While they were home for Christmas, my kids came up to me and asked, "Mom, what is a phone book?" So I made some tea and the three of us sat down to talk about it.  I explained to them that it's a book which lists, in alphabetical order, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the residents in your area, so you can find out how to call or write to them. I explained, "These books used to be crucial if you wanted to stay connected and get things done. But that was a long time ago, back when people used to knock on other people's doors. Speaking of that, girls, let's use this time together to practice our 'If Someone Knocks On Our Door' drill."

After regrouping, I told them a story, a true story, of the time when Mommy was having her special drink with some friends and I got the idea to look up our last name backwards (Namretsliw) in the phone book. As my finger moved down the page, I came across the name Namelgof, Trebor. "Wow," I said, "Trebor Namelgof sounds like a backwards name." And then the panic set in, "Oh my god. That's Robert Fogleman spelled backwards."

When you are looking for your name spelled backwards in the phone book and you find someone else's name spelled backwards in the phone book, you start to feel a little crazy, kind of like how you feel when you overthink the concept of infinity. I don't know why Robert Fogleman put his name in the phone book backwards. He didn't return my calls. Maybe he had his special drink and got the idea that it would be cool for his name to be backwards in the phone book. Infinity! Why won't you ever stop?