Well. The evil deed is done. My Oh-so-dear son & his oh-so-darling girlfriend have been deposited at the airport, properly hugged and cried over, and sent off into the friendly skies of United. Oh, gawd, yes, I am sad and miserable. Whatever possessed that child to make a life 3,000 miles away from me? Where did I go wrong? I must’ve encouraged him too much; told him too many times that he could be and do anything in the world he wanted; built up his self-esteem to excessive levels, for gawd’s sake! Let this be a warning to all of you with teen-aged children. Now is the only chance you’ll ever have to teach them they can’t get along without you! If you don’t get through to them NOW, you’re likely to end up like poor ole’ Ellabella with children who are self-sufficient and upwardly mobile, and EVEN WORSE, who aren’t afraid to move away from home!!! So strike now, while the iron is hot, so to speak! TEACH those offspring of yours that their place is with YOU…I’m thinking Forty is a good age to start dating.

So I cried all the way home (an hour) and immediately upon walking into the house, ate a multigrain bagel all slathered over with cream cheese. So NOT good….but listen….there are just some things in life that are so traumatic that the only thing that helps is a nice chewy, stick-to-your-ribs bagel. Better, even, than chocolate cake, which it’s a good thing I didn’t have any of, because I KNOW I would’ve wolfed that down as well. Okay, in order to interrupt what could’ve turned into a real down and dirty binge, I went out on my bike (hooray for me, huh???) and rode furiously for an hour and a half in the broiling sun. I’m now sweatier, tanner, and just slightly less miserable. Well, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t call the last half hour furious riding. I’d burned off quite a lot of emotional adrenalin at that point, and rode more slowly towards the end. Good, though. I feel a little better if not exactly euphoric by any means.

Tomorrow it’s back to work. Maybe if I can scare enough young ‘uns thereabouts, I will regain my cheerful outlook on life.

I need a bath REAL bad.

Sayonara, chicas and chicos.

E!