Note the unusually empty back seat. And I wasn't sure it would be appropriate to smile for this picture.

(Sunday Paper, Volume III, Issue 16)

This week was a little different.

The kids were off from school.

But Kathy and I were not off from work. (As a matter of fact, this week Kathy's work took her to Amsterdam.)

So instead of leaving the kids home alone for most of the week, I left them in the care of my wonderful mother.

In New York.

And I had a few days at home to myself in a way I hadn't had for at least twelve years.

Let me tell you about it.

On Tuesday I left Framingham a little before 9 in the morning. I dropped the girls off in Queens, had some lunch, and arrived back in Framingham a little after 5 in the evening.

Kathy had class Tuesday night, so for the first time this semester I was able to do something comedy-related on a Tuesday without having to worry about waiting for her to come home or getting a sitter.

So I went to an open mic. I showed up early but I was still waaaaay down on the list. I went for a quick walk and in the greatest random street run-in I've had in years I ran into a cousin who attends Northeastern. So we had dinner together. It was great. I spent a little bit of time trying to figure out what the universe was telling me through this chance encounter. It wasn't until much later that night I realized what that message was. (It was - quit while you're ahead and don't bother going back to that open mic and performing in front of six people.)

Wednesday after I worked I took Kathy to the airport and then met an old friend who I wanted to introduce to a comedy friend and it was supposed to be a quick drink and I had big plans to go to a couple of shows and possibly a mic (like you do when you don't have kids at home to worry about) but it turned into a really fun hang-out (which I guess can happen when you don't have kids at home to worry about) and even though my meter ran out I didn't get a ticket and that time I listened to the universe which told me "You've had a fun night, go ahead and call it a night and go home." And I did and made it home in time to see the end of a fun Mets game. (Worth noting: I guess the universe didn't want me to see Hannibal Burress drop in and perform at one of the shows I was planning on swinging by. Oh well.)

Thursday after work I managed to get a lot of yard work done, which was great because usually on Thursday I run from work to pick up the kids from school and there's a very small window to get anything done. But I was finally able to clear all the debris from the most tree-fallingest winter we've ever had and then I still made it out to an open mic on Thursday.

And then Friday I drove back to New York to get the girls and be back in time for softball practices today, ushering in the insane-ness of May and softball season and recital season and lots of other family events.

The only thing that suffered this week was my writing a little bit - the driving to and from and to New York on Tuesday and Friday really cut into the time I usually spend writing.

And, well, it wasn't all fun and games. I sure missed everyone in the house. They're a great bunch, Kathy and those kids. It's not the same here without them.

Even if it does give me a little more time to myself.

Notes

*I touched on the comedy and the writing in the piece above, and I suppose "What I've Been Enjoying" this week is the time to myself, so we're going to skip straight to the Notes this week.

*Let's just make clear, though, there is a lot of good comedy happening this week - I have shows Wednesday (Portsmouth, NH), Thursday (Portland, ME), and Friday (Arlington, MA) - info for all of them is at the Comedy Shows link above. I'm hosting the Friday show if you're local and want to have a fun Friday night. I'm also performing on Monday the 30th in Fall River - I'll tell you that now because next week might be too short notice. That wraps up a great month of April comedy.

*Oh, and I've told you many times about Stand Up Break In, the Thursday night show at The Riot Theater that has been such a good show to me since I began performing comedy. The Riot is changing locations and Stand Up Break In will search for a new home and Thursday will be the last show in the current location and all previous Comic Sit-Ins will be performing. I was a Comic Sit-In, but since I'll be in Maine I will not be at that show. But if you can make it, I would highly recommend doing so - there's a great bunch of comics on the show and it should be a good one.

*Super big thanks to my mom, who I hope enjoyed her time with the girls this week as much as I think they enjoyed their time with her. They were really looking forward to their time in New York. And I appreciate that I didn't have to worry about them a wink during this busy week.

*Side thank you to my sister and brother-in-law who also pitched in with a fun sleepover for the final night in New York.

*Boy did we make the right decision forgoing attending a Monday early-morning re-enactment. It was a little chilly at the battle we saw on Saturday that I told you about last week, but Monday would have been downright miserable.

*Mets update - they had a real good chance to bury the Nationals this week, with a big lead in the first game against Washington on Monday...which they unexpectedly blew in disastrous fashion. And then they lost Tuesday night before staging a comeback of their own on Wednesday night and righting the ship. I was worried after a terrible 8th inning on Monday that they wouldn't recover. But they did. And when the dust settled after that Nationals series they were still in first place after taking four of the first six games of the season against the team in the division they needed to worry about the most. And I would have signed up for that in a heartbeat before the season started. (And it's been a tough go against the Braves...it's probably going to be that way all year against the division.)

*Next week is very likely going to feature our first 2018 guest post...and it's going to be kind of a switcheroo - keep your eyes peeled for a Sunday Paper guest writer and a me-writing-somewhere-else post.