: I reheated it for dinner (the oven, not the microwave, NEVER the microwave!), and it was just as good as when I bought it – in fact, better –  since I added a few slices of fresh tomato.

What a day!  Man I was on fire.  On fire! The little things, baby, the little things!