Well, I went and dun it

[Fredda Weinberg]

The last place in the world I wanted to be tonight was at the community council for my local precinct. They meet at a United Cerebral Palsy building across from the station ... and the Explorers were there.

So I met the officer in charge and we'll restart the work I was doing with NYPD pre 9/11. I hated it then too ... but showed up every week on time.

Kids, cops and computers cut crime. But the combination also promotes social stability and equal opportunity through education.

So I went and dun it. And now, some time, somehow, I gotta fall asleep.

[rurallib]

1. Good job. Do it again next week, will ya?

[Fredda Weinberg]

4. I don't have a choice

I'll be there when the officers are ready. Tomorrow if need be or whatever schedule they set. Thems the rules I accept.

I had to get a bit settled first. It's still hard to accept I won't be going back to Queens, but Kings County (AKA Brooklyn) New York will be my residence while my brother is here. That picked the precinct and they'll handle the rest of the logistics.

I'll be tickled pink if they retrieve some of the equipment I left behind in 2001 ... else I wind up replacing it. Never mind the PC - they had a driving simulator!

[TomInTib]

2. Good for you, Fredda.

Keep it up.

And keep on smiling that mega-watt smile.

Tom

And wasn't that Les Paul show just great?

[Fredda Weinberg]

3. I'm gonna wear a brace tonight

An HMO nurse taught me to wear the device to sleep and sure enough, I'm gonna strap it on tonight. It's seen me through tough times - I bought my first after a big contract with IBM ended ... and week before another began.

Yeah, I gotta do it again, but I saw them, lean and eager - not a keyboard banger in the bunch. I was inspected by the commanding officer for hours; last time, Officer Johnson stuck her neck out after meeting me in the subway station with her Explorers.

Don't you hate crying alone? I would have never made it through another concert without companionship.

So tonight is about losing sensation, because sleep requires surrendering control. A familiar ritual is always useful under stress.