Quoteable Bullets

• "No," I moaned when I drug myself out of bed at 5:30 this morning. Having had about 3 hours of sleep each of the past 3 nights, I am feeling rather exhausted.
  
• "Do you have zinc oxide?" Mom asked when I called to check in. I immediately panicked because we use the cream for any kind of injury. Cuts, rashes, itches, burns - whatever goes wrong, we use zinc oxide. Chienne had pulled her over and drug her on the ground when they were on a walk. (The dog saw a bunny.)
  
• "No," I answered promptly when someone asked if I was nostalgic when visiting my grad school campus recently. I don't miss it. I don't feel much of anything upon going back. Other than a bit of bewilderment that I once thought these people were so powerful and brilliant, it feels just like going to any other campus.
  
• "Oh, you're OK," I sighed with relief upon coming home and seeing Mom. She's scraped and bruised, but not enormously injured. Her knees are fine. She's sore but moving normally. But I was very worried until I saw her.
• "Wow," I breathed to myself as I returned to my hotel room one night. Someone asked me a question and my stomach cramped because I didn't know the answer. I opened my mouth to offer what little I knew and was astonished to realize I could answer every question and describe each detail. I have somehow picked up knowledge and can now share it!
  
• "Wow," I said again, blinking at myself in the mirror. I've never worn mascara before, convinced it would be overdone and icky, but I have a nice new product that is subtle and lovely. I like mascara.
  
• "Done," I nodded happily after I'd taken Mom to dinner, paid bills and updated my poor, neglected blog. And soon I sleep.