I adore this project. You take photos of the people in your neighborhood holding signs that have the lyrics to the “Sesame Street” song. Heather and Derek did a great one.

AHHHHHHH! My new favorite thing is Uncle Liam’s theme song for the Baby Arlo Show. It is riotous. Go watch it now. Uncle Liam needs his own kids’ show.

The woman across the street runs a daycare in her living room. As parents drop their kids off, she keeps the kids from crying by marching around the living room band-leader style. The toddlers clap enthusiastically from their shared playpen.

When the song is nearing its end, the little blonde boy always bends over, sticking his bum up in the air and touching his nose to his knees. He waits for it, waits for it, then leaps up and throws his hands above his head for the crescendo.

We can never move.

Scenario: The hostess at the neighborhood breakfast cafe is a very animated sort. While we speculate as to whether she is coked up at 10 a.m., she begins to chat with a couple from out of town. They are waiting for a table. This is a brief snippet of the 15-minute conversation they had until she seated them.

Hostess: So how’d you come across our little place?
Gentleman: Citysearch.

H: Really? That’s great! Great!

G: Yeah, it’s helpful.

H: Yeah! It certainly is! Although, you know, it’s rough with everyone commenting. You know? Anyone can comment.

G: I suppose.

H: Like, I had a couple of people go on there and say something like, “The hostess ruined our meal.” Can you believe?

G: Oh! That’s awful.

H: Yeah, like, “She seated two people who arrived after us.” I mean, come on! They were a party of six, so I had to wait until two tables opened up next to each other!

G: Of course!

H: That’s standard practice! They made it sound like I was out to get them. (nervous laugh)

G: How awful.

(Hostess holds up finger to indicate that she’ll be right back. She seats a few customers, then returns to chat more.)

H: Anyway, then they wrote, “She ruined my birthday.” I mean, tsk! Do I seem like the kind of person who’d set out to ruin someone’s birthday? I’m friendly! Or, I try to be friendly at least, don’t you think?

Gentleman and his wife nod vigorously.

H: Like maybe I didn’t sing happy birthday or something. But trust me, you don’t want to hear me sing. (nervous laugh) I’ll break the windows. (nervous laugh) Anyway, I try to do a good job, but there’s no pleasing some people. It’s too bad they can go out and just tell the world whatever they want.

G: I guess they should have some sort of screening process.

H: Really.

• I read somewhere that when you catch yourself in a behavior you’re trying to break, you should ask yourself, “Am I helping myself right now, or hurting myself?” I’ve found it increasingly easy to change course once I’ve agreed that what I’m doing is destructive. It makes me feel protective. Like, How could I do that to me?
• “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” –AristotleI tend to spend hours watching back-to-back reruns of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Repeatedly. You?
• “Winners have simply formed the habit of doing things losers don’t like to do.” –Albert Gray(Things like taking the underwear out of the pants you wore yesterday before you put them on again. )