It�s a windy 50� day in Cambridge, MA.

I simply yearn for Spring. Le prin-temps. That little touch of sweet green and warm in the air today, squeezing through my closed window, is enough to whet my appetite for a season that doesn�t drive me to my bed with the curtains closed for months. It makes me want to grab my roller-skates off the wall, jam outside and test my fate with gravity. It makes me want to throw open the windows and clean my whole house. It makes me want to take of for Sarasota even though my Dad is going to be there. I could almost see myself doing it�but I know it would end up being just like last time�dinners spent trying to deflect the venom like Wonder Woman, a subconsciously self-inflicted cold that does not keep him from treating me like dirt as it�s supposed to� ah! I�m ruining my Spring moment! Hmmm�. Roundtrip from Boston to Orlando $98! Maybe I can talk Karen & Dale into bringing Catherine and Stephanie (the new baby I haven�t met yet) and meeting me in Disney for a few days� Karen�s birthday is on the 4th. And they�re going to be in Sarasota. And they were planning on coming to Boston for her birthday. Karen and I always bond in Florida. We do yoga, try to stay in the Zone even though the food is unbelievable (Euphemia Hay�s chicken florentine with creamed spinach, Anna�s Sandwiches, Patrick�s cheeseburgers, Grouper sandwiches at the Old Salty Dog�I could go on and on), walk on the beach, etc. It�s nice. Now I�m talking myself into it.

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So Karen isn�t going to Florida now but she said she could get me a room on her Disney points. This is good! I�ll ask Kendra�I owe her Christmas and birthday presents. This is a pretty good present. I�d better get on the horn to her before the fare is sold out. And I�m going to Newport for a couple days tomorrow� what am I thinking planning another trip? Oh, it�s the old Spring fever again. Or Winter fever. Whatever.

I think I�ll make a chicken pot pie and feel all domestic and wholesome.

It seems I learn the correct pronunciation of Massachusetts� towns by hearing about fires and crimes on television:

Amherst: AM-urst

Methuen: Muh-THOO-in

Ashland: ASH-land

Ayer: Air

Reading: RED-ing

Billerica: Bill-RICK-uh

Worcester: WOOS-ter

Gloucester: GLOSS-ter

Leicester: LESS-ter

Leominster: LEM-in-ster or LEM-ster

Marlborough: MALL-bro

Haverhill: HAY-vrill

Pepperell: PEH-pruhl

Peabody: PEE-buh-dee

Shrewsbury: SHOOS-bree

Concord: CON-curd or CON-kid

Woburn: WOO-burn or WOO-bin

Barre: BEAR-ee

Groton: GRAWT-N

Everett: EH-vrit

Swampscott: SWAHM-skit

Leyden: LIE-din

Montague: MAWN-a-goo

Quincy: KWIN-zee

Swansea: SWAHN-zee

Taunton: TAHNT-�n

Canton: CANT-�n

Easton: EEST-�n

Monson: MUN-sun

Harwich: HAHR-rich

Barstable: BAHN-stubble

Natick: NAY-dk

Newton: NEWT-n

Tewksbury: TOOKS-bury

Weymouth: WAY-muth

Dartmouth: DAHT-mith

Chatham: CHAT-um

Raynham: RAYN-um

Dedham: DED-um

Needham: NEED-um

Pelham: PELL-um

Stoneham: STONE-um

-yet-

Framingham: FRAY-ming-ham

Waltham: WALLTH-ham

Then there are the townie pronunciations (which are correct because the residents say it this way):

Arlington: AH-lin-tin

Somerville: SUM-muh-vuhl

Medford: MEH-fuh (I hear �MEH-fit� is how someone in Somerville would say it)

Bedford: BED-fid

Worcester: WOOS-tah

Dorchester: DAH-ches-tah

Concord: CON-kid

Revere: Ruh-VEE-yuh

Fairhaven: FAY-uh-hay-vin

Cohasset: KWASS-et

Norwood: NAH-wood or NOH-wood

Norfolk: NAH-fick

Andover: AHHN-do-vah

Beverly: BEH-vah-lee

Danvers: DAN-vuz

Northfield: NORT-feel

Westfield: WESS-feel

Palmer: PAR-mer

Northampton: North-HAMP-tin, but the townies call it �Hamp.�

Tigger had five teeth removed yesterday. Hopefully he will want to eat more now, gain some weight and his diabetes will get more under control. I have to give him an insulin shot every twelve hours as it is.